American heavy metal legends Corrosion of Conformity have returned with something raw, loose, and full of soul – a jam session cover of FREE’s 1970 classic “Fire And Water.”
The track, originally the title cut of FREE’s 1970 album, came about spontaneously while COC were in the studio working on their forthcoming new full-length, due out next year. What started as downtime between takes turned into the spark that ignited the Riffissippi Studio Jam Sessions – a new series where COC put their own spin on some of their favorite songs.
Guitarist/vocalist Pepper Keenan recalls the moment it all clicked:
“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.”
The result is a gritty, heartfelt performance that sees COC leaning into the groove, paying respect to classic rock’s golden era while still making it undeniably their own.
🎧 Stream the single: Listen here
Corrosion of Conformity – A Legacy Forged in Riffs
Formed in 1982, Corrosion of Conformity have been pushing heavy music forward for over four decades. With ten landmark albums under their belt, the band has shifted seamlessly between crossover thrash, sludge, and blues-soaked Southern metal, keeping fans and critics on edge with every release.
Their most recent full-length, No Cross No Crown (2018, Nuclear Blast Entertainment), marked the return of Pepper Keenan on vocals and guitar after more than a decade away. Produced by longtime collaborator John Custer, the record became the band’s highest charting release ever, hitting #67 on the Billboard Top 200, #12 on Top Current Albums, and #3 on the Top Hard Music Albums charts.
Now, with new music on the horizon and the launch of the Riffissippi Studio Jam Sessions, Corrosion of Conformity are gearing up for their next chapter – and judging by this first taste, it’s going to be worth the wait.
For fans in North America, COC are currently tearing it up on tour alongside Judas Priest and Alice Cooper.
Stay tuned for more from these Southern metal titans in the coming weeks.
Corrosion of Conformity are:
- Pepper Keenan – guitar, vocals
- Woody Weatherman – guitar
- Stanton Moore – drums
- Bobby Landgraf – bass
CORROSION OF CONFORMITY online
