Customer Reviews

Come What(ever) May (CD/DVD, Special Edition)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Originally released last August, Corey Taylor (Slipknot) leads Stone Sour with the best Hard Rock release of 2006 called Come What(ever) May. In June 2007 they re-release the disk with 6 bonus tracks and a DVD. So let's break it down by original disk, bonus tracks and DVD....

The Original Disk From 2006:

There's no mistaking Corey Taylor's signature Slipknot screaming on Track 6 (Reborn), but Stone Sour mostly moves far away from Slipknot's complicated, chaotic arrangements to a more clearly sung, melodic rock sound. Make no mistake...Come What(ever) May is full of pounding Heavy Metal arrangements, but the vocals never stray into the hardcore Lamb of God I'm-the-Devil-and-I'm-pissed department. Instead you get driving music with quality singing.

And don't expect Nu Metal with Stone Sour...expect Hard Rock...period. I wouldn't classify Stone Sour as "old school" Metal either (you know, like Judas Priest or Iron Maiden). I would call these guys Modern Metal. Unlike the infestation of Nu Metal bands today, the guitars are set free in Stone Sour. James Root (also from Slipknot) and Josh Rand share the 6-string duties and blister their way through the disk. Ex-Soulfly drummer Ray Mayorga impresses on the skins (Godsmack's Shannon Larkin takes the sticks for Track 1). And Slipknot's stage manager Shawn Economaki rocks the bass.

There are standout tracks aplenty. Made of Scars (Track 5) is one of the best Hard Rock songs that I've heard in years. Track 3 (Hell & Consequences) is a close runner up. Track 9 (Socio) continues the melodic rock pattern, and Track 7 (Your God) had me singing along with its memorable "what am I supposed to do now" chorus after the first listen. Track 8 is the mainstream radio played hit Through Glass, and as I predicted in 2006, Track 4 (Sillyworld) has gotten its share of radio play in 2007 as well.

Often times head-banging, often times straight melodic rock. Either way, Corey Taylor's vocals are always understandable.

The Bonus Tracks:

Well...you know what they say about bonus tracks...if the songs weren't included on the original release it's because (fill in the blank). Most of the bonuses were taken from the Come What(ever) May recording sessions. The first bonus track called Suffer will greatly please Slipknot fans. The next three are fair with The Day I Let Go a bit darker than your typical Stone Sour. The last called The Frozen is a spoken word message. The surprise is a cover of Chris Isaak's Best Of Chris Isaak Wicked Game that's good enough for, and should get, radio-play.

The DVD:

The DVD is Stone Sour's real gift to fans with this re-release. I'm actually surprised that the package wasn't marketed as a performance DVD that includes the CD with bonus tracks (as opposed CD re-release with DVD and bonus tracks); I suspect that sales will not be as good because of this, especially among those that already own the CD.

First the DVD gives you the (censored) promo videos for 30/30-150, Through Glass, Sillyworld and Made of Scars. Then you get treated to a live performance (uncensored) from Moscow in October 2006 that includes:

1. 30/30-150

2. Orchids

3. Take a Number

4. Reborn

5. Your God

6. Inhale

7. Come What(ever) May

8. Bother

9. Through Glass

10. Blotter

11. Hell & Consequences

12. Get Inside

It's an excellent show where the boys must have huddled prior to going on and agreed to try to be as true to the studio versions as possible, because the songs sound great. The negatives to the DVD are that the picture is full screen and not up to today's widescreen, HD standards, and the only audio option is stereo...no Dolby 5.1 or DTS.

So the re-release of Come What(ever) May should certainly now be the first choice over the original release Come What(ever) May for Hard Rock fans that didn't buy in last year. If you already own the original CD, the price of the re-release is a lot less than a concert ticket and you get a full live performance on the DVD (without the danger from the mosh pit!!!)

I highly recommend the Come What(ever) May re-release to all Hard Rockers.

stone sour is perfect example of how hard rock should sound today, this band really reaches out and pulls you in. iam a big old school fan of king diamond, maiden opeth and so on. sometimes i get burned out on listening to same stuff over and over and it's all because metal and rock today suck. at least coreys stone sour and slipknot have kept modern metal alive and something good to listen to.

hmmm. Actually like the sound. I like huge, loud guitars. Lyrics here not so much. I've seen a zillion singers building up crowds and I'm probably missing the point here, but is f****** necessary every other f****** word? Really? Concert-wise he should save his voice so he can "sing" the next song. Glad I got the album though.

Come What(Ever) May was one of the strongest heavy metal/hard rock albums of last year and has rarely left my CD player since its release. I looked forward to this Special Edition release and wasn't disappointed...for the most part. The bonus tracks are left over from the Come(What)ever May recording sessions, with "left over" being the operative term. There's a reason these tracks weren't included on the disc originally; they aren't bad, but they aren't as strong as the rest of the tracks on the CD either. The exception is an amazing, acoustic cover of Chris Issak's "Wicked Game." Maybe it's because I've never been a fan of the orginal version, or maybe because it's the last thing you'd expect the likes of Corey Taylor & Co. to cover, but something about this track was so compelling that, driving home after purchasing the CD, I had to pull off the road and listen. Wow. The final track on the special edition CD is a spoken-word piece from Corey, an anti-Hollywood screed called "The Frozen." It's better than his poem at the end of Stone Sour's first CD, but Henry Rollins he isn't.

On the other hand, the DVD is a real treat. It includes all 4 of the videos from Come What(Ever) May, albeit censored for language. A 'hidden' video of working-in-the-studio footage, set to what sounds like an unmixed version of "Reborn"--which could've been left out--preceeds a video of the band's live performance at the RAMP Awards in Moscow last October. It's a great--and too brief--set that makes me want to kick myself for not catching Stone Sour live when they came through on the Jagermeister tour. With Slipknot reportedly headed back into the studio to record a new album next year, let's hope Corey and Jim don't make Stone Sour fans wait four more years for a new CD from their "other" band.

Again, the stone sour crew has again put together another collection of songs that will get fists pumping and people chanting. This album is at least as good as the first. There is no doubt of the slipknotish influence underneath, but the as it is unravelled and twisted back together throughout this album is far from what slipknot is. That is why corey taylor and his bandmates have this project, so they can explore other avenues of metal. Buy this version of the album folks. This is a special edition with 8 live tracks on DVD, along with 3 videos, and then 6 bonus tracks not included on the original album on the CD. Definate great value, and nice bonus to add to a collectors set. For first time buyers, get this version, second time buyers like me, well worth it.

Highlights-Your God, Made of Scars, Hell & Consequences, Through Glass.

Low's: None at this time.

Again, very strong sophmore effort from this Iowa based band.

The second album from Stone Sour, this version packs in a lot of extras for little extra price. The album itself is a standout, featuring a mix of brutal hard rock and laid back tunes. If you like your music heavy but also bands that are capable of slowing it down and still sounding great, you'll love this album. Standout tracks include hit singles Through Glass and Sillyworld, the heavy title track, and the melodic Zzyzx Rd.

This special edition also includes 5 bonus tracks not on the regular version of the album. The highlight of these is the excellent acoustic cover of Wicked Game. There is also a DVD included which has the videos from the album and a full concert performed in Moscow. The DVD does a great job of capturing the energy of their live show and includes most of the hits from their first two albums (the biggest exclusion in my opinion being Sillyworld) along with several other tracks which sound great live.

If you've become a fan of the band recently because of their latest album, Come What(ever) May is definitely worth going back to pick up and this is the version to buy. Even if you already own the regular version of this album, the DVD is good enough to justify buying again.

Let me start off by stating I am not a Grandmamama (or however she spelled it), but considering I rated two other albums using her account why does it hurt to do one more. For starters I have been a huge Metal fan since the 80's (actually the 1970's if you consider my childhood love affair with Black Sabbath, Kiss, Led Zepplin, Rush, Aerosmith, etc) The only time I have not listened to Heavy Metal was in the mid 90's when Grudge took over and Metallica could not produce a decent album (Thank God For Megadeth and Pantera otherwise I would have had stopped buying CDs altogether.) This hatred toward the new hard rock scene continued until Woodstock '99 when a last day band named "Sevendust" took the stage and blew me completely away. From there I went on to become heavy fans of All That Remains, Sevendust, Disturbed, Stone Sour, and Slipknot. But Stone Sour is by far my favorite (even though their latest release is not that great.)

Actually I surprised that I had never reviewed this album considering it I have bought 4 copies of it now (2 of the original release and 2 of the expanded album). Why so many copies? Lets just say that I learned never let your kids or friends borrow a CD. They will either never get returned or they will come back so scratched that you will not be able to play them again. But considering I must have introduced the band to 50 or more new fans, it was worth it.

You might be surprised how many people despise Slipknot and will not listen to this band because of their relationship to this band and vice versa. But I have yet to find a person who has not liked this album, so even if you are a Corey Taylor hater, but a Metal lover listen up, there are many reasons this CD is a must have.

First of all the production is excellent. It is not too loud, not too distorted, and definitely does not have 1 bad song on the entire album (unlike their other two releases). From the first thundering bumpy sounding Guitar note on 30/30-150 to the ending piano / orchestra melody of zzyxx rd. This album will stay in your CD player (possibly on the repeat mode) for quite some time. The only other albums that have made me do this was Guns N Roses - "Appetite for Destruction", Metallica - "Master Of Puppets", and Motley Crue - "Shout At The Devil".

Like the other albums named, I cannot tell you exactly what makes this album so great, it just is. 30/30-150 reminds me of the Second Stone Sour song I ever heard (and the reason I got into them instantly) - Get Inside. Come What(ever) May is my favorite track on the album (although it supposedly a tribute / Protest against George W Bush). This track reminds us of all the evilness in the world. Sillyworld is just a great soft song with very memorable lyrics especially when Corey tells people where they can stick the fingers used to make a peace sign. Made of Scars is something I think everyone can relate to (the tortures we all face in life and how they make us who we are.) Hell or Consequences sorta reminds me of a Slipknot track but it is a reminder that Stone Sour was Corey Taylors first band and he continued even when advised against it. ...... I am getting a little too carried away with this description process so I think I will leave it here, and move on to the DVD.

One word describes it - AMAZING!

It comes with all 5 Videos from this album and a 1 hour concert from Moscow!!! The dvd is so good that my daughter literally did not take it out of the DVD player for over a week (and she likes Slipknot better than Stone Sour). The only thing I wish Stone Sour released on the DVD would have been a Music Video for ZZYZX RD. This was the last single released from this album but they had moved on to the next Slipknot album and never bothered to produce a music video for it.

The only thing not described in this review is the additional bonus tracks on the album. They are not all my cup of tea (considering the Original release was straight out a great recording) The only one really worth noting is Corey Taylor's recording of Wicked Game. I hated that song when it was made in the 80's and figured I would hate it on this release as well. NOT THE CASE. I think this recording proves that Corey Taylor could actually be considered the Paul Rogers (Lead singer of Bad Company, The Firm, Free, and currently Queen) of this generation. Although I may not be a fan of Stone Sour's newest Album (Audio Secrecy), I do not have a single complaint about the vocals. It is just the material on that Album.

Overall if you do not have the Come What(ever) May album -- BUY IT! You will not regret it.

Once again stonesour have come up with the goods mixing hard hitting metal with more melodic songs including a cover of wicked game, my favourite tracks are come what(ever)may and fruitcake both strong guitar rhythm based tracks well worth a listen all in all 18 yes! 18 tracks well worth the money.

Again, the stone sour crew has again put together another collection of songs that will get fists pumping and people chanting. This album is at least as good as the first. There is no doubt of the slipknotish influence underneath, but the as it is unravelled and twisted back together throughout this album is far from what slipknot is. That is why corey taylor and his bandmates have this project, so they can explore other avenues of metal. Buy this version of the album folks. This is a special edition with 8 live tracks on DVD, along with 3 videos, and then 6 bonus tracks not included on the original album on the CD. Definate great value, and nice bonus to add to a collectors set.

Highlights-Your God, Made of Scars, Hell & Consequences, Through Glass.

Low's: None at this time.

Again, very strong sophmore effort from this Iowa based band.

iv bought this cd the 1st day it came out and it was a killer cd that i didnt stop playing - usually any cd that i buy nowdays and specialy back in 06 its only in my cd player for a day or two max but not this cd it kept itself in my cd player for a longer time then the other releases of 06 by that time, by nov of that same year i found out that they were going to play in scotland unfortunatly i didnt attend that gig which i felt bad the only thing that kept me from stonesour gig was that i wanted to be in a motorhead gig at the same night dont get me wrong its aint that motorhead better or anything its just that like i told my brother lemmy might die anyday but in 07 i got to watch stonesour live at dubai and that was a killer gig they owned the night until iron maiden came headlining that same night will i agree with all the other reviews this is a cool buy worth every $ the russina gig its a copy of the gig that i saw .. long live rock n roll