"People = Shit" is a song by American heavy metal band Slipknot. It was released on June 23, 2002, as the second single from their second studio album, Iowa. It is also the second track on the album. The song is one with which the band members and fans identify, owing to its dark lyrics and heaviness. It includes a live performance video from their second DVD, Disasterpieces.
Composition Since its release, the song has been performed at all of the band's concerts. It has been described as one of the band's darkest, heaviest, and most aggressive songs. It features a simple, repetitive, but very heavy riff, along with extensive electronic elements and a drum solo in the middle of the song.
Reception According to The Pit, the song silenced critics who considered Slipknot a rap rock band. Instead, the band presented a mixture of death metal, sludge, and noise rock, overshadowing the electronics and samples. Kerrang! considered the song to have eliminated any questions about the band becoming more "pop-oriented" on their second album. MMH described the track as having "an 'fuck everything' attitude, insane vocals and a furious rhythm", concluding that "People = Shit" is definitely a band anthem.
Musical style Along with the songs "Disasterpiece" and "The Heretic Anthem", "People = Shit" is heavily influenced by death metal.
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