Stone Sour
Jul 25, 2011
When we last saw Stone Sour, the triple-Grammy nominated group was playing sold-out shows around the world in support of 2006's critically acclaimed Come What(ever) May, a blockbuster that entered Billboard's Top 200 Album Chart at No. 4 and went on to sell more than a half-million copies on the strength of three radio hits, including the No. 1 smash single, "Through Glass."
Four years later, the quintet (vocalist Corey Taylor, guitarists James Root and Josh Rand, bassist Shawn Economaki and drummer Roy Mayorga) have returned with a broadened range, a deepened perspective and the determination to make their new album AUDIO SECRECY a multi-layered record free of stylistic limitations.
The group recorded AUDIO SECRECY with Come What(ever) May producer Nick Raskulinecz at Nashville's Blackbird Studios. Stone Sour does a lot of things brilliantly and they do most of them on AUDIO SECRECY, beginning with "Mission Statement," an electrifying track that breaks from the gate with white-knuckle intensity. Prior to the album's release, the band offered "Mission Statement" as a free download. Fans responded in mass and the track was downloaded more than a 1,000 times an hour within a two day period.
At the album's centerpiece is "Hesitate," an epic "November Rain"-ish type track that's both melodic and melancholic with orchestral strings and a soaring chorus.
For guitarist Josh Rand, the track "The Pessimist" holds a special significance. "It's the heaviest song we've done up to this point. I spent a day and a half studying the Hindu scale for the lead. The guitar solo for that song has a very Eastern sound." The song sees Rand shredding with a precise, powerful solo that's melodic and metallic. All the while, it preserves a unique feel. In addition, Stone Sour's trademark dual guitar assault became even tougher with Jim Root and Josh recording simultaneously. There was no need for them to over-digitize parts or go back and water everything down with Pro Tools. Taking an old school approach, both guitarists entered the booth and ripped away.
Among AUDIO SECRECY's endless highlights is the band's single, "Say You'll Haunt Me," which is a heavy-with-melody rock track that best exemplifies their ability to pull in fans from cross-pollinating directions. It reached #1 on both the U.S. Billboard Rock Songs chart and the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. In doing so, it became Stone Sour's first single to reach #1 on the Rock Songs chart.
