American heavy metal icons CORROSION OF CONFORMITY are back with a special rendition of "Fire And Water" by English rock band FREE. The classic track was originally released in 1970 on the FREE album of the same name. CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's version came spontaneously in the studio during some downtime while recording their forthcoming new full-length, set for release next year, and serves as the first of the "Riffissippi Studio Jam Sessions", a special collection of jammed out interpretations of songs by some of the band's favorite artists. Watch the official music video here.
Comments CORROSION OF CONFORMITY guitarist/vocalist Pepper Keenan: "When we were tracking this record, we had a very cool space set up where we would essentially hang in the large room with everything mic'd and everything we needed, including a turntable and a bunch of our favorite records, which we would play and chill out between takes. We were hanging together, and I pulled out a FREE album and 'Fire And Water' popped up. [Drummer] Stanton [Moore] jumped up immediately and said, 'Who the fuck is that!?' He had never heard it before. We were baffled, but it was awesome to us that he had never heard it. He said, 'Let's cut that!' I said, 'Man, that's friggin' FREE and kind of like holy ground that you don't fuck with.' But we started thinking about it and damn, Stanton charted it out like the drum wizard he is. I said, 'I can't sing like that, man. He's the king.' Someone in the room said, 'Just sing it like you,' so we went for it and had a blast doing it. It was a nice fun break from the recording. It's nothing too serious, just a bunch of fellas leaning into it, loving the rock. It's an exercise in restraint. Hope y'all dig it."
CORROSION OF CONFORMITY is currently on a North American tour supporting JUDAS PRIEST and Alice Cooper. The trek, which commenced on September 16 in Biloxi, Mississippi and runs through October 26 in Houston, Texas, includes several CORROSION OF CONFORMITY one-off headlining shows scattered throughout.
Since forming in 1982, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY has woven their distinct riffs deep into the fabric of heavy metal for over four decades. Across ten landmark, critically acclaimed albums, the band has continued evolving. From the early days of thrash to their more recent, blues-infused metal, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY has managed to progress with each release keeping fans and critics alike guessing.
CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's last full-length album, "No Cross No Crown", was released in 2018 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. Recorded with longtime producer John Custer, the record marked the first studio recording with Keenan in over a decade and, earning the No. 67 spot on the Billboard Top 200 chart, No. 12 on the Billboard Top Current Albums chart, and No. 3 on the Top Hard Music Albums chart upon its first week of release, is the highest-charting album of the band's career.
Some of guitar-recording sessions for CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's upcoming LP took place at a private Miami, Florida studio owned by Barry Gibb of the BEE GEES.
Last October, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY recruited onetime DOWN guitarist and current PANTERA bass tech Bobby Landgraf to play bass for the band on the 2024 edition of the Headbangers Boat cruise. He has since joined CORROSION OF CONFORMITY in the studio and on the concert stage.
In September 2024, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's founding bassist Mike Dean announced his departure from the band.
(Source: www.blabbermouth.net)