Stone Sour - Come What(ever) May

Blurb
As a band, Stone Sour has existed since '92, but this is only their second full album. They were started by singer Corey Taylor way before he become a household name with crazy punk/rock band Slipknot. A lot of the Stone Sour music bears the Slipknot hallmarks as well, with one notable exception - the balladic nature of the slower songs. Funnily enough, Corey's bigger hits have been slower songs ('Bother', 'Inhale'), and it's the slower songs on this album where they leave a mark.

This album was recorded at Dave Grohl's (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) studio, who unfortunately had no creative input in this - shame, they could have used it. Stone Sour have toured extensively in the last couple of years, mostly festival tours like KoЯn's 'Family Values Tour', Disturbed's 'Music As A Weapon Tour' and the 'Jagermeister Music Tour'. A lot of their music does sound repetitive, and would probably sound better live too.

The two songs that stand out the most are the two more acoustic songs - 'Sillyworld' and 'Through Glass', both of which have received extensive radio play. Both are really good, excellently written and bear/bare depths of feeling. Both definitely rank as two of the best songs released in the last year or so. I wrote the first part of this review after one listen, and finished it after listening through again, and I'm pleased to say it did sound better the second time around. 'Socio' and 'Made Of Scars' are hard-driving numbers, with extended guitar solos and great rhythm. 'Zzyzx Rd.' has some guitars akin to what Slash (Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver) played in his prime. Metal is alive and existent, and not via the nu-metal that so many bands resort to.

There is room for improvement - Corey still slips into Slipknot-esque screeching, the staccato drumming does get on your nerves after a time, and the ballads showcase Corey's voice, but gets too much as well. Just like listening to too much Aaron Lewis (Staind) is liable to make you do someone grievous bodily harm.

Track Listing
1. 30/30-150
2. Come What(ever) May
3. Hell & Consequences
4. Sillyworld
5. Made Of Scars
6. Reborn
7. Your God
8. Through Glass
9. Socio
10. 1st Person
11. Cardiff
12. Zzyzx Rd.

Overall Rating
I wouldn't play this end-to-end over and over again, but I would definitely put some of the tracks on my playlists - 7/10.