Overall Score: 7/10 Production: 8/10 Songs: 7/10 Replay value: 6/10 Pros: A fun album in parts with some very good songs Cons: Some filler and pacing issues bring it down
I would hope by now that everyone would have some idea of who Corey Taylor is. Whether it’s as the frontman of Slipknot/Stone Sour or as a best selling author. He’s been around long enough, that you should at least have heard the name alone.
CMFT is the first collection of all solo material from the Great Big Mouth himself. I will say that while I am surprised it has taken him this long to put out a solo record, this is both exactly what I expected from him, while also completely not what I expected as well.
Your personal feelings on this record will likely depend on two things. What your feelings are towards Corey Taylor and also which of his musical projects you prefer. This is pure unfiltered Corey, but it will appeal more to fans of Stone Sour than Slipknot.
There are some really bright moments on CMFT from the opening of HWY 666 which is essentially The Devil Went Down to Georgia filtered through Pump era Aerosmith, to the frenetic closing moments of European Tour Bus Bathroom Song. This album features some of Corey’s silliest moments but also some really touching ones as well.
Black Eyes Blue is a classic widescreen ballad that stands head and shoulders with some of his best work. Silverfish and Home also fit neatly into that mould reaffirming that sometimes less is more, the latter being particularly effective.
Culture Head is the heaviest song on the album and the most outwardly antagonistic. It’s the closest thing the album comes to a full on rager. It’s followed by the cheerily titled Everybody Dies On My Birthday which is a lot cheerier than it sounds, proving to be one of the catchier songs on here.
The album’s lead single CMFT Must Be Stopped is a song I hated upon first hearing it, but has grown on massively over repeated listens. It makes complete sense that Corey Taylor would write himself a tongue in cheek theme song. This will sound huge when live shows return and it can be played in front of a rowdy crowd.
CMFT is an album that is well intentioned and a fairly fun and easy listen. It’s also fairly scattershot in places with not all of the material landing,leading to some moments of filler. Tracks like Samantha’s Gone and Meine Lux do bring things down a little bit, by being fairly run of the mill and padding the run time.
Overall this album feels a bit like a videogame expansion pack. It’s good that it exists and you’ll get some enjoyment out of it, but it’s not something you’ll find yourself returning to very often when there is so much still left to explore in other places.
CMFT is out via Roadunner Records on October 2nd.
