Photo Credit: Pamela Littky
After the success of Corey Taylor’s first solo album CMFT in 2020, it’s safe to say that those familiar with Corey Taylor’s work (whether it be Slipknot or solo) were excited about his next solo project. CMF2 is a sequel to Taylor’s first album and an improvement to its predecessor. One of the ways the album excels is Corey Taylor’s songwriting ability. Throughout the album, Taylor is able to demonstrate his vocal range, with some songs expressing his harsher vocals whilst others allow him to be more melodic.
One of the standouts on the album is the second track, which was released as a single. “Post Traumatic Blues” best demonstrates Corey Taylor’s writing ability, with forceful lyrics such as, “I’m feelin’ like a Sunday, I’ll never get away” and “Another dirty face on a $100 bill.” The sensitive content of the song, paired with some of Slipknot’s aggressive vocals work well together. His anger is sincere, particularly in the line delivery of, “Are you ready for one last war?”
However, not all of the album’s songs follow Slipknot’s energy, the fourth track “Breath of Fresh Smoke” slows down into an acoustic song. Corey Taylor even claimed that this track helped to reignite his passion for playing acoustic guitar. What the listener can appreciate about this is that it shows, you can feel the passion in both his voice and the way he plays. The next lead single of the album “Beyond” also changes the mood of the album. The song simply demands your attention, not only are Corey Taylor’s vocals on point, but both the guitar and drums complement each other well. Taylor chose well to make this song a single, as it set up well-deserved hype for the album.
Whilst some songs demonstrate Corey Taylor’s writing ability, not all hit the mark. “Someday I’ll change your mind,” for example, demonstrates this. The chorus of, “These are the days,” while melodic doesn’t really hit the mark and isn’t as lyrically challenging as it could be. “Sorry Me” is another example of this too. Although, even if the song isn’t as lyrically sound as some of the other songs on the album, the vulnerability of the song with lyrics such as, “Sorry me, I do believe I failed you,” is appreciated and adds a tenderness to the album. Despite the vulnerability, the song suffers from not being as thematically tightly constructed as the others, which is a shame given the subject matter.
The penultimate track “All I Want is Hate” is another track clearly influenced by Slipknot. It’s a fun and infectious song belting out, “All I want is hate // Destroy and consecrate // All I want is hate // Hate is all I want.” It’s angsty for sure, but one that will definitely please fans of the metal scene. Taylor performs the song with such gusto and venom, that you are instantly sold that all he does want is indeed hate. Some of CMF2 offers some truly raw and vulnerable moments from Corey Taylor which both long-term and short-term fans will appreciate. While not all the songs of the album land, the album offers enough diversity for fans to sink their teeth into.
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