STONE SOUR To Head In A 'More Rock And Roll' Direction On Upcoming Album

STONE SOUR singer Corey Taylor has written "about eight songs" for the follow-up to the band's the double concept album "House Of Gold & Bones", but won't return to the studio to record the new CD until SLIPKNOT has finished touring in support of its fifth album, ".5: The Gray Chapter".

Taylor, who also fronts SLIPKNOT, told Eddie Trunk about the sound of the new STONE SOUR material: "It's kind of going in a different reaction than the older stuff — like a little more rock and roll, a little more expanding the range again." As to when STONE SOUR plans to lay down the new tracks, Taylor said: "I've got SLIPKNOT until, call it, June of next year. So it's gonna be just kind of, where I can, filling in the blanks and getting everything ready for when that happens."

Each one of STONE SOUR's next two covers EPs, which will follow up the April release of its first one, "Meanwhile In Burbank…", will feature five songs like the initial disc. The next EP, "Straight Outta Burbank", will feature covers of songs from the BAD BRAINS, THE ROLLING STONES, SLAYER, MÖTLEY CRÜE and IRON MAIDEN, while the third one, "No Sleep 'Till Burbank", will focus on tunes from VAN HALEN, the VIOLENT FEMMES, THE BUZZCOCKS, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and AC/DC.

According to Taylor, "Straight Outta Burbank" could arrive as early as "about a month" from now. The effort will include a guest appearance by HALESTORM's Lzzy Hale on a cover version of THE ROLLINS STONES classic "Gimme Shelter".

"Meanwhile In Burbank…" was released as a Record Store Day vinyl exclusive and digitally via iTunes. It contained songs from METALLICA, KISS, BLACK SABBATH, JUDAS PRIEST and ALICE IN CHAINS.

Taylor told The Pulse Of Radio how the recording of the EPs could impact the next all-new STONE SOUR album. "What it did teach us was that we could go into a room and record live, and have it sound tight, have it sound exciting, have it sound like it was recorded together instead of layered in a studio," he said. "And I think that's one of the interesting things that we might try with this upcoming album."

STONE SOUR recently named guitarist Christian Martucci as the permanent replacement for Jim Root, who was dismissed from the band in late 2013 after he decided to sit out the group's last tour in order to begin working on the new SLIPKNOT album. Martucci was recruited to play on that tour and was confirmed as a permanent member on March 18 in a Facebook post.

The situation made things awkward for Root and Taylor, but Root noted that the pair "didn't really have a lot of time to spend together" in the studio during the recording of the latest SLIPKNOT effort.

Root did not speak kindly of STONE SOUR in interviews after he was fired, saying, "Some of the guys in STONE SOUR, I think they just want to be a radio band and write strictly for radio and try to be more of a poppy rock band. And that's not really what I'm into. There's at least one guy in the band that's only concerned about money. I really have no desire to associate with people like that anymore."

Root played on all five STONE SOUR studio records to date, including 2010's "Audio Secrecy" and "House Of Gold & Bones".