CORROSION OF CONFORMITY
Good God / Baad Man (Nuclear Blast)
Corrosion Of Conformity’s first album since the death of drummer Reed Mullin is a comeback of sorts. The Raleigh rockers have delivered a double set of hard rock-blues-thrash with interesting, cohesive punk undertones. Although the album is presented as two halves, the divide isn’t stark, and the snatches of conversation and radio-like fragments between numbers give songs room to breathe.
One of the album’s most striking moments is Brickman: almost a folk anthem, it could have worked as the closing number instead of Forever Amplified, which ends with a flatline tone and is the only jarring moment. There are riffs galore, but no sense that COC are trying to impress anyone; even the bleeped word in Swallowing The Anchor is playful rather than shocking. In a strange way, Good God / Baad Man is the most relaxed album I’ve heard in a long time, and so well-produced it feels effortless.
words LYNDA NASH
