Raleigh, North Carolina, duo Crystal Spiders release their second album, Morieris, Oct. 1 on Ripple Music. That date puts it about a year and six days from their Sept. 2020 debut, Molt (review here), and yet the sense of growth is palpable from one to the next and the lineup has somewhat shifted around founding members bassist/vocalist Brenna Leath (also The Hell No, Lightning Born) and drummer/backing vocalist Tradd Yancey, bringing in Mike Dean — best known as bassist for Corrosion of Conformity, but also a bandmate of Leath‘s in Lightning Born — as the third of a sometimes-trio on guitar. His guitar, in fact, is the first thing you hear on the record.

That’s no minor change and Dean‘s contributions throughout the eight-song/45-minute outing are significant, from the hypnotically rolling riff of “Morieris” itself to the fuzzy lead line in the second half of “Septix” (premiering below) that’s like a successful gritty reboot of Kyuss‘ “Demon Cleaner” and onward hooky closer “Golden Paw,” which starts as another nodder until at 2:19 into its 5:14 it suddenly shifts into a solo jam — don’t worry, the nod strikes back; which, if you wanted to think of as an alternate title for the entire proceedings here, I wouldn’t be able to argue. Nonetheless, as much as Dean — who also produced this and the first album — brings to the songs, there’s just about no way in listening that Leath‘s vocals aren’t a focal point. Often in layers, the verse melodies and smoothly executed choruses carry through with a room-reverb that sounds like it’s ready to break down walls pressing in.

The separation of the instruments in the recording, likewise, gives each a place of its own in the mix. The speedier, sample-laced “Offering” is that much clearer in its Misfitsian purpose for its bass and drum showcase. It goes someplace markedly less Misfitsian, mind you, but that core rhythm is never entirely absent. And whoever’s doing what at a given point, whether the guitar is moving in and out of the arrangement, or the bass is about to take a forward spot, or that and the drums are about to disappear and it’s the vocals taking over, Morieris never quite becomes predictable, and it never loses that sense of choose-your-adventure in finding how you want to listen, by which I mean that if you want to put it on and follow the drums, they’re ready to go, and likewise each individual track/instrument. Everything is so clear and yet raw in sound that the recording is a character among everything else.

One might accuse Morieris of being slower than Crystal Spiders‘ debut generally, but then how to explain “Offering,” or the side B leadoff “Pandora” or even the galloping outset of penultimate cut “Maelstrom?” The truth is, the slow is slower and the fast is faster, and the shifts between the two can be stark, as when “Harness” leaves behind its Dio Sabbath-era sprint for a break into a languid, at-least-dual-layered solo, then hits back in to re-gather the wind with that main riff just before the four-minute mark. And if a more plodding overarching impression might win the day, there’s no question the eight-minute “En Medias Res” is a part of why. The longest track included, it willfully consumes the momentum coming out of “Pandora” — an ample meal — and unfurls Morieris‘ melodic highlight atop its most atmospheric instrumentation, daringly slow and dirty-psychedelic.

It’s also the most immersive, and the most effective in creating a sense of space in its echo, and it would make a fitting closer if “Maelstrom” and “Golden Paw” didn’t so much to earn their final-duo placement. The former is a wakeup slap from the far-gone finish to “En Medias Res” at the beginning and end with that callback nod between, and the latter marries that laid-back-feeling, rolling groove with a memorable chorus, as on the title-track or “Harness” earlier, and gives final undulations of fuzz worthy of riding out as they do. Perhaps with a sophomore outing it’s not saying as much, but Morieris is Crystal Spiders‘ most complex material to-date. Their songs play out in various structures that feel intentional in their construction as well as where they show up on the album itself. At the same time, it’s a hard record to write about because I keep losing my head while listening. There it goes again, following another pied-piper bassline off a cliff into the guitar solo.

Still, if that is to be the order of the day from Crystal Spiders, it’s only a win and forward progression for the band. Morieris builds on Molt, is more confident in its approach and works to explore new ideas of how to form their particular place in heavy rock. Are they a blues band? Are they sludge or stoner rock? Doesn’t matter even a little, since by the time they’re underway in song one, they’re carrying the listener with them in the manner of a band who know who they want to be. Less than a year later, Crystal Spiders come through with a more refined sense of vision and the work they want to do in heavy. They are pushing themselves in the moment while maintaining a sense of forward potential for things to come. Would they do an entire album like “En Medias Res?” Or like “Pandora?” Would that be Crystal Spiders? Somehow, one gets the feeling they revel in the changes.

You can hear one of them in the accompanying video for “Septix,” premiering here, followed by more from the PR wire.

And enjoy:

Crystal Spiders, “Septix” official video premiere

CRYSTAL SPIDERS New album ‘Morieris’
Out October 1st via Ripple Music
World preorder: https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/morieris
North American preorder: https://ripplemusic.bigcartel.com/products?utf8=%E2%9C%93&search=morieris

CRYSTAL SPIDERS is:
Brenna Leath – Bass/Vocals
Tradd Yancey – Drums/Vocals
Mike Dean – Guitar

Crystal Spiders on Facebook

Crystal Spiders on Instagram

Crystal Spiders on Bandcamp

Ripple Music on Facebook

Ripple Music on Bandcamp

Ripple Music website

I had to ask what the third VHS is on the cover of the second Crystal Spiders album, Morieris — which, yes I apparently do plan on spelling wrong the first time I type it out every single time in spite of myself — is. Jurassic Park and Bram Stoker’s Dracula are plainly visible, and as a child of the ’90s, both were largely unescapable. Beneath them, however, is the original, not-remake Alfred Hitchcock classic, Psycho. I’m glad I asked. There was no way I was sleeping last night without knowing.

Morieris — there I go again — is out Oct. 1 on Ripple Music, and the makes a tantalizing first single of the patient roll in its newly-unveiled title-track. The vocals are a little farther back in the mix than on 2020’s Molt (review here), the results seemingly more atmospherically minded as the duo-plus flesh out their sound. I haven’t heard the full record yet, but I can only look forward to it based on what I’m hearing so far.

But let’s be honest, I was looking forward to it anyway.

From the PR wire:

CRYSTAL SPIDERS to release new album ‘Morieris’ this October 1st on Ripple Music; new video and preorder available

North Carolina’s acclaimed heavy duo CRYSTAL SPIDERS announce the release of their sophomore album ‘Morieris’ on October 1st through Ripple Music, as well as the contribution of Corrosion Of Conformity’s Mike Dean on lead guitar on the album. Get mesmerized by the video for new single “Morieris” now!

For their eagerly anticipated follow up ‘Morieris’, North Carolina duo CRYSTAL SPIDERS bassist Brenna Leath and drummer Tradd Yancey take a lead guitar assist from Mike Dean (Corrosion of Conformity bassist, and Leath’s bandmate in Lightning Born) for a rollercoaster ride of doomy atmospherics, razor-sharp riffs, and infectious rhythms.

With their second offering, CRYSTAL SPIDERS builds upon and refines the whiplash intensity of ‘Molt’ to experiment with intricate harmonies, thundering breakdowns, and orchestral instrumentals (including guest cello from High Priestess Nighthawk of Heavy Temple). 2020 saw their debut album ‘Molt’ seated on many Album of the Year charts, and with ‘Morieris’, there’s no doubt the 2021 lists will save a spot for them as well.

The video for the title track “Morieris” was animated by Max Rebel of Ripple Music labelmates Plainride, with a lyrical theme inspired by the myth of Echo and Narcissus from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and visuals inspired by Salvador Dali’s surrealist work ‘Metamorphosis of Narcissus’. New album ‘Morieris’ is due out on October 1st and available to preorder through Ripple Music on limited edition splatter vinyl, black vinyl, CD and digital.

CRYSTAL SPIDERS New album ‘Morieris’
Out October 1st via Ripple Music
World preorder: https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/morieris
North American preorder: https://ripplemusic.bigcartel.com/products?utf8=%E2%9C%93&search=morieris

CRYSTAL SPIDERS is:
Brenna Leath – Bass/Vocals
Tradd Yancey – Drums/Vocals
Mike Dean – Guitar

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https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
http://www.ripple-music.com/

It seems doubtful that Molt will be the definitive document when it comes to Raleigh, North Carolina’s Crystal Spiders. Indeed, bassist/vocalist Brenna Leath, also of The Hell No and Lightning Born, recently confirmed work is underway on a follow-up to the band’s nine-song/43-minute Ripple Music debut, and as she and drummer/backing vocalist Tradd Yancey bid farewell to guitarist Mike Delaotch during the process of making the album, with producer Mike Dean — also in Lightning Born, also C.O.C. — stepping in to play some guitar on these songs as well as collaborating on the next batch, which will also have been put together using a methodology born of quarantine-separation and studio-based writing rather than hammering out material on stage, it seems fair to expect that whatever Yancey and Leath (and Dean) come up with next, Crystal Spiders will have shed this skin and formed a new one in its place.

Given that flux, it becomes all the more appropriate to take Molt on its own terms and to appreciate it for what it is. As a follow-up to the then-trio’s aptly-titled 2019 Demo (review here), it is an expansion of those ideas — one song is carried over between the two releases in “Tigerlily” — that keeps the focus put forth there on melody, groove and tone. Molt is not without a harder edge and faster shove, and one need look no further than the second-cut title-track to find it. Following opener “Trapped,” “Molt” is brash and engaging in kind.

Its first half speeds through a ’70s-style riff with Leath‘s verse lines surfing atop, and even after the tension built is released in a sudden fuzzy turn circa two minutes into the total 3:37, they subsequently turn to a dual-channel guitar solo, drum showoff and boogie/crash finish. And “Molt” is not an aberration in this regard. The later pair “C-U-N-Hell” and “Gutter” course along in no less energetic fashion, unimpeded by the thickness of the guitar and bass tones surrounding as the drums cut through and offer propulsive motion.

There’s a middle ground to be found as well in “The Call,” with a Motörheadular first half leading to a fluid jam-out later backed by a subtle weaving layer of lead-tone, and nothing throughout is quite so clear-cut, one or the other, but Molt‘s primary impression is in fact that thickness of tone and a less fervid tempo. Mood fuzz. The brooding launch Molt receives at the outset of “Trapped” is a tell for what’s to follow, and even as that song comes to life, its nodding pace remains indicative. That’s not to say Crystal Spiders want for energy — far from it, as the chug-meet-toms breaks in “Tigerlily” show, let alone any of the actually-faster material — but that their purposes are subtly multifaceted, and some of their strongest moments come in those restrained-seeming parts.

It’s not quite a question of patience in craft, because if anything, the band feel actively like they’re setting up the next burst, and that has a tendency to make their offerings more exciting since one never really knows when it’s coming (at least on a first couple listens), but one way or another, the rolling and crashing behind Leath‘s vocals in “Chronic Sick” makes a high point of an emotional low, touching on garage doom in the riff and wading deeper into murk than just about anything that surrounds — something the band seems to acknowledge as well in backing it with “C-U-N-Hell,” which also serves as the centerpiece because of course it does.

Between that, “Gutter” — which one assumes is the actual emotional low point being portrayed here — and the beginning stretch of “The Call,” Molt finds its biggest and most resonant kick in this post-“Chronic Sick” section. Is that where the molting happens, and where one skin is shed in favor of growing a newer, more resilient one? It would be easy to say yes, perhaps, were it not for the finishing pair of “Headhunters” and “Fog,” which feel distinct unto themselves in their approach.

The former is a pointed departure, and short at just 2:25, but more than an interlude. With handclaps and far-back drums from Yancey behind a watery vocal from Leath, “Headhunters” moves fluidly through a couple verses like a momentary dream — there and gone and you’re not quite sure if you were conscious for it happening. And as the finale, “Fog” lives gloriously up to its name, creating a murk of mellower fuzz riffing that finds Leath likewise more drawn back on vocals as opposed to some of the belting-out done earlier in the record, and it ends up underscoring and furthering the sense of mood that Molt has sought to create all along. As a last impression, “Fog” is the most melodically encompassing, with self-harmonizing and the patience in delivery that other songs hinted toward.

Entirely possible it’s a statement of things to come for the band as they grow into a more complex outfit on the whole, able to foster the dynamic that occurs here between songs within them as well, but again, what matters more is taking Molt on its own merits. On the most basic level of put-it-on-and-hear-it, it’s an assembly of wholly unpretentious kickass tunes. That’s as plain as it can be said. The collaboration between Leath and Yancey that will serve as the foundation of the band going forward is obviously newer in terms of stylistic development, but as the groundwork for future growth, there’s little more one could ask than what’s being delivered here.

And if these are indeed hints of things to come as the band continues to flourish, all the better, but that possibility does nothing to sap the record of its force of execution, its tonal impression, or the mood it evokes, and while there are dangers as “Tigerlily” gives way to “Chronic Sick” that the band might get caught up in their own mire, they never do, and even as they wade through “Fog” at the end, their sense of purpose remains clear. Whatever path their next release might find them walking, they’ve gotten off on the right foot.

Crystal Spiders, Molt (2020)

Crystal Spiders on Thee Facebooks

Crystal Spiders on Bandcamp

Ripple Music on Thee Facebooks

Ripple Music on Bandcamp

Ripple Music website

Molt, the debut album from North Carolina’s Crystal Spiders is out now on Ripple Music, but I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that. The record’s a beast. Heavy, heavy, heavy, and rich with a kind of trio-in-rehearsal-space-hammering-it-out vibe even though it sounds pro-shop and full enough to be called engrossing. It doesn’t so much beg for volume as demand it. Vocalist/bassist Brenna Leath (also of Lightning Born and The Hell No), drummer Tradd Yancey and since-departed guitarist Mike Deloatch alternately roll and shove out fuzz and scorch like they’ve got an appointment to get to, and with Leath‘s voice forward in the mix by producer Mike Dean — yes, also of C.O.C.; he’s a bandmate of Leath‘s in Lightning Born and adds some guitar to Molt as well — command is never a question.

I’ve done plenty of video interviews before, but never with the intent of actually posting the video, so I beg of you, bear with the learning curve here. I spoke to Leath about Crystal Spiders, Lightning Born — both of whom already have new records in progress — as she was at a friends’ place in Asheville, NC, and if it’s any indicator of my technical prowess with Zoom, I used my wife’s work account and had to interrupt her lunch to call her upstairs to help me make the thing actually record. Professionalism, right? It’s how I do. I also brewed myself an extra cup of coffee for the occasion, so that’s how I do too.

And yes, before they put out the follow-up to Molt, I will be giving the album a proper review. Better late than never, as goes a maxim I just made up right now.

Video follows, and thanks for watching and reading:

Crystal Spiders Interview with Brenna Leath, 10.19.20

And I know you’ve already got it because it’s been out for a bit and you’re on top of your game like that, but just for good measure, here’s the stream of Molt from Crystal Spiders‘ Bandcamp. Enjoy:

Crystal Spiders, Molt (2020)

Crystal Spiders on Thee Facebooks

Crystal Spiders on Bandcamp

Ripple Music on Thee Facebooks

Ripple Music on Bandcamp

Ripple Music website

See that thing up there? You can win that! Ripple Music is set to release Crystal Spiders’ debut album, Molt, on Sept. 25. The Raleigh, North Carolina, two-piece already premiered their video for “Trapped” here, and that ruled (you can see the clip below), but the record’s a burner to be sure. Heavy soul vibes from singer/bassist Brenna Leath (also of Lightning Born with C.O.C.‘s Mike Dean, who produced here), a full-band sound between her low-end riffing and drummer/vocalist Tradd Yancey, with a little garage doom flair but still some punker edge when that’s what it wants. The title-track is right in there, crunch crunch crunch and stomp stomp. If I called it “fun” would you hate it?

Anyway, it’s a thing! You can win! Nobody hates winning things. So here’s the form to enter to get it from Ripple. If you prefer the direct link, go here: https://www.toneden.io/ripple-music/post/win-crystal-spiders-debut-lp-on-wax

You can use Spotify or Twitter or whatever to enter or I guess whatever you’ve got, and sign up to get on Ripple’s email list, which is actually kind of useful when it comes to finding out what they’re up to with preorders and whatnot. If you’ve seen giveaways here before you know I usually just do the “leave a comment here” thing and keep it simple, and I’m not into email harvesting, but the label went to the trouble to make it pretty so it seems the least I can do to post the thing as intended. Take it as a sign the record rules, if nothing else.

One more time, Molt is out Sept. 25 and the prize here is one — count ’em, one — copy of the album on vinyl. I’ll have a review of it up at some point, so I’ll spare you all that, but the short version is there’s a decent chance it’s a thing you want if you’re seeing these words. Giveaway runs for eight days, so have at it.

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crystalspiders.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
http://www.ripple-music.com/

Crystal Spiders, “Trapped” official video

North Carolina’s Crystal Spiders will issue their debut album, Molt, through Ripple Music on Sept. 25, and to mark the announcement of the signing and the album below, they’re premiering a video for “Trapped” made by Chariot of Black Moth as the first single to come from the record. And quite a first impression it makes. Crystal Spiders have pared down from the trio they were on their striking 2019 demo (review here) to just the two-piece of vocalist/bassist Brenna Leath and drummer/vocalist Tradd Yancey, and with “Trapped” they — bolstered the production from C.O.C.‘s Mike Dean, who doubles in Lightning Born, also on Ripple — recall some of the low-end largesse of the first Year of the Cobra album even as Leath‘s voice keeps them steeped in a classic rock mindset. That’s the rock. The groove of the song itself is the roll.

I haven’t heard the rest of the record yet — September is so far in the future my feeble brain can’t even conceive it — but preorders are up now if you’d like to save yourself the trouble later. Needless to say I’m thrilled to host the premiere of the track and the video and I’m sure there will be more to come before the release date gets here.

Until then, I won’t keep you. Find the video below, followed by the announcement itself.

And please enjoy:

Crystal Spiders, “Trapped” official video

CRYSTAL SPIDERS – Debut album ‘Molt’ out on September 25th through Ripple Music.

European preorder: https://en.ripple.spkr.media/ripple-music/crystal-spiders-molt.html

US preorder: https://ripplemusic.bigcartel.com/product/crystal-spiders-molt-deluxe-vinyl-editions

It didn’t take long for North Carolina’s Crystal Spiders to draw attention. The early poise of their self-recorded 2019 demo caught the attention of Ripple Music head honcho Todd Severin, who decided to put out their LP before he even heard the mixes.

Their devotion to riff-worship drives the invigorating sound of Molt. Crystal Spiders fits within the lineage of Sabbath-bred influences ranging from Fu Manchu to Kyuss, from Weedeater to Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats. But their broad scope — which pulls eagerly from classic rock dynamics and hardcore punk intensity, psychedelic texture and bluesy swing — pulls the band closer to contemporaries like Heavy Temple and The Well, who build upon well-trod templates to forge new territories of their own.

This rebuff of genre conventions has been a steady current in past and concurrent projects. Leath’s affection for classic metal and hard-rock is as apparent in her charged rock ‘n’ roll outfit The Hell No as it is in her doomy proto-metal band, Lightning Born, and Yancey lends a heavy swing to the psych-seared doom crew Doomsday Profit.

For Molt, the band pulls elements from across genres to create an album that traces the band’s full spectrum. Early songs like “Tigerlily” and “Trapped” find new complements in brand-new cuts like “Chronic Sick” and the title track. With a production assist from Mike Dean — Corrosion of Conformity bassist and Leath’s bandmate in fellow Ripplers Lightning Born — Molt finds Crystal Spiders at their most powerful.

Following a year of consistent gigging and short runs alongside The Well and Omen Stones, Crystal Spiders are looking to up the ante in 2020, with confirmed appearances at Raleigh Deathfest and the Maryland Doom Fest, as well as ranging further along the East Coast and into the western US.

Riding the momentum of their first year of shows and the strength of a potent debut, it’s a safe bet that Crystal Spiders will soon take space in the minds of fuzz-addicted legions far and wide.

Members:
Brenna Leath – Bass/Vocals
Tradd Yancey – Drums/Vocals

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crystalspiders.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
http://www.ripple-music.com/

Crystal Spiders, Demo (2019)

Obviously it’s early to announce a tour for Spring 2021, but you gotta announce something, right? Corrosion of Conformity and Spirit Adrift were to take to Europe together this past April and May, making festival stops and more as the Southern metal progenitors celebrated 25 years since the release of their landmark Deliverance (discussed here) album, and yeah, that probably would’ve been cool. They’ll go next year instead, both bands, starting in late April in Dublin and staying abroad for about a month to finish in Birmingham after swiping down onto the continent proper, hitting Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands en route. Looks good to me. Hey guys, can I come? I’m quiet and I don’t eat much.

Two things about this tour:

1. Let’s just assume that the two days off between April 28 and May 1 and the extra day between May 12 and May 14 are to account for stops at Desertfest London and Berlin, respectively. C.O.C. were set to appear at both this year, so it stands to reason they’ll help both festivals celebrate 10 years in 2021.

2. A little more nonsequitor, but when was the last time you saw a stretch of European tour dates with more shows in France than Germany? Good for you, France. Enjoy the shows.

Dates follow, as posted on social media and dutifully transcribed by yours truly:

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY – EUROPE 2021

w/ Spirit Adrift

Sat 24 Apr Academy Dublin IE
Sun 25 Apr Limelight 2 Belfast UK
Tue 27 Apr Garage Glasgow UK
Wed 28 Apr Club Academy Manchester UK
Sat 01 May Headbangers Balls Festival Izegem BE
Sun 02 May Le Grillen Colmar FR
Tue 04 May Petit Bain Paris FR
Wed 05 May Connexion Live Toulouse FR
Fri 07 May Razzmatazz 2 Barcelona ES
Mon 10 May Legend Milan IT
Tue 11 May Klub Complex Zurich CH
Wed 12 May Rockhouse Salzburg AT
Fri 14 May Backstage Halle Munich DE
Sun 16 May Pumpehuset Copenhagen DK
Tue 18 May Logo Hamburg DE
Wed 19 May Patronaat Haarlem NL
Fri 21 May Engine Rooms Southhampton UK
Sat 22 May 02 Institute 2 Birmingham UK

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Corrosion of Conformity, Live in Stuttgart, Germany, 1994

Corrosion of Conformity, Wiseblood (1996)

It’s a classic either way, but I’m willing to go to bat for Wiseblood as the best Corrosion of Conformity record. Blasphemy!, you say. Controversy! Harumph! Harumph!

I agree it’s commonly accepted that 1994’s Deliverance (discussed here) is the Raleigh, North Carolina, band’s peak. The band themselves spent much of last year touring it again for its 25th anniversary, and in 2014, when they first reunited as the four-piece of bassist/sometimes vocalist Mike Dean, guitarist/backing vocalist Woodroe Weatherman, drummer/backing vocalist Reed Mullin (RIP 2020) and prodigal frontman guitarist/vocalist Pepper Keenan, it was tagged as the ‘Deliverance era’ lineup.

So why the defiance of common knowledge? Easy, Wiseblood is a better record. I talked about this a little bit a decade ago, but the key difference for me between the two landmark full-lengths — they both are, I would in no way deny it — is that with Deliverance, you kind of had to be there. I remember hearing “Clean My Wounds” on the radio and seeing the video on MTV. Same for “Albatross.” Deliverance has had an influence on bands that spans at least one generation, but if we’re looking at it purely from the level of songwriting, I’ll take Wiseblood almost every time.

Issued in October 1996 through Columbia Records with John Custer producing as ever, Wiseblood is without question a product of the CD era. It runs nearly 58 minutes long and brings together 13 tracks, including the advance singles “King of the Rotten” (the album opener), “Drowning in a Daydream,” and the slower-chugging “Man or Ash,” on which James Hetfield of Metallica put in a guest appearance on vocals alongside Keenan. But that was just a piece of the whole story. Wiseblood — like most commercial releases of the time — was not without filler, but in cuts like “Goodbye Windows,” “Long Whip / Big America,” “The Snake Has No Head,” “Wiseblood,” “Born Again for the Last Time,” the ultra-swaggering “The Door” and the subdued “Redemption City,” as well as those three songs that were sent to radio stations ahead of time, the band showed not only that Deliverance wasn’t a fluke, but that they could build off it and conjure even greater songwriting achievements. Wiseblood‘s title-track alone deserves to be pressed to a 12″, let alone the rest of the album. And as the record wound down, with the still catchy “Wishbone (Some Tomorrow)” following “Redemption City” and the satisfyingly speedy but largely forgettable “Fuel” and the almost-eight-minute instrumental jam “Bottom Feeder (El que come abajo)” closing out, even what might’ve been called filler retained quality and dynamic.

The hooks were everywhere. “Redemption City” (“what a pity…”), “Wiseblood” (“youngblood creepin’…”), “Goodbye Windows” (“I’d rather have holes in my eyes…”), “Long Whip / Big America” (“hey hey hey, what’s that game you play…”), “Drowning in a Daydream” (“there’s a man who watches over me…”), “Man or Ash” (“these are primitive — times!”), “Wishbone (Some Tomorrow)” (“twilight explodes in my time of the blind…”), and I don’t know about you, but I don’t have to do more than look at the titles “Born Again for the Last Time” or “The Door” or “King of the Rotten” to hear Keenan‘s voice singing them in my head. These songs continue to resonate even 24 years later, and speaking as a fan, they’ve aged well.

Of course, for a band who got as big as C.O.C. did at the time — “Drowning in a Daydream” was nominated for a Grammy in 1998 — every era will have its proponents, and C.O.C. have had enough eras to fulfill that impulse, whether it was their earlier trio days playing hardcore punk, or the beginning of Keenan‘s tenure with the band on the Karl Agell-fronted (later of Leadfoot) 1991 outing, Blind, on through the mid-’90s and into the 2000s with America’s Volume Dealer — slicker in production, still ace in craft — and the sans-Mullin 2005 In the Arms of God LP, after which the band went on pause as Keenan focused his time on Down, then proceeded without him for a self-titled (review here) in 2012 and 2014’s follow-up, IX (review here), before regrouping as a four-piece, touring like mad and eventually offering up 2018’s No Cross No Crown (review here), finding a middle-ground between nostalgia for the ’94-’96 era and the ensuing 20 years, essentially as an extension of the work the band was doing on the road.

With the band’s winding history, I understand how for a subsequent generation, they can be kind of intimidating to take on. 10 years ago, I advocated Wiseblood as the place to start, and I stick by that entirely. Deliverance was glorious — still is. The kind of record people dream of making. But Wiseblood, with its more developed melodies, plays between metal and hard, heavy and Southern rock and the sheer chemistry between the artists who made it, feels less connected to the time it was made. It’s always been in the shadow of its predecessor’s greater sales, and there’s no question which one begat the other — “King of the Rotten” feels like an answer to “Heaven’s Not Overflowing,” “Redemption City” to “Albatross,” and so on — but taken on its own merits, even up to the jam that unfolds across “Bottom Feeder (El que come abajo),” coalescing the interludes of the album prior into one longer feast of riffs and groove, I’ll still take Wiseblood, blasphemy or not. If you disagree, well, that’s fun too.

C.O.C., like everyone, have had their plans stifled by the realities of 2020. They would’ve headlined Desertfest this year in London and Berlin, and done more touring besides. Whatever happens for the rest of this year and the next and the next, the band’s accomplishments are legitimately the stuff of legend, and while the loss of Mullin earlier this year no doubt weighs heavy on the group, one can’t help but wonder if maybe they aren’t putting their downtime to use as so many others are and beginning to think about new material following up on No Cross No Crown. I’d take another C.O.C. record. That’s only ever something to look forward to.

As always, I hope you enjoy. Thanks for reading.

—

My father used to tell me he prayed for death every day. One time, he showed me where a tooth was chipped where his mother beat him with a belt and the buckle knocked him in the mouth. I’ve been thinking about that image. About the kind of guilt that must instill, the kind of self-loathing. He threatened plenty enough, but my father never hit me. I guess that’s progress, right? Generational progress?

When I get frustrated at The Pecan, I try and respond with kindness. It doesn’t always work, mind you. But I try. Is that progress too? I don’t want to be angry at my son. I don’t want to instill him with that loathing that I took as inheritance. My birthright to being a miserable bastard. I take pills. I’m not now, but I’ve been in therapy. My father never did that. I asked him about it once and he said, “A pill won’t change who I am,” or some such. Now that I’m an adult, I have to remind myself that that’s an illness I know well, because if I don’t, I view it as weakness. Is that progress, I wonder.

Sirens go by. I know I’m getting older because the world seems more terrifying. I love my wife. It’s me I could do without.

I’ll go to the playground today, take The Pecan out for a long walk to help him balance his energy out a little. He needs that. I took him to the doctor yesterday for his 30-month well visit. The lockdown at the office was serious. Then he took a nap and I went to Costco. The lockdown at Costco was less serious. People out. People still dying. Open the beaches. No one look at each other and you’ll be fine.

Drink bleach.

Or inject it.

No Gimme show this week. Pre-empted, which is fine. It was was a repeat anyhow, and they asked if I minded. Shit no. They’re good to me. I can’t complain.

Next week I’m streaming the Geezer album as of about five minutes ago. Also an Apostle of Solitude video premiere, and a Lamp of the Universe premiere and hopefully a Black Rainbows review. Lot of Ripple Music and Heavy Psych Sounds around here lately. Those two should team up as a multinational underground conglomerate and just sign everybody. Ripplepsych Sounds.

Be well. Love always.

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