Corrosion Of Conformity has surprised fans with a special version of “Fire And Water”, originally released by the legendary English rock band Free in 1970 on their album of the same name. The recording happened spontaneously while the band was in the studio working on their upcoming full-length album, which is due out next year.
This new track is the first installment of what the band is calling the Riffissippi Studio Jam Sessions, a series of jam-based interpretations of songs from some of their favorite artists.
Guitarist and vocalist Pepper Keenan shared how the idea came about, saying: “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!’”
Keenan admitted he was initially hesitant to take on the song. “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.”
He added: “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.”
Corrosion Of Conformity is currently on tour across North America, performing alongside Judas Priest and Alice Cooper. The tour kicked off on September 16 in Biloxi, Mississippi, and will wrap up on October 26 in Houston, Texas. In addition to these shows, the band has also scheduled several headlining dates throughout the trek.
Since forming in 1982, Corrosion Of Conformity has remained a staple of the heavy metal world, releasing ten influential albums over more than four decades. Their sound has shifted and evolved, moving from the raw energy of their thrash roots to a more blues-driven metal style, consistently keeping fans engaged and critics intrigued with every new release.
