It’s no secret that I happen to love my doom/stoner/drone/acid rock/metal. I have a soft spot for those bands that worship the Heavy Gods with their overdriven fuzz waves, washing like the tides against the walls inside my skull. Its cathartic and emotional, depending on the band I have on. One we should all be familiar with is the legendary Corrosion of Conformity, aka C.O.C. They have given us innumerable odes to the heavy, and have continued that tradition with their current offering, “The Nectar“, streaming online.
My real reason for bringing them up right now, is that after Pepper Keenan took his “temporary” leave (quotes, due to his being listed as not out of the band yet), is that they don’t sound quite right, do they? Keenan had that specific vox that just FIT. There is no other way to describe it, other than being the piece that always should be. My absolute favorite album from them and, and this can be disputed but its my article and not yours, I say their best offering. Not to say that everything before was crap, but that album continues to just put me in my place and keep me there till its done. In The Arms of God is an epic album, it has everything: inventive grooves, vocals that go through oh so many effects and dimensions, and a whole plethora of subjects, ranging from religion, drugs, and human experience. And the vocals are what projects a great measure of this power. “Stonebreaker” and the titular “In The Arms of God” are two great examples, bookending the album effectively. They are perfect, as far as CoC songs go, and are probably as close to favorites I could have on this album.
Comparatively, after Keenan took a hiatus, vocals are split between remaining standard members: Woody Weatherman (lead guitar, backing vocals (1982–present)), Mike Dean (bass, vocals (1982–1987, 1993–present)), and Reed Mullin (drums, percussion, vocals (1982–2001, 2010–present)); on the newest release from them, Corrosion of Conformity (Self-titled) And the songs, from the playing and writing angle, are still excellent and fitting. They have a very old school feel, closer to Blind and Wiseblood than it is to ITAOG. and in my own opinion, the vocals are where this album falls from anything close to perfect. They vocals just don’t carry the same power that Keenan could have blasted them with, and just seem a bit weak and thin.
The new song, “The Nectar“, falls somewhere in between the two albums, which actually makes me even more excited for this release than for the self-titled when it was announced. This seems to have the driving song style from Arms of God, with a tougher vocal version of the ones from C.O.C. It will be a very good installment when it drops, if this is just a deep taste of the album and things to come.
I guess I really hope that Keenan comes back, one day….
