Kingcrimsonprog When you get away from all the stylistic and contextual considerations and just judge it on its own merits, Corrosion Of Conformity’s 2012 Self Titled album is a very competently made and fairly enjoyable album. It isn’t the best thing ever made, but neither is it a terrible mistake. It won’t please people who are into them for what Pepper brought, and it won’t please fans of classic 80s Hardcore, but it is a strong enough album that has a similar appeal as Black Tusk and maybe recent Entombed albums.

That being said; realistically it is an album that you need to provide a certain level of context for before approaching in a critical way as the particulars of the album’s line up and musical style are of interest to existing fans and therefore it is difficult to describe the album without first acknowledging that. So; on the previous four Corrosion Of Conformity albums (which a large portion of their fanbase know them best for) most of the vocals and a large part of musical direction came from the Southern Rock influenced Singer/Guitarist Pepper Keenan, who is not present on this album because he is concentrating on the Phil Anselmo fronted super group Down.

In Pepper’s absence, the vocals on this album are performed by founding member Mike Dean, who has been on every Corrosion Of Conformity album except for 1991’s Blind. Dean sometimes appears purely as a bassist and sometimes also handles the vocal duties.

In addition to Mike Dean once again taking over the lead vocal position, Pepper’s guitar slot is left unfilled and the band play as a three piece. The line up is completed by guitarist Woody Weatherman who played on every single C.O.C album ever and drummer Reed Mullin who has been on all the band’s studio albums apart from 2005’s In The Arms Of God.

The style of this album was prophesied by certain people as being a return to the Crossover Thrash style of their 1985 album Animosity, because they play mostly songs from it live and it had the same trio line up.

Stylistically, the band began life as a hardcore punk band in the early 1980s, then quickly adopted a Crossover Thrash style in the mid-80s and by the 1990s they eventually added groove metal, sludge metal, stoner rock, southern rock and doom metal influences in varying degrees on each subsequent album, all of which have ended up with unique overall styles depending on the ratio of all these influences.

The prophecy that the band’s 2012 album would return them to their 1985 sound and abandon everything developed since then did not prove to be the case however; the band certainly do incorporate large amounts of this style into the new album, but is important to remember that all three members were also on board during the 90s albums, which becomes clear when large amounts of Doom Metal influences pervade the album. The result is a raw and dirty sounding album, which has a lot of fat Black Sabbath influenced Doom riffs one minute, and speedy d-beat drumming the next. This is perhaps best exemplified by the track ‘The Doom’ and if you are unsure of whether or not you’d like the album, then I highly recommend listening to that track before buying.

Other highlights include the catchy ‘Time Of Trials,’ the aggressive ‘What You Despises Is What You’ve Become’ and the dark semi-acoustic number ‘El Lamento De Las Cabras.’

In conclusion, overall this is a pretty unique album in the band’s history and I think all types of Corrosion Of Conformity fans should all check the album out at least once and judge it on its own merits. If however you want a lot of Punk or a lot of Southern Rock, then prepare to be disappointed because this album is very much its own animal.

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.

Kingcrimsonprog America’s Volume Dealer was released in 2000 and was Corrosion Of Conformity’s third full-length studio album since radically altering their sound in the 1990s from Hardcore Punk style Crossover-Thrash to straight up metal with Southern and Stoner elements, as well as using their guitarist Pepper Keenan for the vocalist.

This was the third and to date final album to be recorded by what has become regarded as the classic line-up of Pepper Keenan on vocals and guitar, Woody Weatherman on lead guitar, Mike Dean on bass and founding member Reed Mullin on the drums, as Reed would depart from the band for almost a decade.

The album is much more mellow, restrained and laid back than the albums which preceded it, and lacks part of their pure metallic aggression. In part this is largely understandable when you consider just how dramatically the musical landscape had changed since the band started down their current direction.

Do not fear any sort of radical alteration of sound or any extreme comercialisation or sell out however, this restraint only makes itself known in things like Pepper Keenan using more of the melodic vocals he already sometimes used, and the producer taking some of the hard edge out of the guitar sound.

There are some softer moments, such as the Country and Western tinged ballad ‘Stare Too Long,’ and the half loud, half quiet ‘Sleeping Martyr,’ and ‘Thirteen Angels,’ which all adds a little variety to the listening experience, but overall America’s Volume Dealer is still at heart a big Sabbath Inspired, Southern tinged Stoner Rock/Heavy Metal album, suitable for fans of Down, Clutch, Kyuss etc.

Highlights include ‘Zippo,’ ‘Who’s Got The Fire’ and the more famous ‘Diablo BLV’ all of which contain the same sort of excellent riffs and solos that have become synonymous with Corrosion Of Conformity and are sure to delight fans of the previous two records.

Overall, America’s Volume Dealer is a very good album and while it cannot live up to the amazing standards of their previous two records, it is still a damn fine addition to any fan’s collection that contains enough well written and interesting songs, impressive musicianship and strong vocals to keep your attention for multiple listens.

Kingcrimsonprog Wiseblood, Corrosion Of Conformity’s second album with Pepper Keenan on vocals, was released in 1996 and saw the band on the verge of really breaking into the big leagues of Rock and Metal stardom.

Released two years after their classic 1994 album Deliverance; Wiseblood featured the track ‘Drowning In A Daydream,’ which was nominated for a Grammy Award and the track ‘Man Or Ash,’ which featured a guest appearance from Metallica’s James Hetfield when the band’s popularity was universal.

Unfortunately the band didn’t fulfill the promises of mega-stardom that this record seemed to predict, and many Metal fans these days may know the band more as the source of the Phil Anselmo fronted super-group Down’s guitarist than as a huge band in their own right, but you can easily forget all that when listening to this masterfully crafted album.

The band who recorded Deliverance; Pepper Keenan on vocals and guitar, Woody Weatherman on lead guitar, Mike Dean on bass and founding member Reed Mullin on the drums, return for their second of three records together in what has come to regarded as the band’s classic line-up.

The record is strong from beginning to end, opening with the catchy ‘King Of The Rotten,’ and ending with the musically complex seven minute closer ‘Bottom Feeder (El Que Come Abajo)’ which completes itself with pig samples and jazzy sections alongside its powerful Black Sabbath inspired stoner riffs.

Stylistically, the album primarily features straight up of Southern-tinged Heavy Metal and Stoner Rock tracks with a little variety now and again to break it up, such as the powerful semi-ballad ‘Redmption City,’ and the almost hardcore punk sounding ‘Fuel,’ as well as the aforementioned eclectic album closer ‘Bottom Feeder (El Que Come Abajo)’

Overall; Wisblood is certainly one of the band’s best ever albums and arguably by extension one of the best rock and metal albums of the 1990s. If you like the band then you need this album, if you like Down, Stoner Rock or just metal from the 90s, then Corrosion Of Conformity are a proposition you may wish to seriously consider checking out.

Kingcrimsonprog Corrosion Of Conformity’s fourth full-length studio album, and first both on a bigger record label and with guitarist Pepper Keenan on vocals, is by all accounts a classic album, containing some of the band’s biggest songs and making up a large part of their live set even to this day.

Deliverance saw the band move far away from their hardcore punk and cross over Thrash roots, and move into a territory of big, wide, Sabbath inspired songs, Southern leanings and a retro-feel that was paradoxically the modern thing at the time, when both alternative metal and stoner rock were starting to pick up followings.

There is some variety to be found here too, such as in the brief acoustic number ‘Without Wings,’ and the slide guitar filled, haunting southern ballad ‘Shelter,’ both of which help elevate the album above the crowd and display the bands musicality in addition to the raw rock energy that comes across on the rest of the tracks.

Pepper Keenan’s vocals are excellent here, at times evoking a mixture of Ozzy Osbourne, Ronnie Von Zant and James Hetfield. The guitar and bass work is top notch as always, with big riffs being par for the course as well as the excellent drums from Reed Mullin that are tight, nuanced and 70s influenced.

Highlights include ‘Broken Man’ as well as the big singles ‘Albatross’ and ‘Clean My Wounds,’ and lastly the subtly menacing album closer ‘Pearls Before Swine,’ which perfectly treads the line between slow, brooding, spacey stoner rock and a big loud groove metal track.

Overall; Deliverance features that powerful, indefinable ‘classic album’ x-factor in spades. Any serious fan of the band will no doubt be familiar with the record and it is a perfect starting point for any potential new fans.

Kingcrimsonprog Corrosion Of Conformity’s Live Volume: The Movie was recorded live in Detroit at the Harpo's venue and released in 2001. This was the band’s first and to date only live DVD and captures the band live in support of their America’s Volume Dealer album from 2000. Jimmy Bower, who plays alongside Pepper Keenan in the fantastic Phil Anselmo fronted super group Down, provides the drums for this live concert as the band were in between losing and reuniting with long time Drummer and founding member Reed Mullin.

The band really hammer home a strong and confident performance, aided by Bower’s fine drumming. Each member puts in a good show, the guitars are big and heavy as they should be, the bass really stands out and Pepper’s vocals stand up very well in the live environment.

The setlist is strong, concentrating mostly on the band’s Pepper Keenan era material. Standout tracks include ‘Wiseblood,’ and ‘King Of The Rotten’ as well as the big hits like ‘Clean My Wounds,’ and ‘Albatross,’ which go down a storm live.

The sound mix is pretty great, really conveying the heaviness and southern edge to some of the riffs and letting you hear what each member is doing perfectly for most of the duration.

In terms of camera work and visuals the DVD is also pretty successful and it has certainly aged better than some of the concert DVDs that were released around that era, some of which are now feeling comparatively dated.

If any complaint were to be leveled at this Live DVD it would be that the editing is perhaps a little overenthusiastic, there is a lot more double-exposure than one would expect, things brake into slow motion at unexpected points and there is sometimes a seeming desire to get across how much fun the fans are having, even at the expense of the visuals.

If you can forgive this one flaw then there is a lot to enjoy about C.O.C’s Live Volume: The Movie and I would highly recommend it.