Friday, September 20, 2024

Dean-less conformity


Mike Dean said goodbye to Corrosion Of Conformity. Bummer. Dean, Mullin & Weatherman were the formative core of this band. With this departure & Mullin's demise (2020), Weatherman is the only original member left. COC is one of my early influences of intense music & those were my cassette tape days. This is also the band that helped coin the term cross over; migrating from one genre (hardcore) to another (metal) without losing edge. 

The current line up includes Pepper Keenan, which is a staple name if you follow Down. Keenan, to me, infused loads of sludge into the music which makes the overall approach less dangerous & more mainstream (not to mention being stoner rock-ish). This is the reason why I don't fancy Deliverance (1994) & the albums thereafter. In 2012 when the band carried on as a trio less Keenan (self-titled release), the harder, edgier elements returned. However, Keenan returned to the fold in 2018 for No Cross, No Crown & I was rather upset with this release for obvious reasons. I have nothing against Keenan as he's a fine musician elsewhere, in COC, he might be the weakest link. Nevertheless, they did a fine cover of On The Hunt (Lynyrd Skynyrd). This is possibly one of the best songs done with Mullin & Dean still in the line up. Please take time to listen:


Pic: D. Karr

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