Corrosion of Conformity - Eye for an Eye (Caroline) 1983
1. Tell Me" (3:27)
2. Minds Are Controlled" (1:36)
3. Indifferent" (1:18)
4. Broken Will" (1:35)
5. Rabid Dogs" ( :41)
6. L.S." (2:15)
7. Rednekkk" (1:20)
8. Co-Exist" (2:51)
9. Excluded" (1:13)
10. Dark Thoughts" (1:50)
11. Poison Planet" (1:25)
12. What?" (2:33)
13. Negative Outlook" ( :54)
14. Positive Outlook" (2:14)
15. No Drunk" ( :24)
16. College Town" (2:05)
17. Not Safe" (2:32)
18. Eye for an Eye" (1:21)
19. Nothing's Gonna Change" (1:12)
20. "Green Manilishi" (2:59)
21. Eye for an Eye" (1:12)
22. Center of the World" ( :28)
23. Citizen" ( :47)
24. Not for Me" (1:08)
25. What (?)" (2:26)
26. Negative Outlook" (:55)
I never was a big fan of punk or hardcore in the 70's or 80's, save for the Sex Pistols and the Ramones. However, this album was something I look back on with fond memories as it was a frequent player in my college apartment. My roommate was a big fan of this record and use to spin it regularly. When I found a CD copy I snagged it just for the nostalgic value. "Eye for an Eye" was Corrosion of Conformity's humble beginnings. The original lineup was Eric Eycke on vocals, bassist Mike Dean, and co-founders Woody Weatherman (guitars) and Reed Mullin (bass). Together they created a disc full of political and social criticisms laid on top of some of the most outrageous punk laid down on vinyl. As I recall, this album and Suicidal's first albums were frequent players in '83. There is something almost humorous about the band's approach that I cannot even describe. After this album, C.O.C. would change vocalists like Spinal Tap changed drummers. As a matter of fact Eric Eyche didn't even make it to the band's follow-up EP, that is included here as bonus tracks. This hyper hardcore is a far cry from the doomy, sludge the band would soon be creating. However, it's an interesting listen nonetheless. Favorite track "Redneckkk" which starts off with an off key version of the Allman Brothers' "Dreams I'll Never See".
Corrosion of Conformity - Animosity (Metal Blade) 1986
1. "Loss for Words"
(4:04)
2. "Mad World" (1:53)
3. "Consumed" (2:52)
4. "Holier" (3:01)
5. "Positive Outlook" (2:23)
6. "Prayer" (3:01)
7. "Intervention" (2:23)
8. "Kiss of Death" (1:32)
9. "Hungry Child" (1:19)
10. "Animosity" (4:15)
One of the first bands to fuse metal with hardcore and punk, and long before it became an insipid trend for geeks in the 90's. This one sports a thin production, but loads of speed and intensity to make up for it.
Corrosion of Conformity - Blind (Columbia) 1991
1."These Shrouded
Temples..." [instrumental] (2:37 )
2."Damned for All Time" (5:55)
3."Dance of the Dead" (4:30)
4."Buried" (5:19)
5."Break the Circle" (4:11)
6."Painted Smiling Face" (4:22)
7."Mine Are The Eyes of God" (5:00)
8."Shallow Ground" [instrumental] (2:23)
9."Vote with a Bullet" (3:27)
10."Great Purification" (4:35)
11."White Noise" (4:19)
12."Echoes in the Well" (5:32)
13."...Remain" [instrumental] (:28)
BONUS TRACKS
14. "Condition A/Condition B" (6:34)
15. "Future Now" (5:24)
16. "Jim Beam and the Coon Ass" (2:36)
I grew disenchanted with C.O.C. over they years for some reason, and had not listened to anything from them for quite some time. However, I picked up "Blind" at a used store for a few bucks and was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed it. This is a stunning heavy metal album. C.O.C. have completely dropped the punk and hardcore influences on this disc and have gone head long into Black Sabbath inspired, sludge, doom metal. The only hint of their punk beginnings is in the overtly political lyrical themes and incredible thrash-like aggression. Blind" is a riff-tastic, head banging metal fest with a slight retro edge that tips it's hat to the master of all metal riffs, Tony Iommi. See if "Vote With A Bullet" doesn't get your feet tapping and your head banging. There are some elements on this disc that some might mistake for being 'nu-metal', but this CD predates nu-metal by almost a decade. The bonus tracks are all a nice addition. I particularly like the down home, foot stompin', front porch blues of "Jim Bean." Obviously a novelty tune, but one that pointed towards the more 'southern' direction the band would take in the future.
Corrosion of Conformity - Deliverance (Columbia) 1994
1. Heaven's Not Overflowing (5:02)
2. Albatross (5:21)
3. Clean My Wounds (3:33)
4. Without Wings [instrumental] (1:54)
5. Broken Man (4:54)
6. Señor Limpio (3:53)
7. Mano de Mono [instrumental] (1:36)
8. Seven Days (4:57)
9. #2121313 (1:02)
10. My Grain (3:20)
11. Deliverance (4:23)
12. Shake Like You (4:19)
13. Shelter (3:25)
14. Pearls Before Swine (6:45)
"Deliverance" is the fourth album by Corrosion of Conformity. With it they have made a complete transition from a hardcore punk band to a full-fledged Black Sabbath-inspired heavy metal band. "Deliverance" is the first C.O.C. record to feature Pepper Keenan as lead singer, though Keenan did sing lead on a couple of tunes on "Blind". The songs are built around sludgy guitar riffs and massive power chords. There is no doubt in my mind that C.O.C. were channelling classic 70's rockers like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Deep Purple, ZZ Top and most obvious, Black Sabbath. This is certainly a far cry from the frenzied punk the band use to play. I suppose this can be attributed to growth, or just a band wanting to do something different. Either way, what they deliver on "Deliverance" is quite enjoyable. The majority of the album is mid-paced to slow and doomy hard rock, but there are few more up-beat numbers such as "Heaven's Not Overflowing", "Senor Limpio". Regardless of tempo, the songs are fairly heavy with punishing, distorted guitars and pounding bass. However, "Without Wings" and "Mano De Mono" shows a quieter side to the band. Both songs are short, acoustic instrumentals. Likewise, "Shelter" is a mellow moment with a bit of a Southern Rock vibe. The album ends with a punishing doom song titled "Pearls before Swine". The album generated two hit singles including "Clean My Wounds" and "Albatross". "Clean My Wounds" is an instantly like-able song. The song has some memorable staccato riffs and huge and undeniable groove. It has become one of the band's signature songs. Punk fans may not like the direction that C.O.C. took with "Blind" and "Deliverance", but any fan of classic hard rock and stoner rock should enjoy this. I do.
COC - America's Volume Dealer (Sanctuary) 2000
1. "Over
Me" (4:19)
2. "Congratulations Song" (3:20)
3. "Stare Too Long" (4:56)
4. "Diablo Blvd." (3:28)
5. "Doublewide" (4:15)
6. "Zippo" (4:28)
7. "Who's Got the Fire" (3:17)
8. "Sleeping Martyr" (4:58)
9. "Take What You Want" (3:30)
10. "13 Angels" (6:35)
11. "Gittin' It On" (2:35)
Corrosion of Conformity is now officially COC. OK, whatever! If ever there was a band that changes styles as often as the wind changes directions, COC is it. I hadn't really kept up with this band since "Animosity." Occasionally I have heard a song or two from some of their more recent outputs, but they always just seemed sort of boring to me. Well, this particular album was given to me by a friend and to my surprise, I like it. It's almost impossible to compare this disc with "Eye to Eye" or "Animosity," because the music is so different, I can understand why they changed their name. The punk, thrash and hardcore influences are all but gone and replaced with Southern rock mixed with Sabbath-inspired heavy metal. I suppose that most critics would say that the band is trying to reinvent themselves or "stay fresh," but I think it's painfully obvious that COC are going for a more "radio-friendly" sound. Hmmm, I suppose if I hadn't been into Corrosion of Conformity in the 80's and I didn't have this mental connection to that material, I would like this CD even more. As it stand, however, not a bad album, just somehow different.
Corrosion of Conformity - In the Arms of God (Sanctuary) 2005
1. Stonebreaker (5:16)
2. Paranoid Opioid (6:30)
3. It Is That Way (5:17)
4. Dirty Hands Empty Pockets / Already Gone (4:51)
5. Rise River Rise (5:06)
6. Never Turns to More (8:15)
7. Infinite War (3:46)
8. So Much Left Behind (5:18)
9. The Backslider (6:29)
10. World on Fire (4:01)
11. Crown of Thorns (2:33)
12. In the Arms of God (6:55)
After nearly five years from the release of "America's Volume Dealer", Corrosion of Conformity finally released their eight studio platter. Vocalist/guitarist Pepper Keenan returned once more along with band o-founders Woody Weatherman (guitars) and Reed Mullin (bass), as well as drummer Stanton Moore. Listening to "In the Arms of God" it is pretty apparent that the band must have been spinning their old 70's heavy metal records. There is so much of that influence peppered throughout this CD that it's impossible to deny. "In the Arms of God" is straight-ahead, raw, raucous rock 'n' roll. Modern labels would probably have them pegged as a stoner rock band, which is probably a fairly accurate label. The album opens with "Stone Breakers" a song that is obviously inspired by riff-master Tony Iommi. That Sabbath influence is heard throughout the record, along with inspiration from bands like Blue Cheer and Steppenwolf. "Paranoid Opioid" and the 8-minute long "Never Turns to More" are pure biker jams. It's like John Kaye meets Tony Iommi at a Harley Davidson rally! "Dirty Hands" offers some Southern Rock with a touch of Frank Zappa on the side. "Rise River Rise" is a semi-acoustic song that adds some nice percussion. "In the Arms of God" is a heavy 70's-style C.O.C. album recorded in 2005.
