Nero Forte

Nero Forte

Slipknot

“Nero Forte,” the fifth song on Slipknot’s sixth studio album We Are Not Your Kind (as well as being the fourth and final single from the album), is more akin to the heavy, fast-paced metal that dominated the band’s previous work. Like some of the other songs on the album, the lyrics concern lead singer Corey Taylor and his then-depressive state, casting his depression as an entity that drains him of his being.

The song’s title could have a couple of meanings. “Nero” and “Forte” are both Italian words that, combined, mean “Strong Black” in English. However, there was also a famous Roman emperor named Nero, and “Forte” can mean something that a person excels at. This meaning is verified further by the pre-chorus, in which Corey sings:

That’s what you do best

Thus, the second meaning is more valid, as it implies Corey’s depression takes control of him, and, of course, that is what the depression succeeds in doing the most.

When talking about the song, guitarist Jim Root stated:

This is also a Clown song, which is amazing. This one is going to be great live. It’s very percussive, and reminiscent of “Psychosocial”—but maybe an evolution of “Psychosocial.” Obviously, Clown is a drummer and percussionist, but he’s also a songwriter—and he always has been. Now we’re able to collaborate as songwriters, and this is what we end up with. When Corey came in and started diving into the vocals, he came up with this extra melody in the chorus line, very late into the process. That really drew me into this song.

A music video for the song was released in December 2019.