Nottingham was certainly in for a treat tonight with two great acts stepping into the Rescue Rooms to play some mind blowing sets.

Heading out on their 3^rd date of their UK tour is CORROSION OF CONFORMITY with their ''Deliverance'' line up and taking UK metal heads HANG THE BASTARD along with them for the ride.
Waiting to enter the venue it's easy to see what kind of fans have decided to see the show, the ones who love anything heavy and easy to head bang along too. Though it's easy to see who the majority of the audience are here to witness with the most common band merch worn being that of DOWN due to Pepper Keenan's recent re-emergance to CORROSION OF CONFORMITY.

First on stage is HANG THE BASTARD who begin to play to a small audience which slowly builds up as the Rescue Rooms begin to fill with people. It's hard to describe how the band sound or compare to anyone, they're simply a band who you cannot help but head bang along too with the growling vocals and dark riffs. You may barely see his face due to his constant growling with his hair over his face but Tomas Hubbard's vocals are something you must hear for yourself as it's so unique, a strong black metal influence yet the music isn't that at all. The 30 minute setlist is compiled from songs from their new album ''Sex In The Seventh Circle'' with the title track being played along with ''Sweet Mother'' and ''Keeping Vigil''.  HANG THE BASTARD is just pure metal which you can't pigeon hole into a single genre due to their raw power and enthusiasm, the band have been around for a while but they certainly deserve to be at the top of the UK metal scene.
 

As the venue slowly packs out within the waiting times of each band the crowd is eagerly awaiting the appearance of CORROSION OF CONFORMITY.  The band walks onto the stage with the crowd shouting and cheering before they begin playing ''These Shrouded Temples'' followed by ''Senor Limpio'' and ''King Of The Rotten''. Overall the 17 song set is mostly comprised of tracks from their signature album ''Deliverance'' which celebrates it's 21^st birthday this year which co-insides with the comeback of vocalist/guitarist Pepper Keenan who gives the band such a unique edge. The stage presence from Pepper Keenan and Woodroe Weatherman is electric, moving constantly around the stage and pulling out spectacular riffs to fan favourites but bassist Mike Dean is a man to watch on the bass. With Mike barely making eye contact in the audience he is in his own little bubble with deep notes and a spectacular performance. The set ended with songs such as ''Albatross'', ''Vote With A Bullet'' and ''Clean My Wounds'' with the fans singing louder than the band and speakers.
 

Setlist:
1. These Shrouded Temples
2. Senor Limpio
3. King Of The Rotten
4. Heaven's Not Overflowing
5. Long Whip/Big America
6. Wiseblood
7. Seven Days
8. Paranoid Opioid
9. 13 Angels
10. Albatross
11. My Grain
12. Stonebreaker
13. Goodbye Windows
14. Broken Man
15. Vote With A Bullet
16. Who's Got The Fire
17. Clean My Wounds

Overall the show went down a treat with fans old and new, it was hard to not have a good time tonight. HANG THE BASTARD may have not had the same vibe as CORROSION OF CONFOMITY but the fans loved them regardless and got them even more pumped up for head liners. CORROSION OF CONFORMITY performing with their classic line up only got the fans more hopeful for new music from them which hopefully we shall see soon.

*Photography: Emily Coulter

Interview with Reed Mullin:

It's been a long yet great career for those in CORRORION OF CONFORMITY and this year is going to proving to be a huge one for the guys with Pepper Keenan rejoining the band and ''Deliverance'' having it's 21^st anniversary it's all going smooth. Metal Temple talks to long time drummer Reed Mullin about past & present with the band, life on the road and how the band keeps on going.

It's great to speak with you, how are you feeling today?

I'm feeling great! This is show number three of the tour and it's been fifteen years since we've all played together! Was nerve racking at first as we only did a few rehearsals but people seemed to love it anyway!

It's the 3^rd date on your UK tour, how has it been on the previous 2 dates?

Been great! I think last night in Glasgow when we played ''Albatross'' the crowd was singing louder than the PA! Manchester was great and I'm sure tonight will be great too.

Is there a big difference between playing for American and English fans?

It depends but our experience in the UK have been amazing, I don't think its possible to ask for better fans and it's great getting to meet them too. The fans sing along to everything even the newer stuff which is so good to hear!

It's the 21st year anniversary of ''Deliverance'' this year which is one of the bigger releases from your discography, will you be playing any songs from the album tonight?

Yes! We'll be playing ''Deliverance'' pretty much in full actually, one of the reasons we got back together was due to the anniversary coming up. I called up Pepper Keenan last year on the 20^th anniversary and he was stoked to do it but he was busy working with Down so we pushed it to the 21^st year anniversary. We were meant to be touring longer but Woody's girlfriend is expecting a child soon.

As the ''Deliverance'' line up is back together, can we expect some newer material from the band?

In the future? Absolutely! I think we wanted to see how the crowds reacted to the tour and the current line up but it's all been really positive so far so hopefully this year we can get working on something.

What do you think has been your best album with Corrosion of Conformity?

My personal 3 favourites are ''Deliverance'' , ''Blind'' and ''Animosity'' but my favourite song is ''Albatross''.

Do you think with Pepper re-joining the band that some of the older style will come back to the band?

Oh yes, with Pepper back on vocals he adds a certain something with his vocals and style so fans can expect something in the same style as it used to be.

What do you think influences the style of the band?

When we started with a punk style it would have been bands like Bad Brains, Black Flag, Minor Threat, GBH and UK Subs but then later in the band like Slayer and Black Sabbath.

For people who have never listened to Corrosion of Conformity before how would you describe yourself in 3 words?

It would just be Corrosion of Conformity.

Where does the band name come from?

Our band was originally called Barney Five's Revenge but we needed something new.  I came up with the name in chemistry class and we was studying corrosion, I was scribbling stuff whilst thinking and I thought of Corrosion of Conformity so it stuck and the band loved it.

Do you think 2015 is gonna be a big year for the band?

Absolutely, it's already been huge so far!

Who inspired you to play drums?

As a kid I'd always bang my hands on the table so my parents got me this cheap little drum kit one year from a pawn shop so I could play. So I learnt songs from bands like THE RAMONES and punk bands and from then on the band came together.

What gear set up do you use?

On this tour I'm actually using a rental kit but at home I've been using the same kit I've been using since 1983 which is a TAMA 1983 superstar kit. I saved up so much money to buy it as it was what Clive Burr from Iron Maiden played, I've recorded every album on it and I don't think I'd ever change.

Any tips for people starting out in bands?

I think it depends if you want to do it as a career or just for fun, if you wanna do it as a career you have to be disciplined and make a lot of sacrifices to progress. But if you love it and it's something you wanna do then it's worthwhile, it's all we know.

What are the best and worst things about being in a band?

It's very hard being away from family and friends but it's great because you get to meet some amazing people whilst on the road

Do you think Corrosion of Conformity has reached its peak or do you think the band has plenty more to give in music?

Oh we have a lot more music to bring out yet..