Stone Sour
Hydrograd

Today, Friday, June 30, 2017, the sixth album by Stone Sour has been released, a band led by none other than Corey Taylor, also the frontman of the more renowned Slipknot.
The lineup, in 2013, after the last album "The House of Gold and Bones pt.2," lost the historic guitarist Jim Root, who was replaced in 2014 by Christian Martucci, already involved in smaller bands like "The Black President," a punk rock formation where he is the singer.

Speaking of the album, first of all, we have to pause on the title "HYDROGRAD"; indeed, curious is the story behind it, according to which "Hydrograd" is nothing more than the name of an imaginary city that, for a moment, Taylor thought he had read in an airport in Eastern Europe.
It can also be stated that in this sixth effort, one can listen to the musical style of the band practically in its entirety: hard rock and heavy metal blend with Nu and alternative, not forgetting a splash of pop rock that has always characterized Stone Sour.

The tracks that best represent the different personalities of this work are:

"Knievel has landed," which at times resembles the chorus of "Killpop," thus the more radio-friendly Slipknot.

Then it's the turn of "Hydrograd," the track that names the album and which leans more towards Nu Metal; in particular, it seems to echo, in some instances, the guitar style of Brian Head Welch, or at least the Korn.

"Whiplash Pants," then, somewhat recalls Jay Weinberg's drumming in "The Negative One" and in the finale vaguely recalls, for the power of the vocals and the atmosphere, the homonymous last track of "Iowa" and even a touch of "Get This," both from the masked nonet's first two albums.

If it has been said of the cousin Slipknot that they hit like blacksmiths, it cannot be said, at least in their latest effort, that these Stone Sour are far behind in terms of sound heaviness, and this is evident in tracks like "Taipei Person/Allah Tea" and "Thank God It's Over."

Other tracks, on the other hand, favor a more "light" and radio-friendly sound, like "Song #3" or the acoustic "St. Marie," which has slightly exotic atmospheres typical of Hawaii.

I can only assert that this, in my view, is the turning point in Stone Sour's career because not only does "Hydrograd" bring together all the progress made by the band so far without smudges, but the sound also seems to have become more personal, more distinctive. Additionally noteworthy is the excellent mixing work that highlights the Mayorga-Chow rhythmic duo on almost all tracks, while keeping the sound balanced, powerful, and rather clean.

Moreover, the feeling that hovers over the whole album is that Christian Martucci, the new lead guitarist, manages to replace Jim Roots admirably. This is particularly noticeable in the solos that remind a lot of those of the Des Moines giant and are scattered, like parsley, in this new work by the band.

However, the best track, in my opinion, is the aforementioned "Whiplash Pants" which, in a live setting, will allow fans to unleash in powerful headbangings, but "Fabuless" is no joke either, showcasing the band's heaviest side.