Stone Sour's second album, "Come What (ever) May", is available at the end of this month. It will be the first release with Roy Mayorga featured on drums. A great opportunity to conduct an exclusive interview with Mayorga.

He talks about his first drum influences, the unexpected invitation to play with Stone Sour, and his musical challenges after 22 years experience, among other topics.

Hifi-speakers as monitors

When Roy Mayorga was five years old he knew for sure that he wanted to become a drummer. Because he regularly smashed all pots and pans to pieces, his mother bought him a small Mickey Mouse drum kit. Soon after he had crushed this kit too.

Eventually Roy switched to a professional drum kit (20 inch jazz kit with 12-14 inch floortoms), played along with Kiss sticksman Peter Criss as loud as he could, and fantasized that he was performing in front of a huge audience. "The speakers angled at me like monitors". On a regular basis little Roy showed his parents which new songs he had practiced.

Along with his brother Roy formed his first band at age fourteen, inspired by acts such as Joy Division and Killing Joke. Plenty of other bands would follow, most of them punkrock acts, including Youth Quake.

Alive in Europe

After Roy Mayorga had returned to his birthplace New York, he joined the group Nausea. With this band Mayorga came to Europe for the first time. That was in 1990. Mayorga:

"We visited the Netherlands as well, playing in Groningen and Hengelo. Channel Zero Reality/Profane Existence released a great video of these shows: "Alive in the Netherlands". I think it were issued in 1993."

After over two decades of touring and recording with great artists, ranging from Vanilla Ice, via Dave Navarro, Amen to Ozzy Osbourne, Stone Sour's lead vocalist Corey Taylor unexpectedly called to ask if Mayorga wanted to cooperate for the recordings of their new album. At that moment Roy was preparing himself to go touring with Sepultura.

Playing with Stone Sour

Two weeks before the recording of Stone Sour's new album regular drummer Joel Ekman was forced to leave the band due to his very sick son. who was diagnosed with brain cancer. Quite suddenly Stone Sour had to look for a new skinsman. Fortunately Mayorga immediately decided to team up with the group after Taylor's phone call. Except for the song 30/30-150, which features Amen drummer Shannon Larkin, Mayorga recorded the rest of "Come What (ever) May":

"Right away I thought of playing with Stone Sour as a challenge and immediately thought: ' this is what I want to do'. I can play with more dynamics now and add more groove. Switch from playing fast to slow parts, and visa verse. With Sepultura and Soulfly I mainly had to chop hard and fast. I have never played this style of music before. Formerly I mainly drummed thrash and punkrock, which is great, but this is a beautiful chance to make music with amazing artists."

Roy Mayorga still finds it hard to explain what kind of drummer he is. He would rather have others to answer that question."I play from the heart and wear my emotions on my sleeves..."

Chiropractor

Before each gig Mayorga takes a Red Bull, steps on stage and goes entirely wild, "even when only five people are watching". More than once drummers who play as hard and intensively as Mayorga, develop complaints in pulses, shoulders or backs. Has Mayorga not worn-out over the years?

"From the the beginning I have been frequently banging my head while playing. A couple of years ago I started to get some complaints from that in the back of my neck. For this reason I visisted a chiropractor. Currently I stretch well prior to each show, to avoid suffering. It really helps. This way I can keep going crazy."

Roy has no clear vision of the period after his time with Stone Sour. This band offers sufficient challenge, according to Mayorga:

"Besides composing sound tracks for motion pictures, I feel no need for any side projects at this moment. I am completely devoted to Stone Sour, giving them all my attention."