Corey Taylor - CMF2 - The Singles, Reviewed

Corey Taylor - CMF2 - The Singles, Reviewed

Corey Taylor is one of the best known frontmen in modern metal, fronting not only nu-metal juggernauts Slipknot for over 25 years, but also alternative metal band Stone Sour. In both he displayed himself to be a very skilled vocalist, solid lyricist and pretty good songwriter, so the shift to solo material seemed inevitable. However, despite not liking, and in fact pretty much hating his debut ‘CMFT’ in 2020, although perhaps being a little harsh in retrospect, upon announcement of it’s follow up ‘CMF2’, set for release on September 15th, I still went into the singles optimistic at the prospect of improvement, so let’s see.

Post Traumatic Blues

What this track seems to put across quite well is Corey taking perhaps a more classically “rock” song, but giving it a heavy metal sense of aggression and speed. The nearly 35 second long intro was maybe unnecessary and it could’ve probably just started with the drums, which themselves have a really cool, frantic energy to them. These are then joined by some pretty cool thrashy riffs throughout the intro, and eventually changes into a typically thrash metal slamming groove. But then, from the relatively bright sound of the leads and wah-wah guitars that come in after the minute mark, a lot of that thrash influence dissipates, making way for what I would call a more “heavy hard rock” sound, maybe with some of the leads in the chorus lending a slight power metal tinge. That’s not to mean it doesn’t sound cool though, because I think it does, particularly with the guitars and rapid fills. The super grinding bass in the second verse is particularly great too, as well as the ever-so-slightly doomy bridge, although the guitar solo seems fairly run of the mill for the genre, but it’s still decent. The dramatic, pounding outro with the alternate, bright leads is a nice way to cap off too. Vocally, Corey also does a pretty good job overall, delivering that typically snarly shout you here on many a modern Slipknot track, and the ferocity really comes through, making the riffs feel heavier by virtue. Add to that the fact that the melodic chorus is not only pretty damn dramatic and catchy, but also doesn’t feel incongruous to the track, and you’ve got a pretty good vocal performance. For a fusion of hard rock and thrash this was very well done, and a marked improvement on the vast majority of material from the debut.

Talk Sick

Well this track certainly does operate under the same kind of “make standard rock heavier” M.O of the last track, but I’m not really a huge fan of this one honestly. To start with the positives, some of the heavier, punky riffs in the intro and chorus are pretty cool, and the wah-wah solo is fairly unhinged and wild too, along with the rhythm section being pretty motoring, the particular highlight being the grinding, distorted bass. Then when the solo comes round, there is a genuinely gnarly, gnashed teeth feel to it, dare I say some of the leads have a slight Slipknot tinge to them. Finally, while it does take a while to build up, I think the heavier half-time groove in the outro is pretty cool too. For me though, the problems with this track are more fundamental. As much as some of the riffs and drums might be decent, I’m not a big fan of the country rock sound of the track generally, particularly with the more stereotypically twangy, bright riffs at points, particular in the chorus, not to mention the hand clap drum groove that will 99 times out of 100 make me cringe in any context. Corey’s vocals kind of suffer at the whim of style too. His lyrics about being pushed to anger to the point where he can’t control what he says, seemingly in the context of music industry meddling, are fine, but certainly nothing revolutionary. For me though, the main problem is is that, while his more melodic vocal performance itself is fine, the more southern, twangy affectations on many of his vocals, along with the bright, typically singalong country rock chorus, albeit with a slightly dark air to them, do make me wince a little bit. The way I would put it is there’s some decent ideas, put in the context of a style and song that I just can’t really get behind.

Beyond

It seems weird to me that this was picked as the lead single, because this is easily the track I have the least to say about. It seems to kind of suffer from the same problems of the debut, in that it’s basically just Corey Taylor playing a mostly very basic form of rock music, but because it’s him people seem to give it a pass. There are some positives, definitely, like some of the riffs have a subtly dark, sinister hint to them which I like, the rhythm section, and indeed the musicianship throughout is fairly competent, Corey does pretty well with a more melodic, power ballad type delivery, and the lyrics, seemingly a declaration of his love for his wife, are quite sweet. Again though, this track’s main problem is that aside from what I’ve mentioned, basically nothing remotely stands out, and even the positives I have mentioned aren’t exactly earth shattering. The drums and rhythms, while competent, feel very basic, and particularly a lot of the very bright, soaring chorus guitars and vocal melodies just feel very run of the mill for a radio rock power ballad. Even the slightly heavier verse guitars don’t really go beyond being “kinda chugging.” That isn’t to say I have something against radio rock inherently, not at all. Instead what I’m saying is I would much rather hear the Foo Fighters do something that they have proven to be very good at and kind of lay the groundwork for with their hits, rather than hear Corey Taylor do a generic, mostly non-descript version of the same thing.

We Are The Rest

I’d be absolutely lying if I said this track didn’t have some positives to its name. For one, the intro/post-chorus/outro riff and slamming, crash cymbal drum groove are admittedly pretty exhilarating at the points they arrive, and I would also say that vocally there are definitely some moments, particularly in the ends of the verses and the bridge where Corey dips his toes into some real heavy metal savagery, and the track is all the better for it as far as I’m concerned. Unfortunately that’s where my appraisal of this track really starts and ends. I’ve realised that these singles’ Achilles heel seems to be the most fundamental aspect: the actual sound it’s reaching for. Sure, in trying to make what seem to be heavier sounding, yet still classically “rock” style tracks, you're obviously gonna get some heavy riffs, some slamming grooves, and some pretty good vocals here or there. The problem is it also, by virtue of its sound, comes packaged with a fair few generic rockisms that I just can’t get behind, and they’re on full display here. From the stomping drums and chanted group vocals in the chorus, to the anthemic, sing-along chorus and its ‘American Idiot’ own-brand knock off melodies and riffs, to the flashy, noodling, occasionally noisy guitar solo, it’s just treading the same ground we’ve heard a thousand times. Even the bridge which seems to be going for a heavier half time feel, also evident with the vocals, because of the bright sound of the guitars, it just doesn’t have the gravitas it needs to flourish properly. The lyrics leave a lot to be desired too. For an album meant to showcase Corey’s multitude of talents, the lyrical angle of “you’re all stupid and live in echo chambers on social media, nobody listens to the rest of us rational people” feels very tired at this point. Not to mention that some turns of phrase like “shooting on yourself like a water gun”, or particularly “I’m a dog, I’m a dog, I’m a motherfucking dog” are just straight up silly. So at the end of the day, perhaps more than any other single here, it has some decent ideas, but by virtue of its base sound, it feels like it’s fighting a losing battle right from the off.

So this album might not be my favourite album of the year by any means, but indications suggest that this is certainly a step up (and in fact probably a few steps up) from CMFT three years ago. Granted, that’s not saying a great deal, and I might not even end up liking the album necessarily, but whatever the case, it’s definitely an improvement, and that’s good. I suppose it’s a shame the bar’s set that low for Corey Taylor of all people, but what can you do?