Stone Sour is fronted by Slipknot man Corey Taylor, and this CD, which is their first album, is Self Titled. If I were to compare CD’s, I would compare it to Slipknot’s Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses), or Stone Sour’s newest effort, Come What(Ever) May. There are many ways to look at this. The lyrics can get a bit repetitive, because Corey uses subjects like angst, animosity and stuff around that area of expertise to get his point across.
The band line up is:
Corey Taylor - Vocals
James Root - Guitar
Josh Rand - Guitar
Shawn Economaki - Bass
Ryan Mayorga – Drums
At first I had mixed thoughts about this CD, wondering if it was as good as their second album, entitled
Come What(Ever) May. Now that I have listened to this album as a whole again, I can say that everything about this album is better. If you were to listen to the first song of this CD, you would probably be thinking to yourself, “Is this Stone Sour, or Slipknot?”. The overall album shows some similarity to Slipknot, but shows enough difference to make it its own album. It is filled with complex drum beats, pounding double bass riffs, and some pretty good guitar solos. The sound on each song differs, making the album a treat to listen to as a whole, as you will not get bored quickly. Corey does his traditional rapping throughout the CD, but when he sings, it surprised me by how good he can sing. He is on key throughout the album, and can sometimes display his vocal range. He can do some great transitions from screaming to singing very softly as well.
Hearing Corey singing good isn’t the only plus on this album. Ryan does a great job on the drums, making the rhythm section very complex. He uses the snare nicely throughout the album. Combine that with Shawn on the bass, and you get the deep, crunchy sound that runs throughout the album, and keeps this band alive. The opening songs display that well, and set a trend for the rest of the album.
Of course, any hard rock album would not be complete with the down-tuned, chunky guitars, played with fast riffs, over the double bass beats by the drums and bass. There is one thing to have an album where the guitar parts do just only power chords (i.e. Taproot, for example, while some of their songs are good). This is an album where the guitarists have actually taken the time to play their instrument the way it should be played. The deceptiveness of the guitars is another thing in the album as well, as you can never tell where it is going to go. The dueling of the guitars throughout the album is done brilliantly, backing Corey’s singing.
The solos are good in this album, providing variety throughout the songs, to make you want to prowl into the album. They offer not brilliant solos, but good enough to make you say, “Yeah, this is a pretty good solo.”
The sound of the clean guitars is rare throughout the album, but the one song that is done that way, was done good.
Bother, the only non distorted song on the album, placed right in the middle, was a perfect song to break away from the hard rock, and give you a treat on the CD. Everything is done right here, and it sets a tone for the rest of the CD.
So, if you are a fan of Slipknot, or any hard rock band, you will love this CD. It is filled with fast riffs, good guitar solos, good singing, and a great ballad. You will not be let down. The only flaw is that it might start to sound old after a lot of listens, but is still enjoyable to listen to.
Recommended Songs
Orchids
Monolith
Bother
Blue Study
Tumult
