The debut solo effort from the frontman for masked nu-metalheads
Slipknot and post-grunge/alt-metallers
Stone Sour,
Corey Motherfucking Taylor (released for the weak of heart acronymically as
CMFT) covers a wide swath of sonic territory that takes a swing at everything from Southern rock and pop to rap-metal, country, and punk. The 13-track set commences with the bluesy, country-rock road-burner "HWY 666, a
Bad Company-meets-
Moetley Cruee rush of machismo that feels tailor-made for one of those shell-casing-strewn Sons of Anarchy-style shootouts where nobody gets hit. Vibe-wise, the rest of
CMFT more or less follows suit, with the greasy "Samantha's Gone" channeling
Lynyrd Skynyrd, the lurching, rockabilly-tinged "Maria Fire" evoking a post-grunge version of
Stray Cats, and the blazing "Meine Lux," which mocks the opening countdown to
Billy Joel's "Matter of Trust" of all things, administering a lethal dose of fired-up dude-bro punk-pop. Disappointed
Slipknot fans will find some solace in the beefy "Culture Head," but even there
Taylor seems more intent on inciting arena fist-pumps than he does nu-metal apoplexy. It all works, for the most part, because
Taylor sounds like he's having a blast putting his own spin on a mule-kicked jukebox of influences -- closer "European Tour Bus Bathroom Song" is pure, bratty school
Black Flag. The stylistic shifts can be jarring, but
Taylor sells the hell out it, and in doing so manages to bring some fun into the often-dour
Slipknot universe. ~ James Christopher Monger
