Having not released an album since 2005’s Southern riff compendium In the Arms of God, and since reformed as of summer 2010 with the much-loved Animosity-era lineup, anticipation for Corrosion of Conformity’s new studio album is such that we’d like to think that this stream of “The Doom” will be greeted by fainting fits, impulsive acts of binge-drinking and random acts of kindness.
Shit, Reagan was in still in the White House when bassist/vocalist Mike Dean, drummer/vocalist Reed Mullin and guitarist Woody Weatherman last cut a record together, as in, just the three of them. A lot has changed since. Sonically, Corrosion of Conformity are a lot cleaner as you’d expect, and a lot of the groove of latter-day Pepper Keenan-era C.O.C. still rolls throughout, especially on “The Doom”, but holy moly, there are some sweet riffs and freakouts; the seesawing between slack-tempo metal and up-tempo hardcore of opener “Psychic Vampire” is particularly gnarly.
Animosity represented the best of crossover, but sounded way different from the kinetic and concise youth aggro of D.R.I. There was less thrash to their sound, but nonetheless it was punk tainted with metal, or metal tainted with punk, or somewhere in between. Actually, fresh is what it was. Animosity was a fresh interpretation of metal’s established canon of riffs, a little sloppy, eschewing the tight aesthetic of the thrash bands of that era, but adding similar tempos to blues-rooted metal. What it lacked in sonic clarity it made up for with clarity of intent. It was deservedly inducted into the Decibel Hall of Fame in our February 2011 issue.
Ach, you’ve all heard it before: here is some footage of the trio ripping through the Animosity‘s “Prayer” and “Intervention” from Roadburn to get you all hepped up
https://youtu.be/f4zi66CsfLc
And so, without further ado, ladies and germs: Corrosion of Conformity “The Doom”
Corrosion of Conformity – The Doom by Decibel Magazine
Corrosion of Conformity Corrosion of Conformity is out 27 February through Candlelight Records. You can (pre-)order it here.
