The Stone Sour Audio Secrecy 15th anniversary edition arrives Nov. 20, and it comes with something fans have not heard before: “Full Of Empty,” a song left unfinished during the 2010 sessions and now completed with new lyrics and vocals from Corey Taylor and new guitar tracks from Jim Root and Josh Rand. The expanded, remastered set is out through Rhino as a 3-CD set, on 2-LP vinyl and digitally, according to the band’s official store and the label’s announcement.
Root’s part is the headline for many fans. The Slipknot guitarist’s run in Stone Sour ended more than a decade ago, and the band has been on indefinite hiatus since 2020.
Stone Sour Audio Secrecy 15th Anniversary: The Story of “Full Of Empty”
“Full Of Empty (2026 Version)” began as an instrumental demo during the album’s original writing sessions, according to Rhino’s announcement, as published by The Music Universe. The label says the song was “newly recorded by the album-era lineup with a new verse from frontman Corey Taylor.”
Taylor explained how it came back to life:
“I remember getting some tracks that I’d forgotten were recorded during the Audio Secrecy sessions—one was ‘Saturday Mourning’, a song I recognized and really enjoyed; the other was the original version of ‘Full of Empty.’ When we were doing demos for Audio Secrecy, I recall really loving the music—it was a song that Roy [Mayorga] brought in and it absolutely slammed. But by the time I got around to writing lyrics/melody for it, I was so creatively tapped that understandably we didn’t end up using it.”
“Fast-forward to present day, and when I heard the music again, I got really excited,” Taylor said. “I hit up everyone about taking another crack at it with a completely new direction and one hour later, the new and improved ‘Full of Empty’ was born.”
Jim Root Returns to Stone Sour for the 15th Anniversary Song
Theprp reports that the band revealed in a social media post that Taylor went into the studio late last year to finish the song, with Root welcomed back to lay down parts and Rand recording new guitar tracks of his own. Stone Sour’s last studio album was 2017’s Hydrograd, and the band has been largely quiet since going on indefinite hiatus in 2020.
What’s in the Audio Secrecy 15th Anniversary Edition
Audio Secrecy was recorded in 2010 by Taylor, Root, Rand, bassist Shawn Economaki and drummer Roy Mayorga with producer Nick Raskulinecz at Blackbird Studios in Nashville. Rhino says it debuted at No. 6 in the U.S., reached the Top 10 in nine countries, and produced the singles “Digital (Did You Tell),” “Hesitate” and the Mainstream Rock No. 1 “Say You’ll Haunt Me.”
The 3-CD Stone Sour Audio Secrecy 15th anniversary set breaks down like this:
- CD 1: the remastered album plus four bonus tracks, “The Pessimist,” “Hate Not Gone,” “Anna” and “Home Again.” “The Pessimist” was previously released digitally as part of the Transformers soundtrack and is making its physical debut.
- CD 2: 18 previously unreleased tracks, led by “Full Of Empty (2026 Version)” and “Saturday Mourning (2026 Mix),” followed by rough mixes and demos including “Unfinished Business,” “Hesitate (Demo with Strings),” “Anna (Demo with Original Lyrics)” and “Methmouth,” a rough vocal demo of “The Pessimist.”
- CD 3: “Live in Brighton,” a full 14-track concert recorded Nov. 7, 2010, at the Brighton Centre in Brighton, U.K., during the band’s co-headlining tour with Avenged Sevenfold. It was previously available only as a fan-club DVD.
The Brighton set runs “Mission Statement,” “Reborn,” “Welcome To Our Party,” “Made Of Scars,” “Say You’ll Haunt Me,” “Get Inside,” “Unfinished,” “Your God,” “Bother,” “Through Glass,” a band introduction, “Digital (Did You Tell),” “Hell & Consequences” and “30/30-150.”
New liner notes are by Ryan J. Downey.
Vinyl, Digital and the Japan Edition
The 2-LP edition comes on black vinyl, with a clear smoke version sold only through Stone Sour’s webstore. The official store lists the 2-LP running order as the 14 album tracks plus a fourth side of bonus material: “Full Of Empty (2026 Version),” “Saturday Mourning (2026 Mix),” “The Pessimist” and “Hesitate (Demo with Strings).” Digital and streaming versions are also due Nov. 20.
In Japan, the release date is different. Japanese outlet Gekirock lists a Japanese 3-CD edition on Dec. 9 with a booklet of Japanese translations of Downey’s liner notes and the lyrics. The Nov. 20 date applies to the international release.
For the latest on Taylor and Root’s other band, see SDMETAL’s report on the Slipknot new album sessions.
Stone Sour Audio Secrecy 15th Anniversary FAQ
Full Of Empty Leads the Audio Secrecy Reissue on Nov. 20
The Stone Sour Audio Secrecy 15th anniversary edition adds a finished version of a song Taylor set aside in 2010, with Root and Rand on new guitars, plus 18 unreleased demos and mixes and the complete 2010 Brighton Centre show.
It arrives Nov. 20 on 3-CD, 2-LP and digital through Rhino, with the Japanese edition following Dec. 9.
SDMETAL
