Stone Sour - Through Glass

JUN 22 2006 · 12:00

Stone Sour - Through Glass (2006) Director: Tony Petrossian Era: Mid-2000s Alternative Metal Peak (2006) - Post-nu-metal consolidation era; melodic hard rock crossing over to mainstream pop radio while retaining heavy rock credibility, coinciding with American Idol cultural saturation and a counter-reaction from rock authenticity advocates. High curatorial value as a precisely dated artifact of the 2006 alternative metal mainstream crossover moment, with a conceptually sophisticated practical-effects production that transcends its era. The video's central metaphor, a world made of hollow plywood, is one of the most legible anti-pop visual statements in 2000s rock video history. Confirmed director attribution, strong chart provenance, and documented production commentary make this an exemplary research-grade asset. Context: Released in the summer of 2006, 'Through Glass' emerged at the apex of the American Idol era, when reality television talent competitions had come to dominate pop music discourse. Corey Taylor wrote the song in direct reaction to the perceived hollowness of manufactured pop, having been confronted by wall-to-wall European music television. The video literalizes this critique: an entire social world, a Hollywood party, its guests, its food, its landscape, is constructed from plywood cutouts, dismantled piece by piece as the band performs. The 'Hollowood' sign is a pointed satirical rebranding of the entertainment industry's spiritual home. The video thus functions as both entertainment product and cultural critique, embodying the tension that defined mid-2000s rock identity politics. Director notes: The 'Through Glass' video was produced for Roadrunner Records and premiered online via Yahoo! Music on June 9, 2006, with an official release date of July 17, 2006 per IMVDb. Produced by Mikha Grumet and edited by Petrossian himself. The central conceit involves a house party set progressively revealed to be constructed entirely from plywood cutouts, a literal visual metaphor for the song's critique of manufactured pop artifice. The band performs in front of a Hollywood Sign spelt as 'Hollowood,' a direct satirical reference. Petrossian also provided a director's commentary version of the video, released via Roadrunner Records' YouTube channel, offering rare behind-the-scenes insight into the special effects methodology. In 2010, Roadrunner Records ranked this video in their all-time top 10, with Petrossian holding both the #1 and #4 positions in that countdown.