Corrosion Of Conformity - Live Volume
(Sanctuary)If anything can (over)correct for the processed meat that was America's Volume Dealer, it is a gangly, spider-fingered groove-doom live shoot 'em up. Ergo, here's Corrosion Of Conformity (no more COC?) pounding 'em down in Detroit, a well-regarded live band hammering hard songs that translate well live, especially Senor Limpio, My Grain, Clean My Wounds and crowd fave King Of The Rotten, each demonstrating the jazzy confidence of a rhythm section that consists of Mike Dean and new drummer Jimmy Bower from Eyehategod. Pepper is just Pepper, excelling on the loud stuff, a little wobbly when pushed to stand alone. And the sound quality rules, lots of bass, mid, enough treble, a potent mix for this utterly cool band of stoner-core stalwarts. Complaints: the new songs still sound forced, there are too many slow ones and there is perhaps bit too much caveman jamming.
Rating 8The Quireboys Ð This Is Rock 'n' Roll
(Sanctuary)The (London) Quireboys were a shallow, lazy version of The Black Crowes in they pie day, and ten years later, UK's boogie woogie dunderheads are still one flap behind. Only the Crowes are a much more interesting band, therefore so are The Quireboys, who now mix the Crowes with the main influence on both (the Stones), as well as Slash and maudlin neon teat rock like Poison and a few points further adrift (it's all classic, man, just music...). O'ertop, vocalist Spike sounds like a cross between Rod Stewart and Blackie Lawless -- there's no end to the amusement -- and one comes away slobberingly rocked and happily woozy, the band able to repeatedly approximate authentic depending on the extent of your summer heatstroke.
Rating 6
