Published on Dec 18, 2000
Although I get to hear the work of so many different artists and
groups in this job, it’s impossible for me to keep up with everyone
out there. Even when I’m presented with a group like Corrosion Of
Conformity (COC), who have a few releases on the market, there’s
always a chance that the disc I’m sent to review will be my first
taste of that band.
Such was the case with COC — and I’ll admit, I went into their
latest release
America’s Volume Dealer with expectations of head-banging,
fist pumping metal.
Buy, was I wrong — and I’m kinda glad that I was. Pepper Keenan
and company remind me of what it might sound like if Glenn Danzig
were to front a band like AC/DC or Nashville Pussy. It’s
harder-edged rock with a blooze-based influence, and the final
judgment is that it’s pretty damn good.
The band — vocalist/guitarist Keenan, guitarist Woodroe
Weatherman, bassist Mike Dean and drummer Reed Mullin — choose to
demonstrate their power by showing how they can control it
musically. Somehow, I think that if they came out all guns blazing,
something big would be lost in the translation. This way, COC is
able to introduce the newcomer to their fold while entertaining the
long-time fan. It’s a difficult strategy, but it works.
Tracks like “Congratulations Song,” “Who’s Got The Fire,”
“Doublewide” and “Gittin’ It On” all kick ass without making the
listener feel like they’re getting their ass kicked. Weatherman and
Keenan seem to know just how far to push their guitar lines without
sounding like a thousand metal bands before them; all the band
members seem to know that if you put the welfare of the song first,
the vibe will quickly come.
This doesn’t always work so well, however. “13 Angels” never
seems to catch fire (despite being the slowest song on the disc),
and just doesn’t seem like a comfortable fit for COC. Likewise,
tracks such as “Zippo” and “Sleeping Martyr,” while not bad
efforts, fail to really set themselves apart from the crowd.
In the end, though, COC does impress me with their knowledge of
when to put the pedal to the metal… and when to ease off the gas
musically.
America’s Volume Dealer is the kind of disc which will build
up a lot of interest in this band – and makes me want to check out
the rest of their catalog.