It is also one of the band's few releases not to be produced by John Custer, with Warren Riker working with the band in the studio this time. As such, given the line-up and producer changes, Good God/Baad Man does feel like something of a fresh start. On vinyl, Good God/Baad Man is a double LP set - with the songs split into two halves (i.e. Good God and Baad Man). The CD just runs as one collection of 14 tracks - so at over an hour this is quite a meaty album, with plenty that needs digesting. There is quite a bit of variety here, but the album gets underway in pretty bluesy fashion with Good God?/Final Dawn. Clean, bluesy guitar lines open things up - before Moore lays down a hollow drum fill and the rest of the band kick in around a fairly urgent riff. There is a bit of a progressive edge to this album at times, and the songs do not always use traditional verse-chorus arrangements. This song's intro is quite long, then, with a good mix of tougher riffing and meandering, bluesy moments. The production is raw and dense - but it generally allows each musician to shine. The bass is busy during this intro, actually played by Keenan on this song alongside a handful of others, whilst the drum sound here has a great organic edge to it. Once Keenan starts to sing, the song moves along in a bit more of a traditional manner - with faster riffing and Keenan's snarling vocals. He delivers some varied vocal styles throughout the album, but here he generally barks along with the verse riffing - before a simpler chorus has an almost semi-shouted delivery that suits the punchy riffing behind it. Your or Me continues along in a similar manner - but this time there is no big intro. The songs almost segue into each other - but there is a bit of a drum break that separates the two, whilst the main riff of the latter is hookier overall. There is a juddering, southern rock feel to much of the song then - especially during those parts of the verse where the riffing is allowed to accent Keenan's vocals. A screaming guitar lead is thrown in early on, too, and this acts as a precursor to some of the soloing that follows. I would not say Corrosion of Conformity are the sort of band to really let their instrumental chops shine all that often, but there is quite a bit of bluesy soloing on this album from Weatherman that impresses. The lead and solo sections tend to be quite short, but given the dense grooves of the rhythm section and the bluesy riffing elsewhere from Keenan and Weatherman, the soloing is often welcome. In classic stoner fashion, too, the song slows down in the middle to feature some almost white noise-esque moments - with distant guitar and vocal noises creating an unsettling tone, before the band crash back in with a riff that could have easily sat on an early Black Sabbath album. They then pick up the pace for the closing moments of the song - with a good mix of faster soloing and snappy vocals. Gimme Some Moore is perhaps a bit more straight ahead - and given that it acted as one of the album's singles this tighter overall arrangement works well. The opening guitar riffing is much more overtly metallic, with the guitars moving back and forth between different speakers as both Keenan and Weatherman riff away. Once the main groove kicks in, though, the pace is upped - and the aggression mentioned from the band's early days rears its head. Whilst not a thrash song, there is certainly a punky energy and attitude here - and the band crash away here with some grinding riffs and very percussive drumming. Keenan's vocals are more intense, too, and he really barks the vocals in a throaty, almost harsh, style that ups the ante compared to his slower delivery from the previous songs.
Following the intense and faster previous song, The Handler reins in the excess of that number and returns to a creeping mid-paced sound with bluesy riffing and hollow drumming once again dominating. Unlike the songs that have featured here up to this point, though, this song goes for a much more overtly stoner rock sound. The riff again channels Black Sabbath somewhat, but the guitar tones are not as crunchy to allow a blues edge to shine through - whilst occasional wah effects are used to create a bit of a mind-bending sound, whilst later soloing makes a big use of string bends. Keenan also approaches the song differently, too. His voice lacks the bark or the energy of what has come before, instead singing in a much more laid back and cleaner manner - whilst some effects and him being slightly lower in the mix enhances that overall stoner rock feel. There are some crunchier moments, whereby he starts to sound a bit more aggressive against the backdrop of a fatter riff, but these moments are points of difference rather than an example of the song's core sound - and the song snakes along with a fuzzy groove for the most part, utilising a slightly longer overall song length to really ride out the groove and create a hazy vibe. A fairly psychedelic instrumental piece in Bedouin's Hand follows. It reins in all the heaviness found on the album up to this point - and is based around a simple percussive groove from Moore. This is basically a guitar showcase, and the distant, spacey melodies remind me of early Pink Floyd in some ways. Landgraf also contributes some guitar to this piece, so the song feels like three guitarists just absentmindedly noodling away over a simple groove. The spacey guitar leads are melodic and memorable, though, so it is not just a noise-fest, and the song feels like a nice moment of downtime in what is otherwise a rather oppressive and heavy album. It also feels like an extended intro to the lengthy Run for Your Life - the album's longest song at just over nine minutes and the closing number of the album's first half. The album transitions from the instrumental piece to Run for Your Life when a more typical drum groove takes over - with the band ramping things up again and laying down a pretty slab-like mid-paced riff. The early parts of the song return to the stoner vibes of The Handler, though, with slower-moving riffing, rumbling bass, and a less aggressive vocal from Keenan. He is more up-front in the mix this time, though, with his echoey, semi-spoken delivery standing out against the laid back verse riffing and percussive groove - whilst a simple chorus just feels like an extension of the verse. This relative simplicity is later capitalised on during a lengthy guitar solo section. Weatherman really gets to cut loose here, and the slow-burning solo is full of plenty of bluesy and progressive rock tropes. Only really Landgraf's bass, which creates a melodic base, and the drums sit beneath this solo - but occasionally it sounds like Keenan joins in, adding a few harmony guitar lines or the odd effects-heavy chord. Due to its length, this solo section is unlike anything else on the album up to this point - and it feels like a real centrepiece moment of the album. Given the song's length and its position on the album, the song overall feels like such - even if some of the riffing and the overall arrangement is a bit more straight forward than can sometimes be the case here. Towards the end some spoken word from grunge-era musician-turned-decorated military veteran Jason Everman takes over - with subtle percussion behind him as the song fades away.
The second half of the album kicks off with Baad Man, a song which ups the heaviness again following a couple of stonery, slow-moving pieces. After some strange opening spoken word moments, one of the hookiest and toughest riffs on the album kicks in - and the song is a pretty typical hard rocker without any real twists and turns. Sometimes a straight ahead rocker is welcome, and this song is a powerful and riffy number with strong hard rock grooves and plenty of screaming guitar soloing. Bluesy leads and solos are essentially ever present throughout this song - whilst Keenan takes on a bit more of a snarling vocal delivery to suit the harder rock approach. There is a snappiness to the vocal delivery and the riffing throughout which is a bit different to the norm, too, and there is a strong energy whipped up as a result. There might be more interesting songs here from an arrangement perspective, but in terms of headbanging riffs and grooves there is little better than this cut here. Lose Yourself somewhat continues on in a similar vein, but the riffing is a bit more off-kilter and groovy throughout. There remains a bit of a southern rock feel during parts of the song, but the main riff has more of a left-leaning rhythm behind it which makes a typical groove tricky to set in - but this only helps it to be perhaps a bit more interesting overall. Moore's drumming here is really good, as it feels rhythmic and memorable despite the slightly strange guitar pattern it is working against - and when he later speeds up and lays down a faster, more typical hard rock beat this is the cue for a big guitar solo to take over. Vocally, Keenan sounds similar to how he did during the previous song, but his melodies are a bit snappier and more diverse this time. This is partially due to the strange riffing, but he also just feels a bit more unhinged overall - with some interesting inflections in his voice helping the song to sound unique. Another brief instrumental piece in Mandra Sonos follows, which is only just over a minute long and features some discordant clean guitar melodies. It does not really go anywhere, and does not have the staying power of the previous instrumental cut, but it acts as a bit of an intro for the song that follows. That song is Asleep on the Killing Floor - which opens slowly with a Landgraf bass riff, although this slow-moving vibe is soon cast aside. Following some effects-heavy vocals, another pretty meaty guitar riff kicks in - and the song proceeds at a faster pace and a more aggressive overall feel. The vibe of the album's first two songs are returned to here - and there is a raw, hollow sound throughout thanks to Moore's organic drum sound and a huge bass presence throughout. Given how the song opens with this playing, it is perhaps fitting that Landgraf really shines here. The verses are very much bass-driven, with the guitars often dropping out and leaving chords hanging to allow the busy bass playing to shine - whilst Keenan returns to a more aggressive and urgent vocal style to suit the song's kinetic energy. Despite the bass-heavy vibes, the riffing does still continue throughout, it is just used a bit more sparingly than is sometimes the case - and the track remains pretty heavy throughout, largely thanks to its overall pace. There is another pretty lengthy solo section later on, too, which is also based around some big riffing - and there is a heaviness as a result during this snarling and screeching guitar section. The song's barrelling energy is welcome - and so far this second half of the album feels more intense than the first.
Handcuff County perhaps reins in some of this energy somewhat, pulling back the pace and opening with a simple bluesy riff which essentially remains in place throughout much of the song. Unlike some of the other songs here, which feature a more diverse approach, this is one of the more straight forward pieces. It returns to a smoky, stonery vibe - with Keenan singing in a much more overtly southern manner, with some effects on his voice and again he is slightly lower in the mix than is typical to allow a hazy vibe to settle in. As the song's main riff largely stays in place from the off, the overall groove is essentially present from start to finish. This just allows that bluesy vibe to really settle in - and I can see this one becoming a favourite of people who just love a strong groove, even if I tend prefer the band operating in a more high-octane and intense manner. Swallowing the Anchor opens with a lone drum pattern, over which a southern rock guitar riff is soon overlaid - alongside some pretty melodic guitar playing. Whilst there is a big southern rock influence at times throughout this album, this song perhaps feels the most pure in terms of a southern rock feel. The main riff is pure southern rock really, even it if less hooky than it could be, whilst the guitar leads throughout are less screaming than they often can be and instead feel smoother and more melodic. The addition of some extra percussion alongside the main drum groove helps this vibe even further - and there is quite a big sound that is conjured up here that I really like. There might be heavier pieces here which feel more exciting, but in terms of grooves and setting a strong southern rock feel this song is one of the most interesting. Keenan also sings the song with more of a southern grit and tone in his voice, which again helps to set things apart from the rest of the album. Brickman is another of the album's more stripped back pieces, and it also acts as something of a bluesy ballad. Brushwork drumming and acoustic guitars dominate the piece, whilst spacey guitar leads and occasional bass notes create a bit of a depth. It might well the album's simplest song in terms of arrangement - as it largely just feels like a bit of a campfire song with Keenan and his acoustic guitar absentmindedly whipping something up. The rest of the band do flesh it out nicely, but that core vibe is retained well - and I quite like the basic nature of the piece, with the organic feel acting as respite before the album's final cut. Forever Amplified is the final song here, and following the acoustic guitar of the previous piece the lumbering riff that takes over feels nice and heavy. There are strong stoner vibes throughout this last track, and the band really slow everything down here to create a doomy vibe early on. The opening riff-led section lasts for quite a while, with occasional guitar leads and moments of variation, but largely the riffing is just allowed to evolve and potter along - but once Keenan starts to sing the track feels a little heavier. There is perhaps less of a stoner feel here, but there is still a fuzzy feeling overall - especially during some lengthy guitar solo sections. The song is not especially structured, and it feels very loose as a result. I quite like this approach, even if things sometimes seem to meander along somewhat - but as a closing number the song just seems to be trying to nail a mood that sums up the whole album to an extent, so the mix of heaviness and stoner vibes is appropriate. It feels like a jam that was given a bit more structure after the fact - and the album comes to something of a chaotic end as a result. Given that this album has been my first proper introduction of Corrosion of Conformity, though, I have found a lot to enjoy. There is a lot to digest here and it is a long album, but repeated listens have revealed plenty of goodies. I tend to prefer the heavier side of the band, but the variety is welcome - and I certainly would not mind checking out more of their albums going forward.
The album was released on 3rd April 2026 via Nuclear Blast Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Gimme Some Moore.
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