Album Review - Stone Sour

Artist – Stone Sour
Album – Come What (ever) May

It’s always nice to hear that a member of Slipknot has a side project. In fact, I’m surprised that it doesn’t happen far more often. I mean, they have more than enough band members to spawn a career’s worth of side project material. However, it seems that Corey Taylor is the only one doing anything worth talking about and that is putting out records with his original band, Stone Sour. Their second release is a step up from their debut, but it still lacks the originality it needs to separate itself from the Saliva-Soil cliché. While Stone Sour may reek of radio-friendly rock, their songs are better than the aforementioned bands could hope for.

Starting off Come What (ever) May is a track called “30/30-150”, and while I don’t know what the hell that may stand for, it’s a good solid rock tune. Musically the record has hints of Slipknot, which I guess is only natural, but tracks like “Hell & Consequences” and the hit single “Through Glass” are far catchier than “Wait and Bleed”. The drums are easier on the ears and the guitars have a more traditional hard rock feel, which is always nice after banging your skull into a trashcan lid for an hour while listening to Slipknot talk about killing you in the least of romantic ways. They also manage to keep the heavy with only five members, which makes me question the validity of the other five Slipknot scary boys, but I guess someone has to dance on stage.

The highlight of Come… is the last track “Zzyxz Rd.” which kind of reminds me of Motley Crue’s “Home Sweet Home” only nowhere near as cheesy. The track consists mostly of piano and Taylor’s lyrics about missing his wife and kids, but when the drums and acoustic guitar kick in it adds a sense of genuine grief. This track also has the best line I have heard in a while “they throw me a bone just to pick me dry”, which is clever considering the subject matter. All in all it’s a pretty good record; I just hope that they find a way to separate themselves from the rest of the pack.

7 out of 10
-B

If you like this record, try:

Stone Sour – Stone Sour
Slipknot – Iowa
Cold – The Year of the Spider