“Our only real idea was to make a kick-ass rock and roll album,” says Corey Taylor, lead singer of Stone Sour. “Let’s lean back, let the songs do the talking, and make the best rock and roll playlist, mix tape, that’s ever been made. That was the only thing we held to, and everything after that was so fucking easy.”And with this attitude, the band came up with the fifteen songs on Hydrograd, displaying a range of sounds and styles that Taylor describes as “a real coming-out party for Stone Sour.”It’s not like the band is starting from zero—its five previous albums have sold more than two million copies, and earned them nine Top Ten Mainstream Rock singles (including ”Bother”and “Through Glass,”which were certified gold and platinum respectively) and three Grammy nominations. But this time around, Stone Sour—Taylor, guitarists Josh Rand and Christian Martucci, bassist Johny Chow, and drummer Roy Mayorga—expands into new musical territory with supercharged impact.