Corrosion of Conformity – Belfast Limelight – Sunday 1 May 2016

Source // Corrosion Of Conformity

A little under a year after their last visit to UK shores and the mighty Corrosion Of Conformity decided to once again grace Belfast and, unsurprisingly, there was a more than a healthy crowd shoehorned into the Limelight awaiting their arrival and lead heavy grooves.

The bands loose fluid style immediately washed over the assembled faithful and without much more than a jammed-out instrumental – the opening stoner-metal notes to Wiseblood‘s “Bottom Feeder” plucked by the solitary figure of Mike Dean – it was obvious that Corrosion Of Conformity had already won over the entire crowd. 

“King of the Rotten” and “Broken Man” kept the fans at fever pitch and eventually Pepper Keenan (good to see him back) addressed the crowd, saying they’d been enjoying Belfasts hospitality; especially the Buckfast which received a huge reaction from the crowd. The remainder of the set was evenly drawn from Deliverance and Wiseblood, alongside a more Sabbath than Sabbath run through “Paranoid Opiod” and the blissed out, good time vibes of “Albatross” which had the crowd uproariously drowning out Pepper Keenan’s vocals. Encore time then saw a devastating run through the classic “Vote With a Bullet”, the riffs of Keenan and Woody Weatherman cutting through the Limelight with Keenan spitting out his vocals with a barely restrained rage; an apt reminder of how formidable and aggressive Corrosion can be when they want to. The gig then ended on a euphoric high with a superb rendition of Deliverance‘s “Clean my Wounds”, a fitting end to an amazing evening.

Witnessing a band of Corrosion of Conformity’s stature in the smaller Limelight 2 was nothing but an absolute joy to behold. With a cramped stage leaving little room to hide, the band came across as a bunch of down to earth guys who live for playing to their fans and this bonhomie could be felt throughout the venue…..suffice to say the throng lapped up every minute of their intimate set.

Fingers crossed they keep to their word and return to Belfast next year with a much anticipated new album! 10/10