COREY TAYLOR
Corey Taylor and crew: first among sequels
PRESS/PAMELA LITTKY
CMF2
DECIBEL COOPER RECORDINGS
Metal’s favourite motormouth amps up the party spirit
WHEN SLIPKNOT FRONTMAN Corey Taylor announced his debut solo album in 2020, some loudly wondered, “Why?”, considering he already had an established rock outlet with Stone Sour – not to mention his collaborations with other artists. Conversely, given social media’s enduring preoccupation with asking what he might think about virtually anything, did we really need any more of Corey Taylor? That debut, CMFT, pointedly answered both questions: “Quite a lot”, and ‘Hell yes”.
Combining Corey’s signature metal and rock elements with bits of country, pop and rap metal, CMFT gleefully tapped into the boozy excess of classic rock and 80s metal decadence. Its follow-up, CMF2, is an altogether heavier affair; there’s less of a stylistic buffet and more of a focus on the kind of polished bangers that are written with stadium crowds in mind.
Opener The Box might lead you to wonder if you’ve just stumbled upon Corey’s lost country album. It’s a dusty, two-minute overture with the artist strumming open chords on a mandolin. Just as its final jangly note dissipates into the aether, CMF2 thrusts the listener into a full-throttle joyride of pulverising riffs and shout-out choruses that hit like straight adrenaline.