Variety creates a masterpiece.
Stone Sour’s sixth album Hydrograd, released June 30th, is an enjoyable album, featuring an eclectic group of songs that range in style from across the genre. “YSIF” starts the album off perfectly, “Hello you bastards” booming as if from a megaphone, and paving the way for the rest of the album to take off. Each song is different from the last, creating an entertaining album that never once grows old in its entire hour long run. A far cry from the concept album that House of Gold and Bones was, Hydrograd is a masterpiece in its own way, thanks to its variety.
A great early song on the album is “Taipei Person/Allah Tea.” The call and answer that form the chorus of the song takes makes it memorable, as each phrase is emphasized wonderfully. “we live (we live) we die (we die)/ we never wonder why/ it’s not (it’s not) too late (too late)/ to fight the hands of fate.” This early chorus expresses a rather deep message, expressing the inevitability of life, and how a person can still take their lives into their own hands, as it’s never too late. Another, and very different early song is “Fabuless.” The reference to classic rock songs is fantastic, as they blend seamlessly into the song, and can only be heard when trying to be heard. With lyrics like, “been a long time since I rock and rolled/ it’s only rock and roll but I like it, like it,” and “your beast is just a burden that you never keep in line,” lovers of song lyrics get a little treat.
The standout song on this album, however, is “St. Marie.” An incredibly soft song, with hints of folk influence to it, “St. Marie” is a beautiful song of lost love, one that echoes the love songs of older bands like The Eagles. The lyrics too are gorgeous, “here come the broken hearts/ just as the music starts/ one by one they testify / I never did enough/ I never cared enough.” Though a departure from the typical sound, “St. Marie” is an artistically beautiful song from Stone Sour, that showcases the true variety of their talents as musicians and singers.
With an album of such length, there are a lot of other songs on Hydrograd that need to be taken note of. “Friday Knights” is a more stylistically traditional song, but the guitar playing at the beginning of the song alone makes it very memorable. “Song #3,” which is curiously the fifth song on the album, is another notable song. One of the two original singles released, it’s very different from its counterpart “Fabuless,” but it’s more mainstream sound, and lyrics makes it an enjoyable addition to an already spectacular album.
Stone Sour has had a long and impressive career, and Hydrograd doesn’t disappoint. The variety of the album is what makes it so great, as there is a song on this album for everyone, as musical experimentation suits Stone Sour well.
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