CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's PEPPER KEENAN Says DAVE GROHL Offered To Pay For REED MULLIN's Rehab Before Drummer's 2020 Death

In a new interview with The Garza Podcast, hosted by SUICIDE SILENCE guitarist Chris Garza, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY guitarist/vocalist Pepper Keenan reflected on the 2020 passing of the band's co-founding drummer Reed Mullin. Mullin, who formed CORROSION OF CONFORMITY in 1982 as a hardcore punk act alongside bassist Mike Dean and guitarist Woody Weatherman, had missed a number of shows in the four years prior to his death due to a variety of health issues, including an alcohol-related seizure he suffered back in June 2016.

Asked if he knew at the time that 2018's "No Cross No Crown" would turn out to be CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's final album with Mullin, Pepper said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No. Well, his health was not well. And we tried everything. [We] didn't know. He just couldn't get it together, man. And we tried everything. And [former NIRVANA drummer and FOO FIGHTERS frontman] Dave Grohl offered help — Dave Grohl had helped him with rehab, paid for it out of his own pocket, which was very kind. [I'll] never forget that. And, yeah, I didn't know.

"Now me and Woody look back at things and we have nothing but wonderful stories about Reed," Pepper continued. "'Cause when he was at the top of his game, he was a fucking animal on the drums. You couldn't touch him in terms of creativity and moving that type of music forward. He's one of the O.G.s of the crossover shit back in the day, so he truly had helped invent something."

Keenan added: "Yeah. It's just weird shit. You can't plan anything. You can't map it out. You'd be crazy to even try. You never fucking know what's gonna happen."

After Garza wondered if Mullin was aware how far his health had deteriorated prior to his passing, Keenan said: "It's a hard thing to get a grip on things like that if you're not in it. It's hard to say… I do think if he'd had gotten through all this stuff and could've cleaned everything up, and sometimes it takes that. And then if he was here right now, I think the band would be tearing shit up. I think he would come full circle and he would've been one of the people not scared to go backwards either, get back into it. But who knows? You can't go there."

This past May, Weatherman told Chris Akin of the Classic Metal Show about Mullin's passing: "Reed and I went to high school together and all that kind of stuff. And that was around the time we started the band with Mike. So it's heavy, losing a brother like that. The one thing about losing Reed, it wasn't entirely unexpected. He had health issues and stuff, but it's still really tough. And he wasn't actually traveling with us. The band was in Australia at the time of his passing, and it hit us heavy. 'Cause we were over there playing shows."

Woody continued: "One thing about Reed I'll mention was making this record [CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's recently released album 'Good God / Baad Man'] with [drummer] Stanton [Moore], there was just so many times where when we were recording the drums, we were in the studio, we were looking at each other, and it was, like, 'Man, that little lick that Stanton just did, it sounds like something just like what Reed would do.' [Laughs] I don't know whether it was Stanton giving his nod to Mullin, 'cause Stanton is fantastic in his own right, but it just sort of felt like Reed was there with us, even though he wasn't physically there. So he's hanging around. I don't know if he's laughing at us, giving us the middle finger or the thumbs up, but he's hanging around."

"Good God / Baad Man" was released in April as a 14-song double album via Nuclear Blast. Produced by Grammy Award winner Warren Riker (FUGEES, DOWN, CATHEDRAL) and featuring cover art by famed New Orleans artist Scott Guion, the LP was recorded at Blak Shak Studios in Riffissippi, USA, Dockside Studios in Maurice, Louisiana, and BEE GEES legend Barry Gibb's home studio in Miami, Florida.

In March, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY announced the addition of drummer Nick Shabatura to the group's ranks.

Shabatura, who had previously played with DESECRATE THE HOUR and the Chicago-based NIRVANA tribute band SMELLS LIKE NIRVANA, landed the C.O.C. gig at the recommendation of ANTHRAX/PANTERA drummer Charlie Benante.