Stone Sour have done an okay job of making a name for themselves despite the huge shadow cast over them by the band Slipknot, of which lead singer Corey Taylor and guitarist Jim Root are also a part. The really odd thing is that this seems to have been the case even back in 2002 when they released their debut self-titled album. From their beginning, despite forgettable music, they have been able to stand on their own quite decently. But does that make them good? Well, that’s another story.
Their new album House of Gold & Bones, Part 1 is supposed to be one half of some epic double concept album of sorts, but it’s difficult to discern exactly what the story behind it is. If the song “The Travelers” is any indication, it has to do with someone journeying through life on his own and not having anybody to turn to blah blah blah.
Being quite blunt, there aren’t any songs on this album that are particularly grabbing. The opening guitar part to the first song, “Gone Sovereign” is kind of cool and sounds oddly like something off of a KMFDM record. Needless to say, this is a pretty brütal album and things only pick up in brütality from there.
It is hard not to draw comparisons between Stone Sour and Slipknot especially because of how distinct Corey Taylor’s voice is. However, with Stone Sour he is a bit more reserved, whereas with Slipknot he makes your throat hurt just listening to him. The track “RU486” comes relatively close to how he performs vocally with the Knot.
The song “Influence of a Drowsy God” actually features some piano, which is sort of an interesting element to the record overall, but not enough to redeem it from the realm of easy-to-forget. You would have to listen to this album at least twice a day for about six months straight for House of Gold & Bones, Part 1 to have any lasting impact in your life.
Here’s the bottom line with Stone Sour: they are talented musicians but come up lacking in the substance department. They make it difficult not to lump them in with the endless rabble of hardcore emotional bands such as Staind, Nickelback, and whoever else is popular in that genre these days. They might mean well, but they just come off as cheesy and this album doesn’t stand alone in any way whatsoever from any of its predecessors. Hardcore fans might be offended by this sentiment, but Corey Taylor and Jim Root’s talents seem a bit wasted on anything that’s not Slipknot. Apparently there’s going to be a House of Gold & Bones, Part 2 early next year… Maybe they could just move on to the next Slipknot record already.
Stone Sour – Gone Sovereign
