.5: The Gray Chapter is the fifth
studio album by American
heavy metal band
Slipknot. It was released in Australia, Belgium and the Netherlands on October 17, 2014, the UK on October 20, 2014 and in North America on October 21, 2014. It is the first studio album by the band in six years and the first not to feature founding bassist
Paul Gray and long time drummer
Joey Jordison due to the death of Gray in 2010 (the title of the album being a reference to his name), and the departure of Jordison in late 2013. The album includes five singles and has received commercial and critical acclaim. Most critics praised the return of their older sound from
Slipknot and
Iowa, while maintaining the melodies the band explored on
Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses). A standard and deluxe edition of the album was released. Above the depicted skeleton and to the left, Gray's self-titled-era "Pig Mask" is visible. "
The Negative One" received a nomination for
Best Metal Performance at the 57th annual
Grammy Awards. The album is also nominated for
Best Rock Album at the 58th annual Grammy Awards, along with a Best Metal Performance nomination for the song "
Custer".