"America's Volume Dealer"
Metal-Is Records
By Vinnie Apicella Wow, when's the last time you've ever thought of COC and melody in the same sentence? Well here we are just a few seconds in and they've gone out and added a little touch of "class" shall we say to their trademark groove! Very interesting indeed. the tune's called "Over Me" and right off I can hear this being the first single to make a heavy dent in rock radio rotation. Keenan's smoky vocs, smothered and bathed in reverb, at the forefront of this intransigent rocker. You know the little periods that separate the letters are missing-did you notice? What's it mean? Probably nothing. or maybe, gasp, more songs like this! It's not bad actually but I'm not sure if we've got a general pattern developing here to make a closing case for mainstream acceptance. of course if that's so, why not go for it, Metallica did and look where it got them. It cost 'em dearly in many cases but COC isn't one to be confused with the force that is and was Metallica in the first place. But since Pepper took over on vocals back in the days of "Deliverance," COC's been clearing their own path through the cluttered woods getting closer and closer but never having yet reached that clearing that spells commercial success. Well I think two songs in, there's a definite light peering in through the trees. "Congratulations Song" is actually the first single if I'm not mistaken and either way they both work. "Stare Too Long" is an almost country-fied tune, full on with vocal harmonies and acoustic twang. my oh my, there's something serious taking place here! To call this their most widely diverse creation would be pretty close to the mark. to call this some other band would be dead on the money! I'm opening up to the possibilities but, even considering the gone by days of something like "Technocracy." remember when? Or even "Blind," this is a far reach from where even "Wiseblood" left off! Musically the songs are good and so that's where the rest of my opinion will be based. Old Woody and boys are riding a big time effectual wave here and never more has this been present than on "Diablo Blvd," a cool swaggering tune that basically hollows out the guitar for that extra aural presence. in fact this "hollowing" that I've just harbored from my freshly opened mind, seems to stand at the forefront of most everything here. Their groove still intact, its been tweaked and twisted and really broken up in favor of some interesting temporal arrangements-"Doublewide," "Zippo." which features a strong seventies' vibe, letting their Southern shine through most prominently. They're freewheeling, dealing and surprisingly dazzling, this made in the U.S.A. brand of roots-rock and jive known as simply "America's Volume Dealers." Yesterday's Sabbath sludge has moved to the side to make way for a new retro-fitted and re-inventive style that at times appears uncomfortable, often unyielding and yet still highly flammable. |
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