Hydrograd by Stone Sour
Hydrograd is the sixth and most recent studio album by American rock band Stone Sour. Recorded at Sphere Studios in Los Angeles, it is the follow-up to the band's 2012–2013 double concept album, House of Gold & Bones Part 1 and 2. It was released worldwide on June 30, 2017 via Roadrunner Records. Hydrograd also had a special album premier with commentary on each song from frontman Corey Taylor on June 29, 2017 on Octane (Sirius XM). Two singles were released in promotion of the album ahead of its release: "Fabuless" and "Song #3". A third single, "Rose Red Violent Blue (This Song Is Dumb & So Am I)", was released on September 13, 2017. On October 24, 2017, Hydrograd won the award for Hard Rock Album of the Year at the Loudwire Music Awards. On April 4, 2018, the album's fourth single, “St. Marie” was released. Hydrograd is the first album to be produced without founding guitarist Jim Root, as he departed Stone Sour in 2014 to focus more on his and Corey's other band Slipknot. On August 23, 2018, the album's fifth single, "Knievel Has Landed" has been released. Hydrograd is the last album before singer Corey Taylor announced that Stone Sour will enter an indefinite hiatus on August 10, 2020.
Stone Sour push their catchy hard-rock elements to the front by replacing burly riff-fiend Jim Root with melodic shredder Christian Martucci on <i>Hydrograd</i>. A whiplash ode to love and loyalty, “Song #3” soars with passion, while the equally infectious “Taipei Person / Allah Tea" has Corey Taylor howling about rock ’n’ roll abandon over tight AOR-style solos. Their dark-metal roots pop up throughout, but as “Fabuless” demonstrates, the album is defined by its complex breakdowns.
