Stone Sour (Special Edition)

iTunes Review

Stone Sour was founded in 1992 by Slipknot's frontman Corey Taylor and their drummer Joel Ekman, later recruiting guitarist Jim Root. They took a long hiatus in 1997 after Slipknot blew up, then came together in 2002 to release their eponymous debut a decade after their formation. The album's standout ballad "Bother" was featured on the Spiderman soundtrack and propelled the band further into the consciousness (and CD collections) of the masses, earning two Grammy nominees before going Gold. Listening to it alongside the opening track here, "Get Inside," it's difficult to believe both songs came from the same band. "Bother" sounds like it was written specifically for high school slow dances, "Get Inside" masks its melodies with hard rocking guitar distortion, rapid-fire drum triggers and gnarled vocals in verses reminiscent of early Trent Reznor recordings. The haunted "Inhale" slithers with a menacing melody before Ekman croons with elongated inflections, showcasing the versatility of his dynamic vocal range.