Summer is almost here and as the queue for the Button Factory snakes around the corner towards the tourist friendly Temple Bar quarter, a sense of anticipation and excitement seems to be lingering in the air. It’s Saturday night, it’s not raining and we are just about to be treated to an evening of rumbling-riffs, courtesy of local legends, Electric Taurus and the mighty Corrosion of Conformity. What else could you possibly want?
As punters gather around the merchandise stand exchanging stories from the COC’s highly acclaimed Irish show last year, the first notes emerge from the house PA, signalling the arrival of Electric Taurus; who waste no time in going to work on the half full venue.
Electric Taurus are a juggernaut of blistering riffs, wading through a swamp of infectious groove-based goodness. Guitarist / vocalist Matt Casciani exudes an impressive display of control, while driving each song to that rare “sweet spot” . The band sound huge tonight with their unique blend of stoner rock, infused with heart soaring blues and punishing doom. Bassist James Lynch commands the low-end of Electric Taurus with a perfect mixture of menacing fuzz, while drummer Mauro Frison shows us his ability in performing with a more old school technique, which not many can master.
As the band finishes up their set, bidding farewell to a now packed venue, there is no doubt that Electric Taurus are one of the true gems in the Irish music scene and deserve all the success and then some! 4/5
For more information on Electric Taurus, please click here.
With no big fanfare, or spectacular intro tape, Corrosion of Conformity bassist Mike Dean wanders across the stage and fiddles with the opening notes to ‘Bottom Feeder’, which generates an almost deafening roar of approval from the mostly bearded crowd, before a full assault of the senses sets in.
The sound is crisp, crystal clear and packs a punch that shakes the venue to the core. Pepper, Woody, Reed and Mike effortlessly capture the entire venue and have them in the palm of their hands from the get-go! ‘King of the Rotten’ ups the pace before the plodding tempo of ‘Broken Man’ causes some pretty violent pit action, resulting in some rather large men literally throwing themselves (and some of the unfortunately smaller individuals) around like rag-dolls.
Keeping with Deliverance, we are treated to ‘Heaven’s Not Overflowing’, which sounds just fucking epic! With very little chat between songs, Keenan & Co. just let the music do the talking, while sticking to tracks from Wiseblood and Deliverance in the form of, ‘Long Whip / Big America, ‘Wiseblood’ and the spectacular ‘Seven Days’, before we get smacked over the head with ‘Paranoid Opioid’.
The Button Factory pit is now in full force with an unbridled amount of over-the-top aggression (thanks to a few ass-holes), resulting in bodies disappearing in a sweaty blur of beer, beards and bruises. Thankfully the band slow things down with the hypnotic ’13 Angels’, which calms things down a little before the doom, paced brilliance of ‘Albatross’ comes pouring from the stage, which sees Woody crouched over his beat-up guitar, drenched in sweat and completely lost in the moment. Credit to the sound engineer for a the flawless sound throughout the show, but in particular the mix during ‘Albatross’; which is simply jaw dropping!
Overall, Corrosion of Conformity are a band that can just jam out for hours, each member of is visibly immersed and totally transfixed in their craft. Their previous show here in Ireland’s capital was a hot-topic for weeks among the metal / rock community and tonight is no different. A master class in excellence without the ego!
A few last words from Pepper sees him confirming a new album in the works before he bids us farewell to a thunderous applause from the clearly exhausted audience. An utterly face-melting show from the masters of Southern doom n’ groove! 5/5
Corrosion of Conformity – Setlist
Dublin, Button Factory April 30th 20216
1. Bottom Feeder
2. King of the Rotten
3. Broken Man
4. Heaven’s Not Overflowing
5. Long Whip / Big America
6. Wiseblood
7. Seven Days
8. Paranoid Opiod
9. 13 Angels
10. Albatross
11. Stone Breaker
12. Who’s Got The Fire
13. Vote With a Bullet
14. The Door
15. Clean My Wounds
Oran O’Beirne
Photography – AM Photo Star
© OVERDRIVE 2016
Full photo gallery from the show below!
Catch Corrosion of Conformity at this years Bloodstock Festival, click the graphic below for tickets!
© OVERDRIVE 2016
