Corrosion Of Conformity
Live Volume
Sanctuary
As if things couldn’t get any worse for Corrosion Of Conformity after the universally ho-hum response afforded last year’s America’s Volume Dealer, along comes the cash-in/potential-rectifier Live Volume. By now, COC’s transformation from a fiercely political thrashcore troupe to vaguely political doom-groovers is well documented, so that’s not even the issue. What the issue is, however, is how absolutely unnecessary Live Volume is • or, for that matter, most live albums. Recorded at the perennially sketchy Harpo’s in Detroit on • get this • 4/20 of 2000, Live Volume offers a 77-minute overview of COC’s strangely well-accepted ’90s work, including some stuff from the aforementioned America•s Volume Dealer, the oldest material being the always classic “Vote With a Bullet” and the kinda-song “These Shrouded Temples” from 1991’s Blind, unarguably the starting point of this complete-on-delivery transformation. The playing’s energized, the sound’s crisp, and journeyman guitarist cum drummer extraordinaire Jimmy Bower (Eyehategod, Crowbar, Down) even plays drums here, but again: This is hardly essential given the forthcoming VHS/DVD companion, even for champions of this once-mighty band. Dunno why I’m so blasé toward Live Volume, but I’m sure I’m not gonna be the only critic nonplussed about it.
Sanctuary Records, 1540 Broadway, New York, NY 10038; http://www.sanctuaryrecordingsgroup.com, http://www.corrosivecabaal.com, http://www.coc.com
