by Reggie Edwards
Stone Sour’s latest release,
House of Gold and Bones Pt. 1 had a lot of hype and expectations leading up to its release. Often times it’s hard to live up to all of it but after only a few songs into the album it’s clear Stone Sour have lived up to all of it.
Up to this point, Stone Sour’s releases have all been strong. Their self-titled debut was an incredible debut, 2006’s
Come What(ever) May was a step up and its follow-up, 2010’s
Audio Secrecy, was even better.
However, the important thing in the music industry, especially the rock and metal industry is momentum. If you can keep it up with each record, you’re gonna be great. It’s what separates the men from the boys and the good from the legendary.
Well, with
House of Gold and Bones Pt. 1, Stone Sour have absolutely kept the momentum flowing lyrically and musically.
There’s no denying Corey Taylor’s astounding ability to write lyrics that stick out and make your jaw drop. He writes good songs, that’s all there is to it. You can be the biggest critic of Stone Sour if you want but songs like “Through Glass,” “Zzyzx Rd.,” “Bother,” and “Say You’ll Haunt Me” are all songs that show the versatility a lot of bands are lacking.
In
House of Gold and Bones Pt. 1, Stone Sour continue their pattern of stellar albums with a mix of songs that shape up into a very well-done concept album.
From the start of “Gone Sovereign,” I could tell this was going to be a special album, but I had no idea what I was in store for.
The variety of songs on this album is outstanding. You’ve got hard riff-heavy songs like “Gone Sovereign,” strong rock songs like “Absolute Zero,” softer tunes such as “The Traveler Pt. 1,” and “Taciturn,” which will leave you in awe.
This entire record is extraordinary and captures Stone Sour at their best. Even people who may not be fans of Stone Sour will find something to love about this album.
House of Gold and Bones Pt. 1 raises just two questions: Can Stone Sour release anything bad? And also, if part one was this good, just does Corey Taylor and Stone Sour have up their sleeves for
House of Gold and Bones Pt. 2?
Rating: 9/10