Corey Taylor is one of those singers who I feel has never really received the acclaim he so richly deserves, as he is generally thought of as #8 of Slipknot, a foul-mouthed entity who drives the fans crazy with his aggression and over the top performance. But Slipknot was not his first band, and he had been in Stone Sour for five years before joining Slipknot, during which time he was singing in a quite different style. Of course, the success he had with the masked ones meant that Stone Sour returned and soon had massive success with “Bother” which featured on the Spider Man soundtrack. Even my wife liked it, and she could not equate the singer with the same animal (her words) from Slipknot.

Since then, Corey has had the opportunity to basically do whatever he likes, and at the end of last year he produced his first solo album. Recorded at Hideout Studio in Las Vegas, with producer Jay Ruston and his band – Christian Martucci (guitar), Zach Throne (guitar), Jason Christopher (bass), and Dustin Robert (drums) – here we have a singer with nothing to prove having a blast throughout. This is rock, pure and simple, sometimes with an acoustic, and it has allowed Taylor to provide music which is almost country with the likes of “Silverfish”, a song that can only be described as beautiful. The arrangements are structured so his vocals are always front and centre, and he sings in a style that allows the listener to understand the lyrics the very first time of playing the album. He has incredibly clear annunciation, and in many ways, it is fascinating to hear him express himself in such a different manner to that on his day job.

Mind you, he is far more melodic with Slipknot than many critics give him credit for, it is just that with that band he is playing a part which demands a different performance, but when he is left to his own devices, he resorts to songs which are far emotional and with less angst. Even when he allows his more aggressive side to burst out on “Everybody Dies On My Birthday”, it is still hard rock as opposed to nu-metal. If anyone ever felt that the guy from Slipknot was a novelty who needed a mask to get his point across, then I suggest you play this and understand that he is a truly strong singer, and this is a great album.

Rating: 8/10

Links:
https://www.thecoreytaylor.com/
https://www.roadrunnerrecords.co.uk/