Stone Sour

House Of Gold And Bones-Part 1, the first half of a double concept album by the hard rock/post grudge band Stone Sour, signals a return to concept albums worth their weight in the rock arena.

The intro, “Gone Sovereign,” immediately jumps into a growl-heavy Corey Taylor, who questions the authenticity of religious followers as he passionately sings: “If only the committed will survive, is anybody here still left alive?”

With such a rockin’ badass intro, Stone Sour bombards the listener’s ears with a much heavier sound than any of its previous offerings. “Absolute Zero,” the infectious metal and grudge influenced anthem, and “Last Of The Reel,” the hefty track sounding like Taylor’s other band Slipknot, both add fleshy and portly grit to House Of Gold And Bones.

“The Travelers-Pt. 1” and “Pt. 2” provide fans with a reminiscent acoustic guitar wielding Taylor, softly singing over a bed of a gentle orchestra backed with thick blues guitar in the former, and a theatrical explosion of electric guitars and dark piano dimension in the latter.

“Tired” offers the traditional Stone Sour formula: heavy rock, catchy melodies, and infectious lyrics, with a swagger that make it very accessible to most listeners.

House Of Gold And Bones Part-1, has all the ingredients for a phenomenal hard rock album, and succeeds extraordinarily. HoGaB-Pt. 1’s concept of the internal struggle of growing up and facing one’s demons is heightened with the gapless playback nature of the album, allowing sonic and lyrical theatrics that lead the listener into an experience that is an absolute pleasure and creates an anticipation for the finale, Part-2, coming in May 2013.