ALBUM REVIEW: CMFT – Corey Taylor

For all intents and purposes, it’s surprising that COREY TAYLOR has taken 20 years to release a solo record. That’s not just down to his popular culture status though. His encyclopaedic music knowledge has manifested itself into forging his listening habits for decades. It might not do his heroic metal standing many favours – but he’s as interested in bluesy pick riffs as he is blast beats. Not that the concept of opinions outside his own camp has ever phased him, though. The Iowan’s career has always been built off a courageous, sometimes dark, amount of self belief.

It’s fitting then that CMFT makes little attempt to pay homage to anything we already associate with Taylor. This isn’t a SLIPKNOT record with less violence, nor is it a STONE SOUR album with lower tuning. Instead, CMFT is an eclectic battle royale of influence and songwriting gallantry. Folk rock, blues, hip hop, classic metal, punk rock: it’s all here. A record that’s largely derivative – yes, but CMFT avoids mindless genre pandering wherever it can.

Needless to say: COREY TAYLOR sounds more at home in some areas than he does in others. His swaggering vocal ticks through the triple run of Silverfish, Kansas, and Culture Head find CMFT at its charismatic, rock and roll best. Whereas the more tempo driven, punked up Meine Lux, and Everybody Dies On My Birthday feel oddly vanilla.

Guitarists Christian Martucci and Zach Throne play an important, but never overly exposed role too. Neither attempts to be 2020’s Randy Rhodes here, but nor do they stand idle. Album opener HWY 666 slithers into an agile, Irish folk masquerade, while Halfway Down‘s groove might have you picturing Mrs Doubtfire hoover up the living room to Dude Looks Like A Lady. CMFT insists on authenticity, and though it occasionally delivers mixed results; it always sounds like its own, original entity.

Home is arguably the most vulnerable we’ve ever heard Taylor, or at least the most since he crooned out Snuff on All Hope Is Gone. Hearing him traverse a piano-lead story of affection so gracefully is a culture shock at first, but it’s delivered so elegantly that historical connotations soon become irrelevant. The extent of dexterity in his voice has been common knowledge for 20 years now, but to hear him still willing to go to rarely, if not unseen areas of his range at this point in his career adds to his endearing persona.

Bold, creative, fearless – CMFT is everything you knew it would be. Though its quality doesn’t demand COREY TAYLOR‘s solo endeavour should reach STONE SOUR heights of prominence – you can argue that was never the point. Instead, one of metal’s few 21st century superstars has given us MTV Cribs levels of access into the depth of his creativity. Potentially too audacious for some? Yes, but CMFT is a fascinating addition to COREY TAYLOR‘s legendary body of work.

Rating: 7/10

CMFT is set for release on October 2nd via Roadrunner Records. 

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