Stone Sour
Come What(ever) May
Release date: August 1, 2006

Rating: 6/10

Stone Sour’s second release, Come What(ever) May, isn’t so much of a step backwards than it is an entire Slip n’ Slide’s length hurtling in reverse.

Comprised of Slipknot veterans Corey Taylor and James Root and having previously garnered Grammy attention for their much heavier and insanely good 2002 self-titled release, Stone Sour comes up short with their sophomore effort. The result of Come What(ever) May is another album in a long line of generic attempts at what is currently passing for “raw” aggression in the realm of the new breed of metal.

Whereas the band’s first album seemed fresh, this one screams “side project,” abandoning even a half-assed effort to provide the listener with consistently provocative lyrics and a distinctive sound.

While this is a painfully obvious weakness, it also proves to be Come What(ever) May’s strong suit, offering up something for everyone. Uneven and musically schizophrenic, the album plays host to some outstanding tracks as well as some heinously trite ones… and those that just fade completely from memory after listening to them the first time.

The dubiously titled opening track “30/30-150” kicks it off on a sour (no pun intended) with an ambiguous title that gives no clues to its meaning with its blur of lyrics. Right out of the gate, the guitar duo of James Root and Josh Rand turn in anorexic sounding riffs cribbed from early Metallica, lacking the punch of their metal forbears.

Lyrically, the majority of the tracks on the album beat the first person singular to death. Repeated affirmations of “I am a dominant gene,” “I am not a victim,” and “I am made of scars” litter the disc. The guiltiest repeat-offender, “Reborn,” abuses the words “I am” 35 times throughout the duration of the track. It becomes a bit much and underscores what seems to be a forced effort to come up with songs to appeal to an audience of aspiring malcontents.

Lest I be too harsh, there are several good songs that redeem this effort. Many of the album’s bright spots happen when Stone Sour abandons the macho posturing and slows the pace down a bit. The lyrical content on several of these tracks shows more maturity and the combination of acoustic and electric guitars accompanied by a prevalent sounding bass make for a fuller sound. “Sillyworld” combines elements of Alice and Chains and Nickleback, an odd combination that, even more oddly, works well together. The track is emblematic of the album itself, switching from a slower pacing and then turning up the amps.

Lead singer Corey Taylor’s voice is an acquired taste, a fact which is heavily emphasized on this album. Come What(ever) May forces the listener to compromise, having to choose between flat and monotone vocals on the more musically-sound ballads, or hearing Taylor’s voice sound more at home on the thin-sounding aggressive metal tracks. Not exactly known for his mellifluous voice, Taylor’s range on this album falls between that of a gratuitously growling Cookie Monster and a coffee house poet taking stabs at a more melodic vocal style. Of course, there is also a smattering of the requisite choked-off screaming which has become a cliché of this particular musical genre. The wisely-chosen first single, “Through the Glass” has enough up-tempo and slower moments encased within to counterbalance and camouflage any vocal or musical weaknesses in the band. It’s a strong track that is one of the better moments on this offering.

The album’s piano-laced closer, “Zzyxz Road” comes as a surprise and leaves the listener on a high note. The instrumentation flows seamlessly and the band is running on all cylinders. Even if Taylor’s vocals aren’t incredibly dynamic, he sounds sincere and into the moment, making this one of Come What(ever) May’s standout sleeper pieces.

Come What(ever) May isn’t terribly impressive with the first listen, however with repeated spins, the material grows on you. On the whole, it isn’t without redemption, yet there is little to separate it from the pack of its sound-alike contemporaries. While the tracks are quite diverse and offer something for everyone, the finished product makes for an uneven collection when listened to as a whole. Come What(ever) May resembles more of a mix tape than an album by a band with a unique sound. Much like any homemade mix tape, Stone Sour has some good tunes on the disc while others don’t quite hit the mark.

by Lana Cooper