Stone Sour is the debut studio album by American rock band Stone Sour. It was recorded and produced by the band and Tom Tatman at Catamount Studios in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and was released on August 27, 2002, through Roadrunner Records.
Writing for the album began in 2000 while vocalist Corey Taylor and guitarist Jim Root were still actively involved in their other band, Slipknot. Work began on the album after Slipknot had gone on hiatus following touring in support of their second album Iowa.
Following the release of the album, Stone Sour went on to promote it for almost a year; releasing three singles and touring in several regions, including the United States and several countries in Europe. The album received generally positive reviews. It was praised for showing a diversity in Taylor's vocals, which was not presented in Slipknot's early albums. It was also certified Gold in the United States and two singles from the album received Grammy Award nominations for Best Metal Performance in consecutive years.
Development
In 2000, Josh Rand contacted Corey Taylor after Taylor had returned from touring in Japan with his other band Slipknot about material he had been working on. Speaking about the experience, Taylor said, "we just started writing stuff and it started to happen". Taylor added that it got to a point where he said to Rand, "I think we're going to have to put a real band together, because this is just too serious!" Before the release of the album, the band went through several different names, most notably Superego,
Marketing
Prior to the release of the album, the track "Bother" was featured on the soundtrack to the film Spider-Man; however, it was only credited to Corey Taylor. In support of the album, Stone Sour released two singles in quick succession; "Get Inside" was the band's first music video and it included live footage. Released shortly after, "Bother" also featured a music video.
Throughout October and November 2002, Stone Sour toured the United States in support of the album with Chevelle and Sinch. In 2003, the band continued to tour in support of the album; including a European tour with Saliva, an American tour with Powerman 5000, several appearances at European festivals, a UK tour with Murderdolls, amongst others.
The third single from the album, "Inhale," was released in early 2003, shortly after the previously unreleased track "Inside the Cynic" was featured on the soundtrack for Freddy vs. Jason. On October 21, 2003, a special edition version of Stone Sour was released which included "Inside the Cynic", four additional unreleased tracks, a DVD which featured all three music videos and alternative cover artwork.
Musical style
Corey Taylor touted Stone Sour as "melodic hard rock with content and initiative."
Stone Sour received generally positive reviews. Most reviewers offered some comparison to that of vocalist Taylor and guitarist Root's other band Slipknot. While reviewing the album, Don Kaye wrote that "it's rare that a musician offers up another venue for their talents that proves to be equal to their fulltime outfit," stating that Stone Sour is one such case. Rowan Shaeffer of Counterculture stated that "Get Inside" is "the closest to Slipknot that Stone Sour get," even comparing it to the Slipknot single "Left Behind". He cited "the chugging rhythm, manic kick-drums and shout-along vocals" as specific elements that are reminiscent of Slipknot, adding that it was "an obvious choice for a single" as it would not alienate their potential audience of Slipknot fans. Jason D. Taylor noted the similarity in lyrical content to that of Slipknot's; however, he stated that vocalist Taylor comes across as less infuriated which "allows the songs themselves to settle smoothly, yet motivate the listener to feel the emotion". NY Rock stated that the album has a "more balanced feel to it" than that of Slipknot's most recent release at that time, Iowa.
Reviewers also noted upon the album's versatility, specifically that of Taylor's vocal range and abilities. Jeff Modzelewski praised the opening track "Get Inside" explaining, "the scorching speed-metal verse and screaming chorus are played off pretty well against the melodic pre-chorus". Jason D. Taylor cited "Orchids", and "Take a Number" as songs which stand out because they "strike with surprising force for an alternative rock group". On March 20, 2003, Stone Sour was certified Gold in the United States. The following year, the album's third single, "Inhale", was also nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 46th Grammy Awards.
Track listing
Personnel
Stone Sour
- Corey Taylor − vocals, guitar on track 8, piano on track 12
- James Root − guitar on all tracks except 13, 17 and 18
- Josh Rand − guitar on all tracks except 13, bass guitar on tracks 17 and 18
- Shawn Economaki − bass guitar on all tracks except 13, 17 and 18
- Joel Ekman − drums on all tracks except 13, 17 and 18
Additional personnel
- Sid Wilson − turntables on tracks 2, 3 and 6
- Denny Gibbs − Hammond organ on tracks 7 and 15
- Dan Spain – drums on tracks 17 and 18
Technical personnel
- Tom Tatman − producer, engineering, mixing on tracks 17 and 18
- Stone Sour – producer
- Josh Rand – producer on tracks 17 and 18
- Jon Chamberlain − additional engineering
- Toby Wright − mixing
- Elliot Blakely − mixing assistant
- Yen-Hue Tan − mixing assistant
- James Barton − producer on "Bother", engineering on "Bother", mixing on "Bother", string arrangement on "Bother"
- Corey Taylor − producer on "Bother"
- Patrick Thrasher − engineering on "Bother", pro tools editing on "Bother", string arrangement on "Bother"
- J.J. Farriss – string arrangement on "Bother"
- Stephen Marcussen − mastering
- Paul Logus – remastering on deluxe vinyl edition, mastering on live tracks
- Stewart Whitmore – digital editing
Art personnel
- Lynda Kusnetz − creative director
- T42design − art direction, design
- Ken Schles − photography
- Sean Mosher Smith – reissue design
- Josh Rand – reissue front and back cover photography
Charts
Weekly charts
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|+Weekly chart performance for Stone Sour
!Chart (2002)
!Peak<br />position
|-
!scope="row"|French Albums Chart
|align="center"|131
|-
!scope="row"|German Albums Chart
|align="center"|94
|-
!scope="row"|Japanese Albums Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|70
|-
!scope="row"| Scottish Albums
| align="center" |45
|-
!scope="row"|UK Albums Chart
|align="center"|41
|-
!scope="row"|US Billboard 200
|align="center"|46
|}
Year-end charts
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+Year-end chart performance for Stone Sour
|-
!Chart (2002)
!Position
|-
!scope="row"|Canadian Alternative Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)
|align=center|144
|-
!scope="row"|Canadian Metal Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)
|align=center|69
|}