Corrosion of Conformity -- 'In The Arms of God' [review]

Corrosion of Conformity
"In the Arms of God"
(Sanctuary Records)


Everyone has an extended family, and the metal community if no different.

You've got the grandfather you're close to: Black Sabbath.

The bad-ass father: Slayer.

The kids you're tight with: Trivium, Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall.

The cousins you see once in a while: In Flames, The Haunted, Children of Bodom.

And the crazy uncle you see once in a while but you know is going to give you a good time: Corrosion of Conformity.

Well, that crazy uncle is finally back, and he's been gone far too long ...

Corrosion of Conformity is back with a vengeance. Pulling from its "Deliverance"-era sound, COC has pushed the blues-edge back into the mix and crafted a superb metal offering, "In the Arms of God," a true return-to-form.

Opening with sick, bluesy riffs, the album lead-off track, "Stone Breaker," soon tumbles over itself into a thick, sludgy metal anthem. Front man Pepper Keenan's vocals are instantly recognizable, as his intent, crisp drawl spews forth the lyrics with angry abandon. Bassist Mike Dean and drummer Stanton Moore do an adequate job backing up Keenan, but its him and fellow guitarist Woodroe Weatherman that anchor the riff-heavy COC sound.

There's hardly a break between tracks as the steamroller of "Stone Breaker" gives way to the more up-tempo yet just-as-crushing "Paranoid Opioid," which in turn offers little reprieve before Keenan is screaming over the foreboding opening notes of "It is That Way."

The beauty of "In the Arms of God" is that the band seems to have turned its back on the crisp production offered on "America's Volume Dealer" (the band's last studio album released in 2000). On this new beast of an album, the group has embraced an almost garage-band like sound, reminiscent of early Black Sabbath material blended with southern rock.

Standout tracks would have to be the aforementioned "Stone Breaker" and "Paranoid Opioid." But there seems to be little in terms of weak tracks -- the spoken-word verses of "Dirty Hands Empty Pockets (Already Gone)" are the perfect juxtaposition to the faster bridges and chorus (definitely vintage COC), while the slower "Crown of Thorns" comes across as the band's attempt at its own "Planet Caravan" (to use the Sabbath analogy).

Sandwiched in between is some of the best straight-forward southern-fried metal this side of Black Label Society.

It has been far too long since COC was on the scene and this is one hell of a welcome back party.