deepthroat101's Full Review: Come What(ever) May (Special Edition) [PA] * by St...
For the uninitiated, Stone Sour is the side project of Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor. Right off the bat, there are obvious similarities between the two bands’ most recent releases. Slipknot’s Vol.3 was highlighted by the excellent acoustic-driven songs, but when it came time for the purebred metal anthems, it generally came up lame. Stone Sour’s Come What(ever) May is more of a hard rock offering, but is plagued by the same problems. When Corey Taylor attempts his ear-splitting screams, bad things happen, and unfortunately for the listener, this occurs all too frequently.
It should be noted that I am not against the occasional coarse yell or scream. If used sparingly, it’s a great burst of energy for any song. It becomes a drawback when it’s used liberally. In many cases, Stone Sour have created excellent songs that are going along smoothly until Taylor feels the need the break out his patented wail, thereby tarnishing the track.
If, however, the screaming doesn’t bother you, then there is a lot to like about the album. Positive things include:
The singles. The newest single, sillyworld, is an above average tune that makes the most of Taylor’s emotive voice. A strong mix of acoustic and electric guitars almost makes up for the occasional dumb lyric, “So take those fingers, tape ‘em up and shove ‘em up your @ss!” The mega-hit first single Through Glass uses by and large the same formula, taking its time building up all the way to a hard-hitting conclusion.
Quality hard rock. A trio of tracks shows what Stone Sour is capable of when they successfully merge Taylor’s growling voice with thick, punchy riffs. The opener, 30/30 150 is the most Slipknot-ish song, with a slam-bang rhythm section and torrid vocals from Taylor. Made of Scars is perhaps the catchiest song, with pumping riffs and a massive chorus leading the way. Socio is a late album gem, complete with a rolling hook and confident drumming.
Here’s what’s not so impressive:
Duds. You have to wonder how these tracks made the final cut. Your God is an absurdly constructed blunder. Taylor’s labored vocals are bad enough, but add on punchless riffs and a weak solo and you have a prescription for disaster. Hell and Consequences fares no better. Taylor’s laughable death-metal growl is ridiculously out of place here, and more poorly written lyrics (“If you don’t want an enemy/ Don’t F*ck with my life!”) don’t help the cause.
Failed experiments. Stone Sour try a few tricks at the album’s conclusion, but few of them are wholly satisfying. Cardiff attempts to instill an atmospheric vibe with jangling guitar lines, but Taylor’s lifeless delivery makes plodding through the verses an exasperating experience. The languid verses also doom 1st Person, despite an undeniably catchy chorus. The closer, Zzyzx Road, features Taylor singing over a piano rhythm at the onset, and the tempo gradually builds up to a soaring finale. The major issue here is that the build-up is takes too long, and the payoff is sub par. All the instruments seemingly collide at once, rendering each of them a jumbled auditory mess.
Admittedly, this is a tough album to figure out. There’s some fine hard rock spread out across the album’s forty-nine minutes. On the other hand, there are blatant missteps at the end, and Taylor’s pointless yelling wears out its welcome after the first ten minutes. The singles are quite good, and their acoustic underpinnings are a welcome relief from the endless supply of crunchy guitar hooks. In general, the songs emphasizing melody are far more enjoyable than those opting for heaviness and ferocity. Ultimately, Come What(ever) May is less than the sum of its parts, and most hard rock fans would be wise to skip this clumsy offering.
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