Stone Sour

House of Gold and Bones Part 2

Corey Taylor – Lead Vocals, Piano, Additional Guitars

James Root – Guitars

Josh Rand – Guitars

Roy Mayorga – Drums, Percussion

        Late last year Stone Sour released the first part of their duel disc album. Steal the Spotlight review that first part which can be seen here: REVIEW. Incase you didn’t see that, Stone Sour formed in 92. Since then has released four albums including part one of House of Gold & Bones. Part 2 was released in April 2013. They get the album going with “Red City.” The track is a slower tune that features distinct drums and a piano. Corey’s voice rolls along with ease as the music and effects circle them. The bass drops a little line while the drums hit steady and hard. Everything seems to be in slow motion and drawn out. It draws intrigue from you. “Black John” opens up with an old school record player type sound before the music breaks in with a killer vibe which will instantly get you on your feet screaming. The vocals are rough and raw, but they sound great. The guitars roar while the drums hammer home a great beat. The solo section is phenomenal as sounds fly all over the place. It’s a bad ass tune that will be stuck in your head for a while. “Sadist” is s soft somber track with some cool guitars throughout the tune as well as some weird vocals. It’s a strange tune, but it keeps you intrigued enough to stick around the entire 5 minutes. It will also have you coming back. It’s a nice track that you can play in the background while doing other stuff. “Peckinpah” has an up and down tempo style. There are smooth sections that just glide along while they install some heavy places that hammer. The track sounds really good with the instrumental sections blended with the vocals. There is also a guitar solo in the track that will raise your eyebrows. I don’t think I have heard anything like it before. The tune is very good. “Stalemate” rolls along much like the others. It has the soft spots, but also has the hard driving metal that they infused into the track. It does repeat towards the end, however it doesn’t sounds bad. It is a positive tune that has a lot to offer. “Gravesend” begins with the metal growls blended with the normal Taylor vocals. The music is okay, but has some funky vibes coming from time to time. I think that it is a take it or leave it type of tune. “‘82” is a great sounding track. The vocals are solid and are easily picked up. Corey’s vocals are at the top of their game on this one. You can get lost in them. The music is also top notch. There aren’t as many weird vibes coming from them this time, however they are still clever and spice the tune up. “The Uncanny Valley” is a slow and steady tune with a couple of spikes, but overall it just glides along with ease and grace. It continues on the trend of top level tracks. You can just sit back, close your eyes and enjoy. “Blue Smoke” is a quick 2-minute hitter that is quite odd. It really doesn’t do much in the beginning before vocals come strolling in. They go on for a while, but the track really gets going at the end. A nice bass line comes chiming in and leads the track right into “Do Me A Favor” which might be the star of the album. The vibe of the track is infectious. I love the music including the solo section. The vocals are easy to follow along with and really deliver the lyrics with control as well as attitude. “The Conflagration” slows the track back down with the addition of some keys. The heart-felt tune delivers the lyrics in a dramatic way. The vocals pour ever ounce of energy into this track and will give you the chills. You can close your eyes while you listen to the track and you will end up smiling part way through. This is another tremendous tune that you will be replaying time and time again. “The House of Gold & Bones” wraps up the album with a nice little number that gets going with a voiceover chant that moves into a slamming intro instrumental section. When the main tune gets going it really moves along well. The vocals get a little crazy as they scream at you in between actually singing. There is yet another little solo section placed in the tune that rips off a huge guitar solo which will drive you nuts. Overall this is a killer album. There are many tunes on the record that you can get into very easily. The vocals are awesome as they change shit up constantly. They infuse some growls and screams as well as a couple of yells into the fold. The music rips through like a tornado on a spring day. This is a near complete album with just a tune or two that you might be able to skip after a few times.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Tracks to Watch:

Black John, ’82, Do Me A Favor, The Conflagration

Track List:

1. Red City
2. Black John
3. Sadist
4. Peckinpah
5. Stalemate
6. Gravesend
7. ‘82
8. The Uncanny Valley
9. Blue Smoke
10. Do Me A Favor
11. The Conflagration
12. The House of Gold & Bones

Website (s):  www.stonesour.com