In 2012, Stone Sour raised their game with House of Gold and Bones, a dense concept album concerning a hero at a dark crossroads. The protagonist created by vocalist/songwriter Corey Taylor finds his cathartic conclusion in this charged effort, which is sonically and thematically more complex than its predecessor. During the most spacious moments it recalls Pink Floyd’s The Wall (particularly in “The Conflagration” and “Blue Smoke”), but when it breaks out with a majestic hook and buzz of guitars on “Black John” or “Gravesend,” the band demonstrates why they’re one of the most original outfits in contemporary hard rock.