Promotion: CORROSION OF CONFORMITY (USA) - New Zealand Tour 2014" / by Daniel Fox

To receive such a band in one's country is akin to experiencing the well-oiled engine […]

July 14, 2014

To receive such a band in one's country is akin to experiencing the well-oiled engine of a true classic. USA's CORROSION OF CONFORMITY (C.O.C) are delivering their well-burnished brand of crossover Stoner-Punk to New Zealand, playing a show in Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland in a rescheduled Oceanic tour, on the back of their newly released "IX".

To go from Hardcore Punk to Stoner Metal is.. An interesting transcendence to say the least; one kind of heavy to another, wrought with genre hops along the way. The very first endeavor, "Eye for an Eye", solely a Punk piece, could not foreshadow the monumental changes that were to come. By 1991's "Blind", the metal roots were set in stone, and from here the Sludgy roots would begin to fester and take shape in the form of "Deliverance" and "Wiseblood", exemplary indicators of their present-day sound. From here on the band only grew in popularity and musical acclaim, with their arguable best "In the Arms of God" allowing the band to pick up the pieces of their 1998 and 2000 efforts and thrust themselves into a well-deserved mainstream success. A second, lengthier hiatus saw the more modern releases of the self-titled piece in 2012, and 2014's "IX".

This new album puts the band in a similar light to its predecessor, self-titled album. If anything, the material is heavier and dirtier, allowing for a more authentic 'crossover' experience, melding classic Heavy Metal with swampy, Sludge overtones and humble nods towards their earliest material. Such drastic juxtaposition between tracks on a single album can, and will make for a spectacularly tripping live set, something New Zealand and Australia can expect and look forward to witnessing, aiming to please many fans across such a wide scape of heavy music.

"Infinite War":

"Paranoid Opioid":

Bringing their enigmatic sound to our shores, I look forward to classics such as "Paranoid Opioid" and "Infinite War", but most of all, work from the new release; some slick sludge like "Elphyn", or some more thrashing pieces such as "Tarquinius Superbus". Whatever the setlist may be, may it bend your brain a tad.

"Elphyn":