Corrosion of Conformity – Corrosion of Conformity (2012)

Corrosion of Conformity (CoC) have finally delivered a full-length release, the first since their 2006-2010 ‘break’, and like we all expected it is excellent and shows how the band’s sound will always be timeless and greatly enjoyed by all. With Pepper Keenan being absent from this release (focusing on Down), the band taps into their raw side and delivers a very solid album with an old ‘school’ approach to the genre.

Featuring the Animosity line-up, “Corrosion of Conformity” is one hell of a ride through 11 tracks of very down-to basics music that puts all others to shame. Since the opener “Psychic Vampire” the band’s mixture of Crosssover with Sludge/Southern elements is outstanding since the punkish riffs are catchy but with a Southern twang to them. The track sounds both raw and powerful, indicating the band is back. “River of Stones” delivers a similar approach, but near the end the track goes more melodic and the overall atmosphere created by the vocals and the bass guitar line is very effective.

If you like the punk side of things, “Leeches” is the right track for you, and the only one with this in-your-face style in the album. The instrumental “El Lamento de las Cabras” is an excellent mood setting piece for the remainder of the album, where the band mostly exploits their Southern Sludge/Doom elements like on the excellent “The Doom”. We particularly enjoyed the tracks that close different with winding down melodic sections like “The Moneychangers” and “Come Not Here”, both are very well crafted and nicely arranged.

The powerful closer “Time of Trials” nicely summarizes the album and leaves with a high note. The guitar work and the bass guitar are both excellent and the drumming is very well developed. In general, “Corrosion of Conformity” is an excellent return album for this legendary band. The band’s sound is very timeless and sounds a bit less restricted now that Keenan is not in charge and also less radio friendly. When a band like this makes this solid of a comeback you can only expect things to get better, so we will be staying tuned to see what is next.

Release: February 28th, 2012

Country: USA