Critical Analysis: Stone Sour & Slipknot
This blog will critically analyse a track by each of Lead Singer Corey Taylor's bands: Slipknot and Stone Sour. The tracks analysed are Slipknot's "Custer" from their 2014 album '.5 The Gray Chapter' and Stone Sour's "Fabuless" from their 2017 album 'Hydrograd'. The tracks analysed are both from their most recent albums respectively as what is considered to be a 'Crowd Pleaser' song which both include choruses meant for audiences to sing along to based on the 'Chant' effect implemented in them and how similar the structure of the tracks are between these two bands (Blabbermouth, 2017).
In the recently released album 'Hydrograd', Stone Sour have made an album that caters to their fans of differing musical genres. This album has been made to be more experimental and inconsistent with the subgenres at hand as song from heavy and hardrock oriented songs such as "Fabuless"to grungy tunes such as that of "Hydrograd"(Bracelin, 2017). Fabuless is made to cater to the fans as it includes fans involvement in the chorus "It's all downhill from here!" It is also paced in a particular fashion to keep the listener entertained throughout the track. It includes a fast paced intro and prechorus, a soft melodic verse and fortissimo chorus.
With Slipknot, they have a very similar approach to the structure of their song that stands in a similar place in their album as a crowd pleaser song. Whilst the album keeps consistency with their genre across many songs. Yet in this album "Custer" is considered to be the main track for fan involvement during the repeated "Cut Cut Cut Me Up and F*** F*** F*** Me Up!" in the chorus (Christ, 2014). The rest of the song is structured and paced similar to "Fabuless" as it too includes a fast paced intro and prechorus with a soft verse before introducing loud vocals within that verse and a with a quick paced fortissimo chorus.
References:
Blabbermouth. (2017). COREY TAYLOR On Writing Music For SLIPKNOT And STONE SOUR: 'You Have To Go With Your Gut Instinct'. BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved from http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/corey-taylor-on-writing-music-for-slipknot-and-stone-sour-you-have-to-go-with-your-gut-instinct/
Bracelin, J. (2017). In Stone Sour’s ‘Hydrograd,’ Corey Taylor trades anger for absolution - Reviews - Alternative Press. Alternative Press. Retrieved from http://www.altpress.com/reviews/entry/stone_sour_hydrograd_review
Christ, S. (2014). Slipknot Shares New Song 'Custer' From Upcoming Album '.5: The Gray Chapter' [LISTEN]. Music Times. Retrieved from http://www.musictimes.com/articles/12101/20141011/slipknot-shares-new-song-custer-upcoming-album-5-gray-chapter.htm
