by Corrosion of Conformity
~ That opening riff ~
There are certain notes that trigger the start of a particular riff. Everyone knows the opening note to Smoke on the Water. Everyone knows that opening note to Tom Sawyer. No one knows the opening note to this song, unless you were either in college in 1992 and found the song after hearing Vote With a Bullet, or from Raleigh.
This is the only album that features Karl on vocals, and one of the few things they did as a 5-piece. But this is one of the most underrated metal albums of the ’90s and their early punk fans would probably tell you it’s one of their worst because it’s less punk and more metal. There’s maybe a half a dozen albums, max, that would stand above this one for metal albums from the ’90s. The production is airtight, the sound is instantly identifiable. The guitars crunch, the choruses soar, and Reed (RIP!) might never have sounded better on the drums.
This tune drives hard and fast and drags the listener along with it. It kicks and screams with a social conscience and a powerful bone-crunching mix of guitars that trade riffs that just melt your brain when you’ve got the headphones on. It’s a perfect 90s metal tune and more people should have it cranking out their car stereo on a windows-down kind of day.