Iowa (album) - Reception

Reception

Following the mass success of the band's self-titled album, author Dick Porter wrote that the anticipation for a follow up was intense. Prior to its release, drummer Jordison proclaimed: "Wait till you hear our fuckin' next record. It smokes our first album. The shit's twice as technical, three times as heavy." The College Music Journal reviewed it as "brutal, unrelenting, scorching..." Many reviews noted its heavy themes, the Alternative Press stated, " like having a plastic bag taped over your head for an hour while Satan uses your scrotum as a speedbag.... is over the top...you're going to be left in stitches." NME said that it is "exhilarating, brutal and good". Rolling Stone credited the album for its originality, stating that "nearly everything else in modern doom rock sounds banal". Producer Robinson was also praised for his work on the album; Uncut noted, "The barely relenting, tumbling noise attack marshalled by alternative metal uber-producer Ross Robinson is expert." Reviewing for Yahoo, John Mulvey said, "They're an evolutionary dead end, the final, absolute triumph of alternative metal."

The album's first single, "Left Behind", was nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance at the 44th Grammy Awards. The second single, "My Plague", was nominated in 2003 for the same award at the 45th Grammy Awards. The single "Left Behind" peaked in the top thirty for single sales the United States and the UK. In addition, "My Plague" reached the 43rd position on the UK charts. Iowa was ranked sixth in the "50 Albums of the year" by NME in 2001. The album peaked at the top position on the UK Albums Chart, in addition to the second spot on the ARIA Charts in Australia. The album reached the third spot on the Billboard 200 and Finnish Charts. On October 10, 2001, the album was certified platinum in the United States. In Canada, the Canadian Recording Industry Association certified the album as Platinum, on September 5, 2001. The British Phonographic Industry has certified the album as gold in the UK. In 2009, Iowa was rated 3rd in UK magazine Kerrang!'s "The 50 Best Albums of the 21st century" reader poll.