CORROSION OF CONFORMITY — Deliverance (review)

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY — Deliverance album cover

Album · 1994 · Stoner Metal

4/5 · 2011-08-23
UMUR

"Deliverance" is the 4th full-length studio album by US heavy rock/metal act Corrosion of Conformity. The album was released through Colombia Records in September 1994. There have been quite a few lineup changes since the release of "Blind (1991)" as rhythm guitarist Pepper Keenan, in addition to his guitar duties, has stepped up as the band´s lead vocalist, replacing Karl Agell. Pepper Keenan wasn´t a complete newbie to singing though as he has contributed with a lead vocal performance on "Vote With a Bullet" from "Blind". Bassist Phil Swisher is replaced by a returning Mike Dean. Mike Dean is one of the founding members of Corrosion of Conformity but left the band for a couple of years and therefore didn´t appear on "Blind (1991)".

It may be because of the lineup changes or it may just be a wish to change their sound but "Deliverance" sounds vastly different from "Blind". Corrosion of Conformity have taken a lot of influence from Black Sabbath on this release and while the music isn´t doomy in any way, the riffs are at times very heavy. There´s also a southern hard rock/metal feel to the sound. Gone are the hardcore/crossover/thrash influences that dominated their back catalogue. It´s obviously a conscious choice and the band succeed very well in this pretty massive change of their "core" sound.

Commercially the change of music style also payed off. The videos for "Albatross" and "Clean My Wounds" were both on heavy rotation on MTV in those days (both were released as singles too) and "Deliverance" ended up selling quite a few copies. It even cracked The Billboard 200 at the 155 position.

So what is it that made "Deliverance" a success? Well first of all most of the tracks on the album are damn catchy. It´s impossible not to sing along to the chorus on tracks like the two above mentioned single/video tracks, "Broken Man" (probably my favorite on the album) or a song like "Seven Days". Corrosion of Conformity also manage to incorporate softer acoustic parts on the album which stands in great contrast to the heavier parts and creates a good dynamic. Because of these things "Deliverance" is a great experience as an album. Not just because of the obvious highlights (some are mentioned above) but because it´s a consistent and dynamic album as a whole. There are a couple of tracks on the album that stand a bit in the shadow of the best tracks on the album, but those tracks are still quality heavy rock/metal tracks and not as such fillers. At least not in the sense that they should have been left out or the album would have been better without them.

The musicianship is excellent. There´s a warmth and a passion to the performances that greatly affects the listening experience. The choice of Pepper Keenan as the band´s new lead vocalist is also a wise choice. He has a powerful, emotional and easily recognisable voice that gives the band a distinct sound. Add to that a professional and powerful sound production by John Custer and you damn near have the whole package.

"Deliverance" is a pretty timeless album in my book. It draws influences from the hard rock/heavy rock/metal of the 70s but at the same time it doesn´t sound retro. I guess the vers/chorus formula and the assessebility of the material will often get the album lumped in with the alternative/grunge rock/metal acts of it´s day, but I think "Deliverance" is one of those few albums from those days that doesn´t sound aged and completely trapped in the 90s. Take it out today and it still sounds fresh and kickin´. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved. If you like hard rock/metal with strong melodies, heavy riffs, and memorable choruses, I can highly recommend a purchase.