'Audio Secrecy' by Stone Sour

Audio Secrecy

Stone Sour

7th September 2010 | Roadrunner

****

Slipknot frontman shows his softer side as five-piece avoid their stone cold past...

The unfortunate news of Slipknot bassist Paul Gray's untimely death in May this year was a truly shocking moment for the metal scene. One of the original 'nine' of one of the biggest American metal bands of the 21st century had perished and two questions instinctively sprung to mind. One was: would my favourite metal band of all time continue after the death of one of their integral founding members? The other was: would Stone Sour, an intended side-project, become more prominent in Corey Taylor's future visions. As for the first thought, I have no knowledge of the answer, but as for the second, while Slipknot is shifted out of focus temporarily, I feel Stone Sour is now much more than just a side-project.

Stone Sour was initially formed in 1992 but entered hiatus in 1997 when Slipknot was prioritised. They re-formed in 2002 as a side-project to the lead singer's main band, a year after the release of second album 'Iowa'. So far, Stone Sour have earned three Grammy Award nominations all in the 'Best Metal Performance Category' and 'Audio Secrecy' is their third album. Despite Stone Sour being a metal band, Corey Taylor explores the lighter side of the genre, particularly in this album than in previous Stone Sour releases, distinguishing it from the aggressive and powerful sound of Slipknot.

'Audio Secrecy', like Disturbed's 'Asylum' released last month, commences with a gloomy instrumental, which bears the same name. The quiet piano of the intro builds into 'Mission Statement', a heavy-hitting track reminiscent, particularly in the vocals of Slipknot's 'Sulfur'. It features a high-octane guitar solo from Slipknot guitarist Jim Root. 'Digital (Did You Tell)' fits perfectly afterwards and incorporates an attractive distorted guitar riff. The opening single is placed at fourth in the track listing, 'Say You'll Haunt Me', despite involving more prominent drums, has a less energetic opening compared to the previous two tracks but certainly reminds listeners of Corey Taylor's broad musical spectrum ranging from death metal to piano ballad which he has demonstrated effectively on Slipknot's last two albums. The song builds up progressively into a catchy chorus section. The acoustic guitar is deployed for the first time on the album in the intro of 'Dying' before it is drowned out by the powerchords of an electric guitar. The pacy guitar work and passionate vocals on 'Let's Be Honest' make it a stand-out track. 'Unfinished' is a gritty but well-executed song with heavy, down-tuned guitar patterns. 'Hesistate' is a light, subdued song with the same emotional power as Slipknot's more subtle songs such as 'Snuff' and 'Circle'. This is ensued by arguably the heaviest song on the album, 'Nylon 6/6' is an compelling attack. In 'Miracles', Stone Sour venture into ballad territory, a place already exploited by Corey Taylor in some of Slipknot's recent material. Acoustic guitar and marching drums feature in 'Pieces' as Corey Taylor reaches his vocal climax on the album. By contrast, 'The Bitter End' follows, a violently heavy song, where clear-cut parallels with Slipknot can be drawn. To terminate the album, there are a duo of slower-burning works. 'Imperfect' is the second acoustic ballad on the album which has a stop-start style while 'Threadbare' is an impressive and expansive piece forming a perfect ending to an excellent album.

Stone Sour combine forces with fellow American hard-rockers Avenged Sevenfold on a co-headline tour of the UK's mid-sized venues. However, with this third album under Stone Sour's belt, I feel they should be headlining and Avenged Sevenfold supporting. 'Audio Secrecy' is a true roller-coaster of an album, full of unexpected twists and turns, which will certainly catapult Stone Sour to success as they acheive further recognition as more than just a pointless Slipknot side-project. The only significant drawback is that it is not that far removed from Slipknot. But, from an overall perspective, 'Audio Secrecy' is a well-crafted, eclectic and vivacious album which is one of the first 'miracles' in metal this decade.

Track Listing

1. Audio Secrecy
2. Mission Statement
3. Digital (Did You Tell)
4. Say You'll Haunt Me
5. Dying
6. Let's Be Honest
7. Unfinished
8. Hesitate
9. Nylon 6/6
10. Miracles
11. Pieces
12. The Bitter End
13. Imperfect
14. Threadbare