Corrosion of Conformity are a US metal/rock band and this is their eleventh album.
A lot has happened in the world of Corrosion of Conformity since the band’s 2018’s release No Cross No Crown. Recovering from tragedy and setback, the band are now back, and they’ve brought a lot of new material with them. Good God / Baad Man boasts 70 minutes of music, and it’s a real feast of riff-hungry melodic Southern rock and metal.
This record is divided into two halves, separated stylistically by the sort of songs they contain. Of course, there’s overlap between the two as ultimately it’s all Corrosion of Conformity, but it does let the listener regard the album with a different perspective than they might have done otherwise. With a total duration of 70 minutes the band could have released a long conventional record with the different tracks all mixed together, but instead they’ve opted for a more interesting approach that provides a distinct listening experience.
Stylistically, Good God is the first six songs, and lasts 33 minutes. It brings the band’s heavier, metallic side to the fore.
It opens with Good God? / Final Dawn. After lulling you into a brief sense of security it explodes into charismatic riffage. It’s great to hear Corrosion of Conformity do their thing once more, and do it so well. You or Me follows, which is a classic ripper with a somewhat strange vibe, (that culminates in the oddly unsettling middle section of the song).
Gimmie Some Moore is a rager, designed to get mosh pits excited with its metallic aggression. After this, The Handler is groovy and earthy, with warm nuanced drumming and vocals that have an edge to them.
Bedouin’s Hand is an instrumental piece with an exotic flavour, leading on to Good God‘s final track – Run for Your Life. This is the longest cut across the entire release, and showcases Corrosion of Conformity’s ability to craft low and slow longer cuts that hit the spot. It’s a well-constructed moody rocker that ends Good God on a high note.
We then move onto Baad Man, which is Corrosion of Conformity putting their best hard rocking foot forward. Across 8 tracks/37 minutes of music it concentrates on the band’s more melodic, rocky side.
We start with the title track, a far funkier and more upbeat rockier entry than anything on the Good God half. This continues on Lose Yourself, which has more of the wonderfully warm drumming that is a standout feature of this record. The brief interlude Mandra Sonos follows, which is better than the vast majority of interludes out there to be fair, although hardly essential.
Asleep on the Killing Floor is full of attitude and vim, and is once more graced with entrancing drumming. Next up is Handcuff Country, a loose and easy song with a welcoming mien. Swallow the Anchor kicks out the jams with hard rock vigour, cowbell included.
That leaves the final two songs, Brickman and Forever Amplified. The former is built on an acoustic base, with electric guitar contributions that feel classic. The latter closes the record with style, making for a compelling ending that’s soaked in deep Southern rock vibes.
Good God / Baad Man is a grower. It has an immediate charisma, but has a lot of material that requires multiple spins to start to tease out the gems hidden within its depths. This is to its benefit, as Good God / Baad Man slowly reveals itself to be significant win for the band. It’s clear that a lot of passion and energy has been poured into Good God / Baad Man, with Corrosion of Conformity capably demonstrating their mastery of the style throughout these collective 14 tracks.
Highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 