Come What(ever) May Just Might Be Stone Sour’s Best Album and Here’s Why

By Kayla Harper

The hard rock band, Stone Sour, was formed in 1993 by lead singer, Corey Taylor, and some of his friends.  The band recorded a demo album, but did not release any music at the time.  Stone Sour disbanded when Taylor left in 1997 to work with the heavy metal band, Slipknot, until Taylor returned to Stone Sour in 2002, the same year they released their self-titled debut album.  The band’s first album did not perform poorly, however, it did not gain the band the same recognition and success that their second album, Come What(ever) May, did.

Released on August 1, 2006, Come What(ever) May is the album that defined Stone Sour’s sound and separated them from Taylor and lead guitarist, Jim Root’s, other band, Slipknot.  With the band’s debut self-titled album having a similar heavy sound associated with Slipknot, Come What(ever) May delivered a mix of the heaviness experienced on Slipknot albums with a catchier, radio-friendly hard rock sound.

The album holds the band’s first No.1, “Through Glass,” which spent seven weeks at this spot.  Another song on the album, “Sillyworld,” peaked at No.2.  Due to having a mix of both heavier and laid-back hard rock songs, this album got much more radio play than the band’s debut album, thus, gaining them more recognition and popularity amongst heavy-rock music lovers.

Come What(ever) May earned Stone Sour their first Grammy.  Although their first album gained them nominations, Come What(ever) May’s opening track, “30/30-150,” won them a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.  The track is an adrenalizing album opener, with an instrumental similar to Slipknot’s style.  Taylor delivers empowering lyrics through his strong and recognizable vocals, making this a great song for both Slipknot and Stone Sour listeners to enjoy.

The same kind of energy present in “30/30-150,” can also be found in other tracks on the album, including “Hell & Consequences,” “Reborn,” and the title track, “Come What(ever) May.” However, the album is also composed of songs like “Through Glass,” and “Sillyworld,” which are much more reminiscent of rock n’ roll.  This makes the album the perfect in-between for people who enjoy heavy music, but not straight up ‘death metal screaming.’  It’s not all composed of heavy rock songs, Stone Sour’s Come What(ever) May features one of Taylor’s slow piano led songs, “Zzyzx Rd.”  The album has a diverse variety of music, so there is something for everyone.

It’s clear that Come What(ever) May is Stone Sour’s breakthrough album, the album that became a staple in any hard-rock music lover’s collection and an example amongst other similar bands.  Come What(ever) May is the album that set the stage for the band’s future albums.  Since its release it has been certified platinum and become Stone Sour’s highest selling album with over 1,150,000 copies sold.  Even 16 years later,  Come What(ever) May remains one of the best and most recognizable hard-rock albums of all time, and defines Stone Sour as a band.