The last couple of weeks Stone Sour have been hard at work on their second album with producer Nick Rasculinecz (Foo Fighters, Velvet Revolver). Hoewever, regular drummer Joel Ekman was forced to leave the band due to serious family problems.

Guitarist Josh Rand has reported the following comments from inside the studio:

\"Two weeks into the recording of the drums Joel [Ekman] would have to leave the project and return home to his family. His nine-year-old son is very sick. He was diagnosed with Brain Stem Glioma (brain cancer) last fall. With the fate of the record now up in the air a decision had to be made: postpone the record or bring in someone to finish the drum tracks. So with Joel\'s blessing, Roy Mayorga will finish the drum tracks as we move forward.\"

Stone Sour\'s new album will follow up the group\'s 2002 self-titled debut, which went gold and featured the hit single, Bother.