It has been less than a year since Slipknot’s last album, and yet their force-of-nature frontman, Corey Taylor, is already back with his second solo outing. ‘CMF2’ riffs on the title of his first effort ‘CMFT’ — in other words, Corey Mother Fucking Taylor — and fittingly does the same with its sound, carrying the baton forward while simultaneously heading into uncharted territory.
Truth be told, this project is an excuse to scratch whatever creative itch Taylor can’t quite express in Slipknot or his other main band, Stone Sour. While the masked metal titans got experimental on ‘The End, So Far’, it’s difficult to imagine them finding space for a straight-up classic rocker such as this record’s lead single Beyond.
Fans will naturally contextualise ‘CMF2’ amid the Slipknot works they know and love, and Post Traumatic Blues is the closest we get to that sound, save for a Slash-esque guitar solo at the start.
With intensity to match the subject matter, tackling Taylor’s experiences with PTSD, his signature growls appear over a bone-crushing verse riff.
Taylor’s voice can sometimes feel slightly mismatched over a ballad, but Breath Of Fresh Smoke throws that notion out of the window. Carrying country energy, there’s real breathing room for his voice to shine as the pace is broken up in an otherwise rapid-fire first half of the album.
Starmate is a notable highlight, continuing this pace with a deliciously catchy vocal hook that could have easily been written by Foo Fighters. It erupts into life with a tense, four-to-the-floor verse before gang vocals hit us in the chorus, a running theme throughout this album. Look no further than We Are The Rest for compelling evidence.
‘CMF2’ is a sterling effort from the Slipknot frontman, underpinned by an unconditional sense of creative freedom coming through loud and clear.
Corey Taylor Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Wed November 08 2023 - LEEDS O2 Academy Leeds
Thu November 09 2023 - WOLVERHAMPTON Civic At Halls
Sat November 11 2023 - MANCHESTER Manchester Academy
Sun November 12 2023 - GLASGOW O2 Academy Glasgow
Tue November 14 2023 - LONDON Eventim Apollo
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