Iowa

Jordison and Gray began writing the new material together in October 2000, and the band entered the studio in January 2001 with Ross Robinson producing again. It was the first album on which guitarist Jim Root was fully involved. The opener, (515), is named after the telephone area code for central Iowa and includes a manipulated recording of Sid Wilson. The title track runs just over 15 minutes, the longest continuous song the band had released. The cover shows a goat named Eeyore, photographed by Stefan Seskis after Crahan handed him the animal.

Iowa went to number one on the UK Albums Chart and number three on the Billboard 200, and was certified platinum in the US in October 2001. Rolling Stone gave it four stars, with David Fricke praising Robinson's ear for both din and dynamics. Entertainment Weekly was less convinced, calling it "almost unrelentingly brutal" but picking out Gently and the title track as its most interesting moments. NME ranked it sixth among its albums of 2001, and Left Behind and My Plague were both nominated for the Grammy for Best Metal Performance.