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CORROSION OF CONFORMITY
Good God / Baad Man

Nuclear Blast (2026)
Rating: 8/10

In spite of starting out from Raleigh, North Carolina as a hardcore punky crossover thrash act, it could be argued that it was from 1991 through to 1996 that Corrosion Of Conformity were the best heavy rock band on the planet. Changing their style to something more groove based, C.O.C. was the band to be in or around. It was their peak period with a trio of album releases – Blind (1991), Deliverance (1994) and Wiseblood (1996) – that to this day define the word “cool”.

With attitude, weight, groove, C.O.C. saved me from drowning within the depths of the grunge invasion. Blind was the first and only record to be fronted by Karl Agell; a cult crushing groove machine that managed to fuse Metallica and Thin Lizzy with Trouble, yet without sounding like any of them. C.O.C. had found their niche and continued their hip n’ happening n’ wholesome swagger into the next brace of albums, both of which were lead by guitarist Pepper Keenan who first introduced us to his tones with the cut ‘Vote With A Bullet’ on Blind.

Naturally, due to the brilliance of those three albums, subsequent releases and line-up alterations never quite matched those dizzying affairs. Even so, due to his involvement with a band like Down, Keenan’s reputation has grown, as has C.O.C.’s, who are now on their 11th full-length studio release, and their first for eight years. On a sad note, it’s the first C.O.C. record since the 2020 passing of drummer Reed Mullin. Mullin’s space has been filled here by band buddy Stanton Moore, who previously appeared on C.O.C.’s 2005 album In The Arms Of God.

Still on the Nuclear Blast label, C.O.C. remains a heavyweight proposition, this record being a colossal double album; Good God, with its unflinching aggression and punky tendencies, and Baad Man, sun baked and stoned as the band oozes with that recognizable Southern sway. In between, there are flashes of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Black Flag, and of course there’s the signature C.O.C. fluidity and chemistry while darkening back to the rawer days. Woody Weatherman remains an incredibly underrated guitarist, weaving sludgy rhythmic patterns, while new bassist Bobby Landgraf does a good job of replacing the legendary Mike Dean.

Good God / Baad Man takes a few good listens before it can be fully appreciated. With a duration of 67 minutes I was concerned my attention would wane, but C.O.C. has never been a band to hide from variety. Lead single ‘Gimme Some More’, featuring backing vocals from Ministry main man Al Jourgensen, is all snap and hostility, the thrashy ethos bloodied by its clashing with hardcore mayhem. For those new to C.O.C. this may be an unfamiliar trajectory, but those in the know will revel in the band’s nod to its past. It’s a song that’s to the point and blunt, dragging the listener around the room by the hair as beads of sweat patter the walls and the sticky sweet smell of congealed blood cakes the nostrils. In contrast, another single, ‘You Or Me’ fizzes with a psychedelic slice of axe work. Moore punches the kit with such conviction as echoes of Black Sabbath infiltrate the melody as Keenan bellows and snarls.

The brushes with psychedelia and blues are never far away, and there’s no shortage of sludgy fudge either as closer ‘Forever Amplified’ showcases, but then again there’s also an injection of variety as Anjelika “Jelley”Joseph lends a hand with her timely wails which usually caress Stanton Moore’s New Orleans jazz-funk band Galactic.

C.O.C. has, for so long, been ahead of the game without ever revelling in the spotlight. There’s always been an effortless glide to the motion of the band, freely meandering into numerous styles without ever sacrificing weight; good examples here being the epic Led Zeppelin / Black Sabbath amalgamation of ‘Run For Your Life’, the ZZ Top inspired ‘Swallowing The Anchor’ and ‘Handcuff County’, and the psyched instrumental ‘Bedouin’s Hand’.

I’ve spent so much time with this album, lazing in the smoky confines of kaleidoscopic blankets such as ‘The Handler’ with its blues peppering. It’s a big favourite, reminding me of the Deliverance era, but there are undercurrents of the Blind period too. However, the record boasts far more sneering moments, particularly with the frenzied ‘Asleep On The Killing Floor’, which brings levels of punkiness, while ‘Brickman’ is sublimely effective yet punchy. It astonishes though how C.O.C. can drift from Southern-fried boogie to Sabbathian monoliths and then hardcore snarls. Couple this with devilish distortion, fuzzed feedback and the loose n’ lethal aggression and you’ve got a borderline classic C.O.C. opus.

Far more rewarding than the previous batch, Good God / Baad Man is further proof that when Metallica transformed into U2 in the 90s, Corrosion Of Conformity should have taken the torch. Pepper Keenan, Woody Weatherman and associates remain criminally underrated and yet somehow revel in being the cool underdogs who continue to strut around town without a care in the world.

Neil Arnold

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