Audio Secrecy
Audio Secrecy is the third studio album by American rock band Stone Sour. It was recorded and produced by the band and Nick Raskulinecz at Blackbird Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. On June 10, the band released a free download of "Mission Statement", which was later released as a single on iTunes. The first official single, "Say You'll Haunt Me", however, was released on July 6, 2010. Audio Secrecy is also the first album by the band to not feature a 'Parental Advisory' sticker and is dedicated to Slipknot bassist Paul Gray, who had died earlier in 2010. It is also the band's last album to feature bassist Shawn Economaki, and their first album to feature the same members from the previous album.
Audio Secrecy | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 7, 2010 | |||
Recorded | 2010 | |||
Studio | Blackbird Studios, Nashville, Tennessee | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 54:23 | |||
Label | Roadrunner | |||
Producer | Nick Raskulinecz | |||
Stone Sour chronology | ||||
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Singles from Audio Secrecy | ||||
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Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
About.com | [1] |
Allmusic | [2] |
Associated Press | positive[3] |
Evigshed | 10/10[4] |
Kerrang! | [5] |
Rock Sound | 9/10[6] |
411mania.com | 7.0/10[7] |
Audio Secrecy received generally positive reviews from music critics. Tim Grierson of About.com compared the band to Slipknot stating that Stone Sour delivers loud and powerful love songs and that the album in whole displayed Corey Taylor's flexibility in music.[1] Gregory Heaney of Allmusic praised Taylor's voice stating that he has made full use of his voice "from guttural to soaring". He also related the "chugging guitar" work of the album to that of Deftones.[2]
Lenny Vowels, a senior critic of 411mania.com awarded the album seven out of ten stars summarizing his review by stating "Stone Sour's newest record does seem to yearn for new heights, but for some reason can't quite reach them. The mood is definitely darker than their previous two albums, though that doesn't mean it's better. Basically, what's good on the album is great, and while nothing's bad, the rest doesn't come off as anything special either. In the band's personal history, I'd rank it above Come What(ever) May overall, but their self-titled album still leads the pack. Either way, this record is worth having if you're a fan of the band, but don't expect much in the way of new."[7]
Sales
Audio Secrecy debuted in the top 10 in various countries. In the US, it sold 46,000 copies in its first week and debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200.[8]
Track listing
All lyrics by Corey Taylor. Music written by Stone Sour
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Audio Secrecy" | 1:44 |
2. | "Mission Statement" | 3:51 |
3. | "Digital (Did You Tell)" | 4:01 |
4. | "Say You'll Haunt Me" | 4:25 |
5. | "Dying" | 3:02 |
6. | "Let's Be Honest" | 3:45 |
7. | "Unfinished" | 3:11 |
8. | "Hesitate" | 4:17 |
9. | "Nylon 6/6" | 3:39 |
10. | "Miracles" | 4:08 |
11. | "Pieces" | 4:31 |
12. | "The Bitter End" | 3:34 |
13. | "Imperfect" | 4:23 |
14. | "Threadbare" | 5:47 |
Total length: | 54:23 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
15. | "Hate Not Gone" | 3:51 |
Total length: | 58:14 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
15. | "Hate Not Gone" | 3:51 |
16. | "Anna" | 3:30 |
17. | "Home Again" | 3:54 |
18. | "Saturday Morning" (US iTunes pre-order/German iTunes bonus track) | 3:15 |
Total length: | 68:54 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Intro" | 1:03 |
2. | "Mission Statement" | 2:10 |
3. | "Audio Secrecy" | 2:38 |
4. | "The New Album" | 5:08 |
5. | "Scratch Vocals" | 4:45 |
6. | "Fan Questions #1" | 2:27 |
7. | "In the Studio" | 6:33 |
8. | "Drums" | 2:10 |
9. | "Josh's Gear" | 2:10 |
10. | "Fan Questions #2" | 3:55 |
11. | "Randomness" | 3:33 |
12. | "The Songs" | 3:22 |
13. | "Outro" | 2:16 |
14. | "Mission Statement (Live at Download 2010)" | 4:04 |
15. | "Made of Scars (Live at Download 2010)" | 4:27 |
16. | "Hell & Consequences (Live at Download 2010)" | 3:31 |
Unreleased songs
At least two more songs were created during the Audio Secrecy recording sessions. One of them is called "The Pessimist". The song is mentioned in the official Stone Sour biography. "For guitarist Josh Rand, the track 'The Pessimist' holds a special significance. 'It's the heaviest song we've done up to this point. I spent a day and a half studying the Hindu scale for the lead. The guitar solo for that song has a very Eastern sound.' The song sees Rand shredding with a precise, powerful solo that's melodic and metallic. All the while, it preserves a unique feel."[9] "The Pessimist" is on the soundtrack of Transformers: Dark of the Moon as an iTunes exclusive track. It is also available on their Facebook page as a free download.
The opening line of "The Pessimist", "Half alive and stark-raving free", became the first lines of Slipknot's song "Custer" off their album .5: The Gray Chapter.
There is also a recording of a spoken word by Corey Taylor, simply titled '2010' (as confirmed by Corey Taylor) in the vein of "Omega" and "The Frozen" on the previous records.
Personnel
Stone Sour
- Corey Taylor − lead vocals
- James Root − lead guitar
- Josh Rand − rhythm guitar
- Shawn Economaki − bass
- Roy Mayorga − drums, percussion
Additional personnel
- Steve Blacke − strings arrangement, strings on track 8
Technical personnel
- Nick Raskulinecz − producer, engineering
- Ted Jensen − mastering
- Chris Lord-Alge − mixing
- Randy Staub − mixing
- John Nicholson − drum tech
- Zach Blackstone − assistant mixing
- Paul Fig − engineering
- Nathan Yarborough − assistant engineering
- P.R. Brown − art direction, design, photography
Charts
Chart (2010) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums Chart[10] | 6 |
Austrian Albums Chart[11] | 5 |
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[12] | 28 |
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[13] | 31 |
Canadian Albums Chart[14] | 6 |
Dutch Albums Chart[15] | 16 |
Finnish Albums Chart[16] | 23 |
French Albums Chart[17] | 29 |
German Albums Chart[18] | 3 |
German LP-Downloads Chart | 6 |
Greek Albums Chart[19] | 24 |
Irish Albums Chart[20] | 19 |
Italian Albums Chart[21] | 89 |
Japanese Albums Chart[22] | 16 |
New Zealand Albums Chart[23] | 12 |
Spanish Albums Chart[24] | 94 |
Scottish Albums[25] | 8 |
Swedish Albums Chart[26] | 10 |
Swiss Albums Chart[27] | 7 |
UK Albums Chart[28] | 6 |
US Billboard 200[29] | 6 |
US Alternative Albums[30] | 2 |
US Digital Albums | 5 |
US Hard Rock Albums[31] | 2 |
US Rock Albums[32] | 2 |
References
- Grierson, Tim "Stone Sour - 'Audio Secrecy' Review" Archived 2010-11-18 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2010-09-08
- Heany, Gregory "Audio Secrey Overview". Retrieved 2010-09-07
- Harris, Ron "Review: Stone Sour packs punch on 'Audio Secrecy'" Retrieved 2010-09-07
- Sylgraph "Stone Sour - Audio Secrecy Review" Archived September 10, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2010-09-07
- Winwood, Ian "Slipknots Men's 'Other' Band Return With Imposing Third Album Archived August 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2010-09-04
- Kerswell, Ronnie "Stone Sour - Audio Secrecy". Retrieved 2010-09-07
- Vowels, Lenny "Stone Sour - Audio Secrecy Review" Retrieved 2010-09-07
- "Sara Bareilles, Stone Sour Earn Top 10 Debuts". Archived from the original on 2012-03-07. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- "Biography". Stone Sour. Archived from the original on 2011-04-29. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
- "Stone Sour - Audio Secrecy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- "Stone Sour - Audio Secrecy" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- "Stone Sour - Audio Secrecy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- "Stone Sour - Audio Secrecy" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- "Stone Sour Canadian Albums Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
- "Stone Sour - Audio Secrecy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- "Stone Sour - Audio Secrecy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- "Stone Sour - Audio Secrecy" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- "Discography Stone Sour". greekcharts.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-13.
- "Discography Stone Sour". irish-charts.com.
- "Stone Sour - Audio Secrecy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- "ストーン・サワーのCDアルバムランキング、ストーン・サワーのプロフィールならオリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE". Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved 2013-04-26.
- "Stone Sour - Audio Secrecy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- "Stone Sour - Audio Secrecy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- "Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- "Stone Sour - Audio Secrecy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- "Stone Sour - Audio Secrecy" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- "Stone Sour UK Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- "Stone Sour Billboard 200 Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
- "Stone Sour Alternative Albums Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
- "Stone Sour Hard Rock Albums Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
- "Stone Sour Rock Albums Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-10-29.