Corrosion Of Confirmity is a band who has been with me for a majority of my music listening life.
First, with the skate kids I hung with in high school blasting the first record alongside our Misfits tapes. Then, seeing the video for Vote With A Bullet on Headbanger’s Ball, which immediately required a drive to The Wiz with the hopes they had Blind (they did) and me proceeding to wear out the tape.
To the bluesy, stoner, amazing records like Deliverance and Wiseblood. Pepper leaving, Pepper back, so many riffs, and always just being fucking cool, COC has ruled for decades. But all good things must end, and here we are with the COC swansong, Good God / Baad Man. I may be biased, but the fourteen tracks on this record may go down as one of the greatest last albums of all time. It is that good. Seriously.
Why? First off, this is the sound of a band having fun on what they know is their last record as COC. Pepper and Woody are in top form and are seeing eye to eye as they work to put an exclamation mark on what is a band people love.
The album is split into two sides based on the title, with the Good God side starting with the absolute ripper Good God?/Final Dawn which could not be a more fitting opener for this record. Stanton Moore plays drums on the album, and his contribution is felt right away on the first track.
I can’t mention COC and drums without mentioning Reed Mullin, who was what COC is about through and through and it is impossible to not feel his presence on this record. I love how they left all of the studio interaction on this track too, just giving it this raw, one take, live in the studio feel.
It leads to You And Me, which is trademarked COC in such a raw form. Another reason why I love this record is how it sounds. It’s like four dudes playing amazing, heavy ass rock with zero pretense. Woody’s solo on this track rips, and I love how the middle part just slams the brakes until the shotgun is loaded and the shit hits the fan. So awesome.
Gimme Some Moore is next, and whoa boy does it rip, leaning way more to the punk side of the band in the most wonderful way while also channeling Motorhead. Glorious. Oh, and when Pepper screams “Woody!” before his solo. Man oh man is this awesome.
The Handler is for those of you whose favorite COC record is Wiseblood, and would hang with any of the tracks from that amazing album. Another reason why I love this record; it is all over the COC map in the best possible ways.
Instrumental psych-leaning Bedouin's Hand leads to the last track on the Good God side, Run for Your Life. This is a nine minute epic that is part Zeppelin, part Sabbath and all classic COC.
The Baad Man starts with this side’s title track, with some movie clips and whoos from Pepper that leads to COC going all ZZ Top on our assess. This is not the first time I am going to say this on side B. Catchy as hell and super fun, Baad Man is killer stuff that also reminds me of a way more positive version of Monster Magnet's Bummer.
The Baad Man starts with this side’s title track, with some movie clips and whoos from Pepper that leads to COC going all ZZ Top on our assess. This is not the first time I am going to say this on side B. Catchy as hell and super fun, Baad Man is killer stuff that also reminds me of a way more positive version of Monster Magnet's Bummer.
Lose Yourself sounds exactly like that is what they are doing as they rip it up for four minutes. Instrumental interlude Mandra Sonos leads to another ripper, Asleep On The Killing Floor, that is the aggressive, vintage COC that people love and has a killer instrumental breakdown and harkens back to some of their punk roots too.
Remember how I mentioned ZZ Top? Handcuff County. So great. That wasn’t enough for you? Then how about Swallowing The Anchor? The stoner version of War’s Low Rider. Amazing one-two punch, showing the band’s bluesy side and how that trio from Texas inspired COC, even if it is not always evident.
Brickman fits perfectly next. An acoustic driven folky track that continues to show the range of this band now and throughout the years.
Closing with Forever Amplified is so perfect. Reminding me of how Faith No More closed out King For A Day with Just A Man, this one is the coda on an incredible journey as a band. The track is a gigantic celebration, with a gospel-like big voice added to the mix, leaving us with a huge statement, and the best way to say goodbye to the fans, as the heartbeat flatlines…
I am not sure there is a better way to close out a career as a band then what COC did here with Good God / Baad Man. 66:46? Sure, but I will take every second of it, as a band many of us love goes out in a perfect blaze of glory. Thank you for everything Corrosion Of Conformity. 10/10
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