Audio Secrecy

Stone Sour – Audio Secrecy

Stone Sour are back with new release Audio Secrecy. This album is a really difficult call, not really metal but then not really anything else. One thing is for sure that Slipknot fans will want this album not to be successful so that hopefully Slipknot will reunite.

Audio Secrecy is the piano intro which is most familiar from the Say You’ll Haunt Me video. Without much explanation we are suddenly thrown into Mission Statement. This is probably the one of heaviest song on the album which is slightly disheartening. Digital (Did You Tell) is probably one of the best on the album. The catchy chorus will have you singing it no mater where you are. This song is however indicative of the rest of the album in terms that it is rather repetitive. Say You’ll Haunt Me follows the repetitive trend and is a very commercial song but then again most of the album is like this. Dying lowers the tempo with an acoustic vibe from the beginning. Dying has a very surreal 90’s rock vibe to it. The song picks up for a great solo before coming back to its rocky feel. Lets Be Honest carries on the 90’s rock vibe but with a very subtle hint of Mastodon guitar techniques. The song had a lot going for it but Corey pulls out some Slipknot vocals which doesn’t match the vibe of the song and feels out of place. Unfinished is a mixture of Mission Statement and Say You’ll Haunt Me. The song engages you making you want to listen to it. Hesitate is a bit of a joke really, you wouldn’t have thought this song could have come from some of the members of Slipknot. This has a very pop ballad feel to it and is quite frankly one of the worst songs on the album. We are then launched into quite the opposite with a Slipknot scream to welcome us to Nylon 6/6. This is a great song and has a very Stone Sour element to it. This is relieving to listen to after Hesitate. Miracles starts with a very bluesy guitar line and a very commercial chorus but the verse is great. Pieces has a metal Genesis feel which is great and reminds me of their song “Congo” and again has that rocky feel. The Bitter End has a heavy start to it and also a very cool riff and some very interesting wah effect. This is a more Slipknot song and could have easily come off “All Hope Is Gone”. Imperfect has a very country start but is a great showcase of Corey Taylor’s voice. However some shocking lyrical choice is this songs downfall. Threadbare is an extremely odd song but this is not bad and has an amazing chorus which has great passion behind it (like the rest of the album).

All together we can safely say that this is not a metal album. If we put metal aside then this is a great rock/pop/alternative album. The album does have great soft metal songs like Mission Statement, Digital (Did You Tell) and The Bitter End. However seeing as we are a metal based website this is not metal. A Slipknot fan trying to see what some of the members do when they're not in Slipknot will not enjoy most of the album. The mix on the album is great however some of the placing of the song is to question. So if you like lighter metal/rock and Corey Taylor then this is for you. If you’re into heavier stuff then its not.

6/10