CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's WOODY WEATHERMAN Reflects On 2020 Death Of Drummer REED MULLIN: 'It Was An Immense Loss'

In a new interview with Ed Hack of This Day In Metal, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY guitarist Woody Weatherman reflected on the 2020 passing of the band's co-founding drummer Reed Mullin. Mullin, who co-founded CORROSION OF CONFORMITY in 1982 as a hardcore punk act alongside bassist Mike Dean and 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.

"[Reed and I] went to high school together, he and I," Woody told This Day In Metal. "[His death] was an immense loss. It wasn't entirely unexpected — he had some health issues and stuff — but it was a hard hit. Anytime you lose a brother like that, it's tough. I feel like his spirit appears on the new [CORROSION OF CONFORMITY] record [the upcoming 'Good God / Baad Man'], in my opinion, even though he's not actually playing on it. I think Stanton [Moore, who played drums on 'Good God / Baad Man'] hit on some of his signature-type licks and stuff. He would be playing things, and Pepper [Keenan, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY guitarist/vocalist] and I would look at each other and go, 'Man, that sounds like a little fill that Reed would've probably put there.' So he's kind of still with us in that way.

"It's a tough loss," Woody added. "He's been gone now six years. But the train don't stop, man. CORROSION is a bigger thing than its individual members, we always kind of say. It's a family."

Weatherman also talked about the decision to release "Good God / Baad Man" as a 14-song double album. 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. Asked when he and his CORROSION OF CONFORMITY bandmates knew that "Good God / Baad Man" would be presented as a double album, Woody said: "Well, after we were in a few sessions, I would fly down to Louisiana, and we would do these four- or five-day sessions, just me and Pep sitting in a shack — we called it the Blak Shak — and we just had a pile of guitars in there, a few amps, and we were just cracking at it, butting heads on riffs and stuff. And we were the only ones there. And so it was very productive. And I would say five, six sessions of doing like that and we already had way more than an album's worth of material, and we were nowhere close to running out of ideas. And we knew it was gonna be something special, because it was already sounding pumping before drums ever made it on to it, or bass or anything. And, of course, once everybody showed up, once we brought Bobby 'Rock' [Landgraf, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY bassist] in and we were ready to bring Stanton in and start really rehearsing for the actual recording it, it really blossomed then. But it was very early on that we figured out it was gonna be basically a double album. It was just too much material. And we didn't wanna break it up, 'cause it just flows together."

Asked if the "more groove-oriented" nature of the "Baad Man" portion of the album was the result of Pepper writing one type of song and Woody coming up with something different, Weatherman responded: "[It was] a little bit of both, to be honest. And there's some things where there'll be a Pepper riff and then a Woody riff. So it's, like, we do combine things like that a lot of times. But I agree with you, the second half or the second disc, whatever you wanna call it, the 'Baad Man' side, I think we do a little more branching out into different areas on that part of the record. But it matches up well with the first slab of vinyl. It goes smoothly. It seems like another one of those to me that you could drop the needle or put in the disc or where whatever you're playing, and have a bucket of beer beside you and just enjoy the whole thing without really picking the needle up."

As for the songwriting process for "Good God / Baad Man", Woody said: "It was written completely different, because the normal way that C.O.C. has made albums is all four dudes getting kind of our little jam room and hash out songs — with drums there, with everybody there making it. And this was totally different. It was just Pepper and I with a giant bucket of beer and a room full of guitars and amps, just throwing riffs at each other and seeing how we could put 'em together and all that. And everything was already together before we ever even brought drums into the situation. So, it was a completely different way of writing a record. And, in my opinion, this was the funnest record I've ever made. I had a fun time making it, just 'cause it was easy. There was nobody there to tell us 'no', whether it be a record label or a producer or anything. It was, like, 'You guys go and do your thing. We trust you.'"

"Good God / Baad Man" is set for release on April 3 via Nuclear Blast.

Earlier this month, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY announced the addition of drummer Nick Shabatura to the group's ranks.

Shabatura, who has 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.

Moore, who played on CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's 2005 album "In The Arms Of God" and laid down the drum tracks for "Good God / Baad Man", gave Shabatura's arrival his blessing, writing on social media: "I approve this message! I went by rehearsals in Riffississippi the other day to meet and hang with Nick. He is an amazing drummer and a super cool guy. He showed up having completely done his homework and already sounds great playing with the band.

"The plan was always for me to make this record with the guys and then to find somebody to do the touring. Well, we found the guy and he is Nick Shabatura! Thanks Charlie Benante for the recommendation".