Corrosion of Conformity

C.O.C. started off as one of the best politico-punk acts the States had to offer. Eye for an Eye is indispensable to the history of American hardcore, as songs "Indifferent" and "Positive Outlook" largely determined how it was to be played -- rapid-fire vocals leaning into sudden squalls of mosh pit ferocity. The band's transformation from Punk progenitors to Metal innovators was already underfoot by the time they unleashed Animosity in 1984. After undergoing a radical line-up change, they re-emerged in 1991 with Blind, a record many of their punk followers couldn't hang with for being formally produced Metal. Poor them. Blind is a great album, and the single "Vote with a Bullet" is an explosive convergence of hard Sabbath riffs and politics. If anything, C.O.C.'s commitment to shaking up the status quo has only grown more intense and more intelligent despite their shift from Hardcore blitz to focused heavy metal.