Corrosion Of Conformity: Megalodon – free EP & Feed On – new video & Corrosion Of Conformity – full album stream

Those still unsure what to be thankful for (but could go with stuff like life, for instance), can be thankful for ‘Megalodon’, the new & free EP given away by CORROSION OF CONFORMITY in partnership with Scion A/V right here. Besides the EP named after one of the largest and most powerful predators in history, a giant shark with triangular teeth, the said partnership also produced a video for ‘Feed On’:

“Black and white studio footage makes up this seemingly innocuous music video until midway through the tempo changes dramatically. A producer begins to hallucinate heavily on the metal music. Paranoid ticks develop into monstrous apparitions, as whatever is “feeding on” takes its toll on his mental and physical capacities.”

The year 2012 also produced the first new CORROSION OF CONFORMITY recording in six years; the self-titled LP was released in February 2012 through Candlelight Records. The 11-song album was produced by John Custer and mixed by John Lousteau. The band's first album with Reed Mullin on drums since 2000's ‘America's Volume Dealer’ and the first without singer and guitarist Pepper Keenan since 1998's ‘Technocracy’, can be enjoyed in full here (BandCamp), or via player available below. ‘Corrosion Of Conformity, the album that entered the American albums chart Billboard Top 200 at number 157, was reviewed by Gregory Heaney, AllMusic:

“While this lineup may be slimmed down, it lacks none of the fury and aggression that listeners have come to expect from C.O.C., combining a raw, almost grimy guitar sound with a songwriting approach that hearkens back to their more hardcore-influenced days. This combination gives the album a decidedly retro feel, but there’s just enough of the more modern version of the band in there to keep it from feeling like an out-and-out rehash of their old stuff. Acting as a kind of crossroads between the old C.O.C. and the new, ‘Corrosion Of Conformity’ feels more like a distillation of their career than an evolution of their sound, combining the best parts of three decades of metal into one document that fans of any era of the band's career can get on board with.” [Read the rest here]

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY (C.O.C for short), one of the first punk-metal fusion bands, was formed in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1982 by bassist and vocalist Mike Dean, guitarist Woody Weatherman and drummer Reed Mullin. Through its various incarnations, C.O.C released seven studio albums, two EPs, one compilation, and one live album to date. Their recorded debut, BLACK FLAG-influenced 1983's ‘Eye For An Eye’ featured vocalist Eric Eycke alongside the band's founders, who continued on to record their next effort, 1985's ‘Animosity’ as a trio. C.O.C's 1987's EP, recorded with singer Simon Bob, will be forever remembered by John Book, AllMusic, who wrote:

“There’s a numb look at the realities of the world on this great set of music.” [You will find no further information here]

After being dumped by their label Death, Mike Dean and Simon Bob departed from the band in 1987. Eventually, vocalist Karl Agell, bassist Phil Swisher and second guitarist Pepper Keenan (DOWN) were recruited. This lineup recorded a straight-forward heavy metal record ‘Blind’, which they released on Relativity Records in 1991. The record broke onto American charts, selling in excess of 250,000 copies in the U.S. to date. In 1993, Agell and Swisher left, Dean returned and Keenan took over lead vocals. Completely shedding their punk and thrash influences, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY released their BLACK SABBATH-inspired ‘Deliverance’ in 1994 to great success, with it entering the Billboard Top 200, peaking at number 155, where the album remained for almost four months. Their second record issued on Columbia Records continued the upward chart climb, peaking at number 104 on the Billboard Top 200; the track ‘Drowning In A Daydream’ off 1996's ‘Wiseblood’ was nominated for 1998's Grammys. The last album to feature longtime drummer Reed Mullin before his return to C.O.C in 2010, was their fifth album ‘America's Volume Dealer’, issued on Sanctuary Records in 2000, followed by the last album so far to feature Pepper Keenan; 2005's ‘In The Arms Of God’. Praised by critics, C.O.C's seventh album peaked at number 108 on the Billboard Top 200 chart:

“Joining Keenan once more are other mainstays Woody Weatherman (guitar) and Mike Dean (bass), as well as a big surprise on drums - GALACTIC timekeeper Stanton Moore. To prime themselves for the sessions, the group immersed themselves in old hardcore and metal albums they hadn’t listened to in years, and the approach worked, as ‘In The Arms Of God’ is a straight-ahead and raw set. The beginning of the album opener ‘Stone Breakers’ closely resembles a Tony Iommy-led SABBATH jam, while such other ragers as ‘Paranoid Opioid’ and ‘Never Turns To More’ are classic C.O.C. Along with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, C.O.C continue to wave the biker metal flag high,” [commented Greg Prato, AllMusic – more here]

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY features: Woodroe Weatherman – guitar, Mike Dean – bass and vocals and Reed Mullin – drums and vocals