Metal Underground.com

It's little wonder that Corrosion Of Conformity chose to self-title its latest album. What you'll hear from the first notes of "Psychic Vampire" through the closing notes of "The Same Way" is the sound of a band going back to its roots.

With drummer Reed Mullin back in the fold and singer/guitarist Pepper Keenan off doing other things, the band has returned to its "Animosity"-era three-piece lineup. Are there moments when Keenan is missed? Sure, there are -- but they are surprisingly few in number.

What you get is a much younger feeling. This is the sound of a bunch of guys who liked Black Sabbath and punk rock and figured why not mash them together with some southern blues to keep it interesting. Hence you've got the aforementioned "Psychic Vampire," which moves from sludgy slow to raging punk and back again on a dime, as does the appropriately named "The Doom."

Meanwhile, the instrumental "El Lamento De Las Cabras" feels like a love child of Lynrd Skynrd and Alice In Chains. That grunge rock feel also makes itself known on other tracks as well.

The performances are pretty much uniformly excellent, with guitarist Woody Weatherman acquitting himself particularly well. He and bassist Mike Dean's vocals are good enough that you won't miss Keenan too much, especially given the slightly punkier nature of this album's material.

Thrashy, punky and packed with Sabbath-style sludge, Corrosion Of Conformity has brought back not just an old lineup, but also some of the fire of a bygone era. But yeah, it still would've been nice to have Pepper playing on it.