SilentScream213 Stoner Metal remains one of the least compelling Metal subgenres to me. The slower stuff lacks the emotion and atmosphere of Doom, for example, while the more energetic takes can’t match the riffs of tried-and-true Heavy Metal. And far too often, it just sounds like Hard Rock/Grunge with just a bit of extra heaviness. The vocals are uncompelling, though not nearly as much as the lyrics, and the instrumentation ranges from boring to serviceable.

Corrosion of Conformity fall into the statement I’d have to make “good, for a Stoner band.” They’ve got good energy and decent riffs… for a Stoner band. Wiseblood is pretty by the numbers for them. A large number of tracks that could easily be found on a Grunge album or heard on Classic Rock radio and no one would think anything of it. Every track good enough, but never standing out or packing anything memorable.

I guess the demographic is… people driving trucks, lifting weights, or getting turnt on the substance of the day. Not me.

UMUR "Blind" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US hardcore/heavy metal act Corrosion of Conformity. The album was released through Relativity Records in November 1991. It´s the successor to "Animosity" from 1985, although the two albums are bridged by the "Technocracy" EP from 1987. "Animosity (1985)" featured the original trio lineup of Mike Dean (bass, lead vocals), Woody Weatherman (guitar), and Reed Mullin (drums, additional vocals). On "Technocracy (1987)" lead vocalist Simon Bob was added to the lineup, but he is not featured on "Blind" where he is replaced by Karl Agell. In addition to a new lead vocalist, second guitarist Pepper Keenan has also been added to the lineup. Bassist Mike Dean temporarily left Corrosion of Conformity in the years 1987-1993 and is replaced here by Phil Swisher.

Stylistically the music has also developed quite a lot since "Technocracy (1987)" and the other early releases by the band, which featured a hardcore/crossover thrash metal sound. "Blind" features a combination of thrash and stoner metal elements, with the scale predominantly tipping to the latter. Labelling the music on "Blind" thrash or crossover thrash is wrong in my book as especially the influence from 70s Black Sabbath is much stronger. A track like the thrashy "Damned for All Time" and the fact that Agell´s voice and delivery sometimes enter James Hetfield (Metallica) territory are probably the most weighty reasons that people sometimes label "Blind" a thrash metal release.

Agell´s voice and performance are decent enough, but when Keenan steps up to the michophone to sing "Vote With a Bullet" it´s obvious here is a singer with a much greater personality and a stronger and more distinct sounding voice. The instrumental part of the album is well performed. The riffs are heavy and mostly blues based and the rhythm section play organic and tight. The sound production is mostly well sounding, although I could have wished for a slightly more powerful guitar tone. Upon conclusion "Blind" is a good quality album by Corrosion of Conformity and definitely a step up on quality and originality compared to their previous releases but it´s not a flawless release and therefore a 3.5 star (70%) rating will do.

UMUR "Technocracy" is an EP release by US hardcore/heavy metal act Corrosion of Conformity. The EP was released through Metal Blade Records in April 1987. It bridges the gap between the band´s second and third full-length studio albums "Animosity" from 1985 and "Blind" from 1991. There´s been a significant lineup change since "Animosity (1985)", as the three founding members of Corrosion of Conformity have opted to add a lead vocalist and fourth member to the lineup in Simon Bob. The vocals on the previous releases where handled by bassist Mike Dean and on occasion by drummer Reed Mullin. The original version of the EP features five tracks, but the 1992 re-release features four bonus tracks. Three of them demos of the EP tracks featuring Mike Dean on vocals.

Stylistically the material on "Technocracy" pretty much continue the hardcore/crossover thrash metal style of "Animosity (1985)", with an emphasis on the hardcore part of the sound. It´s decent quality harcore but nothing revolutionizing, and new lead vocalist Simon Bob isn´t the most interesting singer. In comparison Mike Dean had a more raw and primal delivery, which suited the rawness of the music better.

"Technocracy" features a decent sounding production. The listener is able to hear all instruments and vocals pretty clearly, but the sound is still raw enough to not lose power. When that is said, it´s not the most well sounding or powerful production from those years, and it could certainly have sounded better and the music could have prospered from it. Upon conclusion "Technocracy" is a release for fans of the band´s early material and for fans of 80s US hardcore/crossover thrash metal in general. It´s a decent release, but there are better releases in a similar style out there. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Animosity" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US hardcore/heavy metal act Corrosion of Conformity. The album was released through Death Records in October 1985. It´s the successor to "Eye for an Eye" from 1984 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as lead vocalist Eric Eycke has left the band. Eycke has not been replaced and Corrosion of Conformity opted to continue as a three-piece with bassist Mike Dean and drummer Reed Mullin sharing the lead vocalist duties.

Stylistically the band continue the hardcore sound of the debut album but with some added thrash/crossover metal and stoner/doom metal elements. The latter influence is pretty much only heard on the closing title track though, so it´s only a minor element of the band´s sound on "Animosity". The remaining material is pretty much pissed off aggressive hardcore featuring angry sounding shouting vocals, fast-paced rhythms, and hardcore punk riffs. It´s slightly more sophisticated than the material on their debut album, but only slightly.

"Animosity" features a raw sounding production which suits the material well, but let´s establish right way, that "Animosity" isn´t an over produced album. Featuring 10 tracks and a total playing time of only 26:20 it´s also a very short release, but as the music style is a bit one-dimensional (save for the stoner/doom metal influence mentioned above), it´s not something I lose sleep over. Upon conclusion "Animosity" is a step forward from "Eye for an Eye (1984)", but it´s not a giant leap. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

SilentScream213 On Deliverance, Corrosion of Conformity finally settle into the style now known as Southern Metal and deliver one of the first and finest cuts of the genre. After dancing with Crossover Thrash and Groove Metal in the past, their fourth effort sees them abandon nearly all of their aggression for a more laid-back rocker filled with anthemic vocals and simple but effective riffs.

Stoner Metal is usually one of my least favorite subgenres of Metal, but Corrosion of Conformity play it very well here, and have an eclectic mix of styles going on over the album. Some songs are fast, some groove slowly, and some are entirely outside the Metal umbrella. It’s a fun album most of the time. For an album with 14 tracks and a good variety in sound, it stays shockingly consistent.

At the end of the day, it’s still a style I’m not a huge fan of. I like it, but I don’t love it, and most of the album falls around the decent-to-good category for me. Case in point, my favorite track is Without Wings, a beautiful acoustic piece with string accompaniment that sounds nothing like the rest of the album.

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.