Stone Sour: Audio Secrecy

Yell! Review:

Stone Sour released its third studio album back on September 7, 2010, and it debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200. For the uninitiated, Stone Sour is the so-called side project for Slipknot’s frontman, Corey Taylor, and guitarist, Jim Root.

Since the 2002 release of their self-titled debut the band has received critical praise, especially Corey Taylor for displaying his vocal talents, which range from guttural to a smooth, melodic tone. As Taylor brings even more straight-voice styling to the table than before (even going beyond the call of duty), that tradition of gushing over his abilities continues on Audio Secrecy. Is this a disservice to the fan? Or is it what we want?

A study of Stone Sour’s three albums will show a slow progression away from metal through to hard rock and finally settling on something of a refined and mature mix. So, if the debut album was an amalgamation of sounds and influences ranging from Slipknot (naturally) to Faith No More to Alice in Chains, the sophomore album, Come What(ever) May found Stone Sour’s stride, and Audio Secrecy is confusing. It took three listens before I realized I liked it, but along the way I heard a lot of what I like about Stone Sour and some other great stuff, such as The Cure, and some detrimental stuff, like Nickelback and maybe some Bon Jovi ballad material – but, you know, done in a Stone Sour way. Of course there’s still some Alice in Chains-inspired grunge/country.

Honestly, it’s great to see a band challenge itself and its listeners – as long as the change isn’t too exaggerated. There’s a lot to like about Audio Secrecy (a mood-setting piano intro to the album, ‘80s-inspired goth sounds, heavy metal, and rock) and fans of the band will be rewarding for giving this one a try. Key tracks to check out include: “Mission Statement,” “Digital (Did You Tell),” “Say You’ll Haunt Me,” “Let’s Be Honest,” “Nylon 6/6,” “Miracles,” “The Bitter End,” and “Threadbare” – yes, that’s just over half the album, but those are the tracks you’ll likely want to listen to when you hit play. If, however, you weren’t fond of Stone Sour’s previous two efforts, stay far away from this one.

Verdict: Audio Secrecy is worth the price of admission whether you’re already a fan or someone looking to sink your teeth into something with a nice balance of adrenalin-fueled tracks and thick and juicy down-tempo numbers. Yell!’s advice: buy it.