Review Summary: CMFT can't be stopped, but he probably should be
It probably doesn’t need to be restated ad infinitum that Corey Taylor has had an interesting career as a musician. From the early days of Slipknot to unmasking with his “lighter” band Stone Sour, Corey has always had something to say. Whether it’s feuding with Chad Kroeger of Nickelback because Kroeger compared Stone Sour to his band in an attempt to get a rise out of him (it worked), or getting on the case of artists like Kanye West or Machine Gun Kelly, Taylor has always been a loudmouth. But we all knew that; that’s why the meme is “what does Corey Taylor think about this?” At this stage in his career, it’s safe to say that discussing that stuff is probably a bit more intriguing than anything he’s had to offer for a while (barring the surprisingly well-done
We Are Not Your Kind) in the music world.
CMFT is no exception.
Without a guiding force to keep his ego in check, Corey’s excesses are on full display. The entire album reads like a 47-minute manifesto on how great Corey Taylor is in the eyes of Corey Taylor. Lyrically, he’s always been verbose and unafraid to make himself the center of attention, but at this stage it feels like he’s a grade A narcissist who thinks he’s king shit and wants everyone to know it. Such is shown in the hype-anthem “CMFT Must Be Stopped”, where Corey pretty much verbally jerks himself off about how all the fans want to hear him. The music behind him is barebones hard rock that feels like it wouldn't even make the cut for Stone Sour a decade prior. The rest of the album, for the most part, operates the same way - “Everybody Dies On My Birthday” could’ve been an ode to lost legends like Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington, but instead it’s more self-flagellation from the man the album is named after. “Culture Head” tries to do something deeper lyrically as well, taking aim at people that use their religion as an excuse for bad behavior, but coming from Taylor, that’s
fucking rich.
It’s not without its few bright spots however (shockingly), as the other single Corey released “Black Eyes Blue”, is a genuinely heartfelt song towards his wife that he wrote after taking a trip to London with her. There’s still the signature Taylor snark, but it feels like for once, he stopped being selfish and thought about someone else for a change. Musically it feels like sort of a part 2 to “Song #3” off of Stone Sour’s
Hydrograd, one of the bright spots on that album as well. “Home” is also about his wife, and Taylor reportedly taught himself to play piano just for the purposes of giving this track the kind of intimacy that his typical biting style wouldn’t be able to provide. Neither it nor “Black Eyes Blue” are going to be most people’s favorites that Taylor has written (for me, that honor will always go to “Snuff”), but they’re definitely bright spots here.
CMFT isn’t a good album. Corey’s narcissism is one of the most grating parts; apart from the two songs he penned for his wife, everything here feels like an unmitigated ego that hasn’t been checked by anyone in years. Everyone tells him he’s the man, so he’s bought into his own hype. The instrumentals, while competent, are nothing to write home about; front and center here is Corey’s lyricism, and that’s precisely the area in which it completely fails.
