Corrosion Of Conformity - Blind (1991)

The early days of this cult band were those of thrashy hardcore but in 1991 ‘Blind’ emerged like some gigantic sea beast flopping out of the water and then proceeding to devour all in its wake as metal travelled new avenues, bands such as Soundgarden making real headway, and the world ready for this kind of bruising metal.
This owes a lot to the likes of Trouble, Sabbath and Metallica, yet still is able to stamp its own authority, vocalist Karl Agell (who only appeared on this record) coming across like a wonderfully everflowing power frontman, the band grinding out their politically-strewn anthems amidst some seriously heavy grooves, putting them, for a short while in the spotlight as their hymns for the estranged rise and rise.
Strangely, it’s ‘Vote With A Bullet’, complete with Trouble-esque pounding, and featuring guitarist Pepper Keenan on vox, that shines, a glowing glimpse into what was to come, but although slightly overlong, the record rocks, owing its rifferama to Tony Iommi, some serious grooves winding their way through the wax here, ‘Damned For All Time’ booming across the horizon, and ‘Mine Are The Eyes Of God’ swaggering like Goliath.
This is a truly huge record from a criminally ignored band.
9/10