Review: Corrosion Of Conformity ‘Good God/Baad Man’
Before getting into the fundamentals of Corrosion Of Conformity’s new double album, Good God/Baad Man, their first since 2018’s No Cross No Crown, a few things are worth pointing out. This is the first album without either founding drummer Reed Mullin, who sadly passed away in 2020, or bassist Mike Dean, who amicably left in 2024. It is also the first album since 1985’s legendary crossover hardcore/thrash masterpiece Animosity to not feature longtime producer John Custer behind the boards, with them opting for Warren Riker (Down, Santana, Cynic) this time around.
Full disclosure: they are among my ten favorite bands of all time. Animosity hit me just as metal and hardcore were crossing over, and it proved to be one of the essential gateway albums that opened my ears to hardcore and punk rock in general. I also vividly remember seeing photos of Slayer’s Jeff Hanneman (RIP) rocking a C.O.C.shirt early on, and somehow seeing thrash heroes champion them made my transition into hardcore and punk that much smoother.
From that moment on, I kept an eye on them and was fully on board with the accolades thrown at 1991’s then-cutting-edge metal landmark, Blind. But it was 1994’s Deliverance that pulled me fully into their cabal. That record, along with Monster Magnet’s Dopes To Infinity, became a cornerstone in leading me back to unapologetic riff worship in the late ’90s.
Following Dean’s departure and Mullin’s untimely passing, founding guitarist Woody Weatherman and longtime frontman/guitarist Pepper Keenan regrouped with old friend Stanton Moore, the powerhouse drummer for New Orleans funk-jazz outfit Galactic. Moore’s otherworldly playing was a big reason 2005’s In The Arms Of God remains so revered. On bass, Bobby Landgraf of Texas hell-raisers Honky, who also did a stint in Down and worked as a guitar tech for Pantera, rounds out the lineup.
From there, the chemistry between the four musicians was strong enough to yield material for two albums, drawing on the sounds and energy of the band’s various eras. Thus, after an eight-year wait, we, the unsuspecting public, get the twenty-ton aural behemoth that is Good God/Baad Man.
Sparse guitar chords soon give way to the charging thrust of opener Good God?/Final Dawn, and it is immediately clear Corrosion Of Conformity are back in a big way. Moore’s drums are massive and pummeling yet completely tasteful. Weatherman’s guitar tone and playing style are as recognizable as anyone’s in heavy rock, and he and Keenan engage in plenty of riff-and-lead interplay. Keenan’s vocals sound warm, organic, and Ozzy-era Sabbath-y as ever, wailing about being a ‘reality mover.’
You Or Me, one of the pre-release singles, is a huge fuzzed-up mid-tempo stomp with a tripped-out psychedelic middle section before it tears off into a classic C.O.C. style outro, complete with Weatherman’s signature shred. Gimme Some Moore keeps that momentum going with punky Southern-thrash riffing, aggressive vocals, and a guest appearance from Ministry’s Al Jourgensen. The whole band shines, but the drumming and lead work are especially killer.
The Handler is a wah-drenched clinic in rolling, psychedelic, Sabbathian Southern doom, while Bedouin’s Hand is a spacey, tumbling instrumental where Landgraf’s fuzzy low end practically rattles through the speakers. Distant helicopter rotors announce Run For Your Life, which closes the first half in a low-and-slow, hallucinatory affair, full of wicked guitar interplay and plenty of groove from this formidable rhythm section.
Thus, after an eight-year wait, we, the unsuspecting public, get the twenty-ton aural behemoth that is Good God/Baad Man…
Baad Man opens the second record with a funky, Southern-fried throwdown that immediately recalls the swagger of Wiseblood. Lose Yourself follows as a smooth, slippery, kaleidoscopic Sabbath-in-space jam. Then comes Mandra Sonos, a lute solo that gives way to an earth-moving bass tone that perfectly sets up the most ripping track on the album, if not their entire discography, the insanely vicious Asleep On The Killing Floor.
This thing is a monster from the jump. Keenan alternately recalls the vocal bite of Dirty Hands Empty Pockets and Long Whip/Big America before hitting a level of outright malevolence in the chorus that is utterly annihilating. Moore owns this song, sounding like a rolling, jazzed-up John Bonham; his dizzying fills and insane timing allow the rest of the band to truly lock in. I’ve been a Corrosion Of Conformity fan for a long time, and I can say without hesitation that this fucker will go down as one of their all-time ragers.
After the sound of a passing train, Handcuff County delivers pure, undiluted ZZ Top worship. People love describing their post-Deliverance sound as Sabbath meets Skynyrd, but I’ve always argued that ZZ Top is the real southern-fried influence. The band has always thrived when they lean into that boogie vibe, and with the rhythm holding down that behind-the-beat swing, allowing Keenan and Weatherman all the room they need to get their Billy Gibbons on.
Hitting the homestretch, we get the awesome, greasy, laid-back, groovy fuzz-rock of Swallowing The Anchor, which even includes some funky cowbell. If this doesn’t have you nodding your head and even shaking your hips, perhaps it’s time to rethink your rock and roll credentials.
The penultimate Brickman has already become one of my favorite C.O.C. songs. Yes, it really is that good. Recalling somber cuts like 13 Angels or the acoustic version of Shelter, it pairs a weary, soulful vocal with dark, sparse, tripped-out acoustic strumming and restrained snare taps to create an instant classic.
Keenan has always been one of heavy rock’s great lyricists, and he does not fail to deliver with lines like ‘this old soul goes it alone, as I stare at the phone, it’s that time again / I guess the Brickman never came, might as well bury me where I’m standing’. The album closes in grand, epic fashion with Forever Amplified, a rollicking fuzzy-riff ode to all things loud and heavy, featuring guest vocals from New Orleans singer and Moore collaborator Anjelika ‘Jelly’ Joseph.
There’s simply no better way to describe Good God/Baad Man than as a stellar, almost peerless, heavy rock record from artists who know their craft inside and out. All four musicians are at the top of their game, and not a single note sounds forced or uninspired. Yes, I’m biased, but even with a flood of killer records arriving this year, including the world-shaking Neurosis opus, this stands as one of the most cohesive and organic-sounding heavy rock albums I’ve heard in a long time. I imagine it will go down as one of this legendary band’s all-time greats. Highly recommended.
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Martin Williams
