"It's just f---in' insane!" Stone Sour singer Corey Taylor said of his band's recent triumphs, which include its second album Come What(ever) May going gold in the U.S. and the group being nominated for a Grammy in the Best Metal Performance category for "30/30-150." "We couldn't be happier. We're just sitting here going, 'Where do we go from here?' So, the sky is really the limit."

In an effort to kiss the sky, Stone Sour will remain on the road throughout 2007. On January 5, the band will launch a Canadian tour in Vancouver, British Columbia, and return to the U.S. for a January 19 show in Seattle. Then, it's back to Europe in February. "I want to tour on this record for at least another year," said Taylor. "When we went in to do the album, we knew we wanted it to be big, but we didn't realize what that would entail. But any problem that makes you smile isn't really a problem at all."

Stone Sour's success is extra-sweet because it confounds the expectations of everyone who considered the band to be just a Slipknot side project or worse -- a one-hit wonder. Since their 2002 hit "Bother," Stone Sour have already racked up three successful singles: "30/30-150," "Through Glass" and "Sillyworld" (see [article id="1534381"]"Corey Taylor Hits Rock Bottom On Way To New Stone Sour LP"[/article]).

"For so long, nobody wanted to give us the respect that's due, and now it's really starting to come out," Taylor says. "And f--- man, it feels really good and it just makes us fight even harder."

When Stone Sour's self-titled debut came out in 2002, the band's audience was largely composed of curious Slipknot fans. Now, there are still kids that like both bands, but a large percentage of Stone Sour's fanbase consists of hard-rock fans that have little loyalty to the 'Knot, Taylor said.

"It just blows my mind, because Slipknot had such an impact on the culture and on the music, so for me to turn around and to have someone tell me, 'I don't really care about Slipknot, but I really, really dig the music of Stone Sour' is wild," Taylor said. "I mean, to have the same type of impact in two different bands? It's like, f---in' hell, whatever I'm doing right, I need to repeat as many times as possible."

While Stone Sour's second single, "Through Glass," is still charting high, "Sillyworld" has caught up and will probably receive a boost from a video that will hit in early 2007. The band plans to hire an animator for the clip, which Taylor hopes will be a cross between Pink Floyd's "The Wall" and Queens of the Stone Age's video for "Go With the Flow." "There will be a little principal photography, but mostly it'll be animated," Taylor said. "We definitely want to do something that fits with the different themes of the song, but at the same time is really cool to watch."

Taylor said that he has a director in mind for "Sillyworld," but the deal hasn't yet been sealed. He added that Stone Sour won't stop at three singles. While "Sillyworld" is making the rounds in the U.S., "Socio" will be released in Europe, and if the European single and video do well, they will likely be released here in the future. Also, Taylor wants to cap off the Come What(ever) May crusade with "Zzyzx Rd.," which should hit radio and video outlets in late 2007.

Of course, working so exhaustively with Stone Sour means Taylor and guitarist Jim Root won't be able to devote their energy to Slipknot until early 2008. While this seems to contradict percussionist M. Shawn Crahan's claim that the 'Knot would be writing together next fall or early summer (see [article id="1546561"]"The Last Days Of Slipknot? Clown Explains Making Of 'Voliminal' DVD"[/article]), Taylor said he never planned to do much with the band in 2007.

"I just don't see anything serious happening until the beginning of early 2008," he reiterated. "But that was my plan from the get-go. Between recording and touring for Vol 3: The Subliminal Verses, we spent two and a half years, and that period was just so f---in' crazy that you kind of have to give it at least that much equal time to settle down and get the interest back up."