I’ve been thinking about White Lion a lot lately in relation to Stone Sour. For today’s history lesson, White Lion was a band in the late ’80s/early ’90s that had a lot of musical talent. The band was known primarily for the intricate riffs of guitarist Vito Bratta and, until a terrible tragedy occurred, the band was making waves with their debut single, “Wait.”
While that single/video was doing well for the band, landing them on arena tours and mild commercial success, White Lion also had a smart marketing machine dressing them up in ‘pretty boy clothes’ and, in the process, casting them as an Air Supply or Chicago. The band was so much more than that, but their identity was lost once “When The Children Cry” became a single.
That same disaster is on the horizon for Stone Sour unless you, my intelligent hard rock/metal fan reading this, get smarter than you already are and realize that Stone Sour is so much more than its singles. The band’s introduction to the world was with “Bother,” a track on the Spider-Man soundtrack that featured Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor singing a slow ballad in a new band called Stone Sour.
The song helped the band rocket to popularity, but it probably made some marketing wank somewhere say “Well, that should get the females to attend a Slipknot show now.” That same idiot had a say in the first single from Stone Sour’s current release, Come What(ever) May. Please, I beg of you, don’t let “Through Glass” be the deciding factor when deciding whether to buy this release.
Instead, you need to listen to the overdrive opening of “30/30-150,” which is propelled by guest drummer Shannon Larkin (Godsmack) with an all-out intensity. You also need to listen to the intelligent lyrics in “Made of Scars,” as Taylor takes you through a journey of his experiences that have left scars: “This one isn’t even there, but I feel it more because you don’t care” and, later “This one had me scared to death / but I guess I should be glad I’m not dead.” I think if Stone Sour continues to write songs of this power, the band will soon not be known as Corey Taylor’s side project.
With no concrete plans for the next Slipknot, it appears Stone Sour is going to be the main avenue for getting into Taylor’s mind. And what a vision that comes from this mind! Faith and understanding, a relationship with a higher power in “Reborn” and “Your God,” the latter with lyrics like: “I could never be your god / but then I don’t even think I want the job anymore” pepper this release. There’s also a commentary about the world in “Sillyworld,” as Taylor sings: “All we ever do is talk — we like to ride, but we never walk / we make it so damn easy to get bored.”
There’s also the familiar subject of life on the road in “Zzyzx Rd.” Very much unlike the cliches of Motley Crue’s “Home Sweet Home,” Taylor sings “I’m ready to live with my family / I’m ready to die in obscurity / cuz I’m so tired that I got to go.” The delicate piano melody on this song contribute to the somber tone of this track, a different take on the shopworn touring band genre.
So, in the end, Stone Sour is not a White Lion and you should not fall prey to the marketing machine that ruined White Lion. Even when “Zzyzx Rd.” is released as a single, you have to remember that the band is a metal band — that Taylor has a lot to say and a lot for you to digest. It is your duty to ensure “Through Glass” is not what you think of when you think of Stone Sour, or else you’ll be robbed of one of the year’s great rock releases.
