Kingcrimsonprog Corrosion Of Conformity’s In The Arms Of God was released in 2005 and was the band’s seventh full length release overall, and their fourth since changing their sound from Cross-Over/Thrash to big Southern tinged Stoner Rock/Heavy Metal and replacing singer Mike Dean with Pepper Keenan.

In The Arms Of God came out a full five years after their previous album, America’s Volume Dealer from 2000, and saw long time drummer Reed Mulin replaced on the Kit by the Jazz Drummer Stanton Moore from the band Galactic.

If you like big Sabbathy riffs, Southern tinges and guitar solos then In The Arms Of God is an album that will certainly interest you. The album is diverse enough to keep your interest throughout, shifting from Slow Rock to fast Metal, with occasional acoustic moments in there too, as well as a more bluesy feel this time around. Even with all these different elements, the record remains cohesive and still stays true to the overall sound without becoming confused.

The biggest difference about this album when compared to the three albums which preceded it, is that the music is more laid back, subtle and loose. Tracks don’t jump out of the speakers in quite the same way as they do on their other records for the most part, and the album is therefor something of a grower, which requires a few spins before truly clicking with the listener. Partly this is down to the production style and partly it is down to the performance, which has a bluesy bar-band feel to it.

Tracks like ‘So Much Left Behind’ and ‘Rise, River Rise’ are quality songs, but aren’t anthemic or instant, which may take some getting used to for fans expecting the band to write another ‘Clean My Wounds’ or ‘Drowning In A Daydream,’ but just know that ultimately the record is worth persisting with as the quality of the music within is unquestionable, and you will get the full impact of the tracks on repeat listens.

The overall Corrosion Of Conformity sound remains intact however, and just because the songs feel a little rawer and less polished doesn’t mean their aren’t a bunch of great riffs, interesting guitar solos and all the usual bits and pieces that make C.O.C so enjoyable to listen to.

The Sabbath inspired ‘Paranoid Opiod,’ ‘Infinite War,’ and the eight-and-a-half minute ‘Never Turns To More’ in particular are album highlights.

Overall; While new fans would be better off not starting with this record, In The Arms Of God is a strong album from the band that may take a few listens to get into, but which is still worthy of a place in your collection.

UMUR "In the Arms of God" is the 7th full-length studio album by US heavy rock/metal act Corrosion of Conformity. The album was released through Sanctuary Records in April 2005. 5 years between albums is a long time, but especially lead vocalist/guitarist Pepper Keenan kept himself busy with Down and he also tried out for the, at the time, vacant bassist position in Metallica. There´s been one lineup change since the release of "America's Volume Dealer (2000)" as drummer and founding member Reed Mullin left the band to pursue other interests. He is replaced here by Stanton Moore (Galactic).

Besides the lineup change and a slightly more energetic drumming style by new drummer Stanton Moore (who comes from a jazz background), "In the Arms of God" is more or less business as usual for Corrosion of Conformity. That´s if you compare the style on this album to the style on the preceeding three albums by the band. Corrosion of Conformity effectively mixes alternative metal elements with stoner/doom metal and hard rocking riffs. There are three names that pop up at various times during the playing time and that´s Soundgarden, Monster Magnet and of course Black Sabbath. The latter act´s influence is heard all the way through the album but especially tracks like "Stone Breaker", "Paranoid Opioid", and "The Backslider" are very Black Sabbath influenced. Thankfully Corrosion of Conformity are not clones and they successfully blend stylistic elements from their influences into their material while still maintaining an original sound.

Pepper Keenan´s "Ozzy meets Hetfield" type vocal delivery is as always full of attitude and emotion. The man is a great singer with a strong delivery and a recognisable voice. There´s a bit of variation in the vocal department when bassist Mike Dean and lead guitarist Woody Weatherman take up the lead vocal duties on "Infinite War", which is one of the harder edged tracks on the album. Actually the variation in the songwriting is one of the strengths of "In the Arms of God". I like the fact that we´re both treated to really heavy blues based doomy riffs (Iommi style) but also acoustic guitars and more exotic notes and moods. There´s always a catchy guitar hookline or chorus in sight, and that´s Corrosion of Conformity in a nutshell.

12 tracks distributed over 64:32 minutes might be a few tracks too many as a couple of the tracks aren´t up there with the best of the material on the album, but the quality of the tracks is generally very high. We´re talking great organic production, excellent musicianship, and for the most part inspired songwriting, so I have very few complaints and a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.