Customer Reviews

In the Arms of God

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Five years since Corrosion of Conformity's last studio album, 2000's stripped down sounding "America's Volume Dealer", C.O.C. have returned with a vengeance with "In the Arms of God". Original drummer Reed Mullin is gone, with Galactic's Stanton Moore filling in to great effect. Opening track "Stone Breaker" finds Pepper Keenan and co. seemingly trying to recapture the sludgy, southern influenced hard rock that made "Deliverance" and "Wiseblood" modern day classics, and while not every C.O.C. fan will agree, it works. "It is That Way" is well orchestrated with Woody Weatherman and Mike Dean supplying a solid rhythm section, and Pepper's voice hasn't sounded this good in years. "Never Turns to More", "So Much Left Behind", and "Crown of Thorns" are songs that make most of "America's Volume Dealer" sound lame by comparison, and the album as a whole is the best material C.O.C. has recorded since "Wiseblood" almost ten years ago. Fans who have been longing for a return to form of C.O.C.'s pre-Pepper days will be disappointed here, but for the rest of us, "In the Arms of God" may very well be the best hard rock release of the year.

I can say without blinking or batting an eye that "In The Arms Of God" is easily my most anticipated album of the past 3 years. Though many people seem to hate "America's Volume Dealers", I personally find the album very gratifying once you dig beneath the surface. With it's smooth tones and crafty songwriting, AVD may not have been Sabbath-laden slab of heaviness of albums prior but it had a mature sensibility to go with the occasional lashings-out. For those who chose to turn away due to AVD, they have seriously short-changed themselves on an album that is a surefire "Album Of The Year" candidate.

I was fortunate enough to hear most of this album before it's actual release which gave me some extra time to soak it all in before reviewing it here. While it was nice to hear prior to April 5th, there's always something special about tearing open a new release and awaiting unheard songs to grace your ears and despite knowing what to expect, the difference in quality was enough to keep my senses peaked.

I've read quite a few reviews that are calling ITAOG a "return to form" for COC which I'm not completely buying. From my perspective, each album from "Blind" until now has a different attitude or final coating but overall, the expert quality of musicianship was always at the forefront of every song this band has crafted. Everything about COC has always been top-notch so before I even heard one singular note, I was of the mind that not much could be added to this formula...until now.

Enter Stanton Moore, drummer of jazz outfit Galactic. As a close friend of lead vocalist Pepper Keenan, he brought Mr. Moore aboard to handle the backbeat for "In The Arms Of God" and throughout each song, his drumming brings COC's sound to the next level (a phrase I usually find pretentious or overblown). Here, it's fits like a glove. Since the days of Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath, most drum sounds have been tightened and the resonance has been filtered out to make for a crisper and more lifeless overall sound. Stanton Moore's drumming does quite the opposite as his combination of free-form technique and classic tones bring forth a rare feeling that when he's hitting the drums, they are almost hitting back. It's seriously a beautiful thing to behold.

As for the rest, the Corrosion lads are up to their same old tricks: awe-inspiring riffs, trippy melodies, hypnotic bass rumblings and leads that would make Hendrix himself raise an eyebrow all laced with Pepper Keenan's bayou-basted vocal genius; a talent that James Hetfield could only dream of having. Did I mention that this is your next purchase? Album Of The Year? Yeah.....you've wasted enough time already by not buying this album.

When I read one of the other reviewers comparing this to Lynard Skynard or the Allman Brothers I about fell off my chair and had to write. This isn't at all like their previous southern-rock tinged efforts. I think the reviewer had pre-concieved notions about COC. There is no way he could have listened to this CD.
One thing about this CD you should know is that it is so complex, so brilliant, and so HUGE, that you can't get it in one listen. If you pop it in and expect instant delivery, you won't get it. You have to let it grow on you. Once it does you will start picking up on all the obscure small parts that make this such an epic CD. Listen to it 4-5 times and then I challenge you to say it isn't any good.
Simply put, this is one of the greatest metal/hard rock CD's I've ever heard (and at 42 yrs old I've heard thousands of them)
It starts off with "Stone Breakers" which contains a brilliant guitar riff around which they wrap the song, a song laden with tempo changes. It kicks major ass. The song is lengthy and leads into another long track " Paranoid Opioid" which has it's own killer riff, but what really grabs you are the drums. This new guy is off the charts on the drums, and they work in harmony with the riffs, tempo changes, savage heart-felt vocals, and clever lyrics to create a masterpiece.
My favorite song is "Rise River Rise", a slow mover with mesmerising guitars, both acoustic and electric. The vocals are haunting. I also love "Backslider" with it's memorable chorus, you just can't shake it. The title track, which is the last song thrashes with an anger not recently seen. Brilliant and raw. Another great song with it's driving bass and Pepper's awesome voice is "Dirty Hands, Empty Pockets" Every song is good, most are great.
This is not "America's Volume Dealer". That CD had good songs, but was far from a classic. This CD has intense and thoughtful lyrics that make you think. It is a bold commentary on America today. For those who only listen to the rhythm or the guitar, or the voice, this CD won't grab you. For those intelligent enough to understand what the band is trying to say you will appreciate it. This is one incredible CD and you should buy it. Listen to it three times in a row and you will be forever hooked.

In The Arms Of God, isn't a "return to form" or "comeback" for Southern Hard
Rock / Metal band: Corrosion Of Conformity. It is, it's own thing...gritty, epic,
poetic & hard hitting. High climbing melodies that glide above a Sabbath esq backdrop, and yet still they maintain their own expressive COC sound.

Maybe not as southern sounding as COC's previous "Pepper Keenan era" albums, but
like the others, equally rewarding.

Tales of injustice, redemption and soul searching..this album should be amongst any
serious music collection.

~paul browne.

I'm glad Pepper didn't make the cut for Metallica's bassist a few years back as his song writing skills would have been lost to us forever buried in the wasteland now known as Metallica. Pepper is a riff master ala Mr. Iommi of Black Sabbath fame.

What we have here is heaping spoonful of well written metal music served up on a plate of fat Mesa Boogie amps. These tunes absolutely groove and the vibe created here is something special. If you love Black Sabbath (what metalhead doesn't?), you'll love C.O.C. as they have obviously been influenced by them over years. Is their a better metal band to be influenced by?, I don't think so and I can't stress enough just how good and refreshing this cd is. From track one right through to track 12, these tunes have it all. Dark depressing well written lyrics as well as a massive wall of riffage make this a metal delight.

I would definitely recommend this cd to my friends and anyone else who loves classic metal. It's not a 5, but it's pretty damn close, I'd give it a solid 4.7!! Seriously folks, it's all here.

Pepper, I'm glad C.O.C. is still around man as you and Zakk Wylde/Black Label Society are the saviours of true hard rock/metal. Southern metal mixed with a big chuck of Sabbath just can't be beaten in my books.

Long live the loud!!

it's been 5 long years since the last COC album.... and its great to have them return! Any fan would expect a decent album as their return from the dissappointing America's Volume Dealer, but Corrosion of Conformity returns to shock us all with a monumental album of stoner rock, sludge, and metal. Even the spiky nuclear skull returns! Pepper Keenan's voice has reached its peak here wherein he sounds amazing on every song! The drumming has gone completely insane here as it features the former GALACTIC drummer. As for a review of the tracks.... every track is not good.... its GREAT! Believe me, its that good. Its a five star album all the way... not just for the Southern rock genre, but it stands as an epic album for all music! Believe me, its the perfect album to get when youre still deciding what to get this year....

Close second are....
BLS (Mafia), BRUCE DICKINSON (A Tyranny of Souls), I had to download this one of the internet b4 it was released in June, and, MASTODON (Leviathan) its last year's but it still kicks ass.

I love COC's older work, Wiseblood was great. ITAOG is better but differnt than anything the band has ever done before. Most songs dont start out with a guitar riff like "clean my wounds". these songs seem more progressive. At first, i did not like this, but it later grew to me. alot of the songs are also very long. "so much left behind" has a great riff that COC is known for. Overall this album is very dark, and i guess angry, but pepper still sings great. Definatly check this cd out.

I first heard of Corrosion Of Conformity back in 1994 with the hit "Clean My Wounds" and just kind of forgot about them since then. I bought "AVD" after hearing "Diablo Blvd." on a couple other site and really didn't know what to think of it but got me back into listening to their other stuff. When I saw that they were coming out with another album after five year, I kept a close eye on what people were saying about it. Everything sounded great from the reviews I read before it came out that it was Black Sabbath rock, like Down II, so I bought it. I haven't taken it out of my cd player since the day it came out. It has to be the best "True Rock" album of the year. I promise if you like Down: NOLA, Down II, Crowbar, etc. you will love this album.

Stand out tracks: ALL!!
You can thank me later.

I thought Wiseblood would be the pinnacle of their career in my eyes... DAMN. This is like the swirly headed feeling you get when somebody tells you the worst news of your life. This has the dirtyness of Wiseblood but is so much DARKER! I really liked Deliverance a lot but thought the production was a little too clean and the same thing with Volume Dealer except for a lot too clean but great songs. If you like Sabbath inspired southern metal then buy this, listen to it, and drool as your ears cum and your soul bleeds.

This album is a great heavy rock album with some strong southern rock influence. Some great songs off the album are "Stonebreaker", "Paranoid Opioid", and "Rise River Rise. The album also has some great politically charged songs such as "Dirty Hands Empty Pockets", the switches between a bass, guitar, and spoken word bit to a very bluesy, southern rock riff and solo, great song. The lyrics are very dark as usual, 'rise river rise", describes a call for a river of tears to flood a soul and clean it for judgement day. Great imagery, great riffs, bluesy solos, and rock vocals, if those interest you, give this record a spin