Don’t get me wrong, I really dug those two records COC put out as a three-piece in the past five years… but just like southern cooking, it ain’t the same without Pepper. Mr. Keenan’s return injected new life into some old tunes back in 2015, and now they’ve finally returned with another new album, making up for lost time on this 15-song double LP.
After a brief instrumental opener sets the tone (there’s a lot of instro interludes on here, too), “The Luddite” comes crashing ‘n bashing in, an extra-hoarse Pepper Keenan vocal guiding the proceedings. The sludgy swing riff that begets the chorus wouldn’t sound outta place on an EHG record. Lead single “Cast the First Stone” would sound right at home on Wiseblood—I’m detecting a “Drowning in a Daydream” vibe here.
A killer, groovy, southern-fried riff kicks off “Wolf Named Crow,” another solid number in the Wiseblood/Deliverance mould. Some of these new tracks should fit seamlessly into their live set! “Little Man” gets yer head nodding right from the get-go, while “Forgive Me” will have your feet tapping to its up-tempo chorus. “Nothing Left to Say” alternates between mellow, effects-laden verses and a heavy, hard-hitting chorus that really gets into your guts. This is how you do tempo changes, kids.
Man, I can’t stress enough that this record really sounds like they travelled 20 years back in time. Their last two albums can’t hold a candle to this one! OK, so the title track lacks impact, and there might be a few too many interludes, but when they set the dial to “rock” on this one, they simply melt faces.
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CORROSION OF CONFORMITY w/ Black Label Society, Eyehategod (12/29 – 1/20; 2/11 – 2/27), Red Fang (1/26 – 2/9):
12/27/2017 Ogden Theatre – Denver, CO
12/29/2017 Anthem at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – Sioux City, IA ^
12/30/2017 Uptown Theater – Kansas City, MO ^
12/31/2017 Pop’s Nightclub – Sauget, IL^
1/02/2018 Sokol Auditorium – Omaha, NE^
1/03/2018 House Of Blues – Chicago, IL ^
1/04/2018 Egyptian Room at Old National Centre – Indianapolis, IN ^
1/05/2018 The Fillmore Detroit – Detroit, MI ^
1/07/2018 Upstate Concert Hall – Clifton Park, NY ^
1/08/2018 M Telus – Montreal, QC ^
1/09/2018 Rebel – Toronto, ON ^
1/10/2018 20 Monroe Live – Grand Rapids, MI ^
1/12/2018 Diamond Ballroom – Oklahoma City, OK ^
1/13/2018 Bomb Factory – Dallas, TX ^
1/14/2018 Emo’s – Austin, TX ^
1/15/2018 House Of Blues – Houston, TX ^
1/17/2018 House Of Blues – New Orleans, LA ^
1/18/2018 Marathon Music Works – Nashville, TN ^
1/19/2018 Bogart’s – Cincinnati, OH ^
1/20/2018 Center Stage – Atlanta, GA ^
1/26/2018 Jannus Live – St. Petersburg, FL *
1/27/2018 House Of Blues – Myrtle Beach, SC *
1/28/2018 The Ritz – Raleigh, NC *
1/29/2018 The Fillmore Silver Spring – Silver Spring, MD *
1/31/2018 PlayStation Theater – New York, NY *
2/01/2018 The Palladium – Worcester, MA *
2/02/2018 Aura – Portland, ME *
2/03/2018 Electric Factory – Philadelphia, PA *
2/05/2018 Town Ballroom – Buffalo, NY *
2/06/2018 The Goodyear Theater at East End – Akron, OH *
2/07/2018 Stage AE – Pittsburgh, PA *
2/08/2018 Eagles Ballroom Club Stage – Milwaukee, WI *
2/09/2018 Myth Live – St. Paul, MN *
2/11/2018 O’Brians Event Centre – Saskatoon, SK ^
2/12/2018 The Ranch Roadhouse – Edmonton, AB ^
2/14/2018 Commodore Ballroom – Vancouver, BC ^
2/16/2018 Bowes Event Center at Revolution Place – Grande Prairie, AB ^
2/17/2018 MacEwan Hall – Calgary, AB ^
2/19/2018 Showbox SoDo – Seattle, W ^
2/20/2018 Roseland Theater – Portland, OR ^
2/21/2018 Ace Of Spades – Sacramento, CA ^
2/23/2018 House of Blues – Las Vegas, NV ^
2/24/2018 The Marquee – Tempe, AZ ^
2/25/2018 Sunshine Theater – Albuquerque, NM ^
2/27/2018 The Fonda Theatre – Los Angeles, CA ^
^ w/ Eyehategod
* w/ Red Fang
