Episode 28: Woody Weatherman (Corrosion of Conformity)

Throughout the long and storied history of American heavy metal legends Corrosion of Conformity’s existence, Woody Weatherman has been the only consistent member since the group started way back in 1982 in Raleigh, North Carolina.  Being the sole constant in the band, he’s been witness to a number of changes and transformations.  Bandmates have come and gone, and then come back again.  The musical style has mutated from hardcore roots to the southern-tinged metal that propelled Corrosion of Conformity to mainstream rock radio success in the early ‘90s, only to return to hardcore as a three-piece in the early 2010s after Pepper Keenan’s prolonged absence, before reverting back to metal after his return in 2015. 

Despite the group’s penchant for change and ability to adapt to keep the C.O.C. thing going throughout all of these obstacles, the set of circumstances facing them in recent years since the release of 2018’s No Cross No Crown were considerably more challenging, both musically and emotionally.  Founding drummer Reed Mullin passed away in January 2020 after battling a number of health issues, and original bassist Mike Dean departed the group in September 2024 citing difficulty coping with the loss of Mullin, whom the group had been playing with since they formed as teenagers.  Over the course of a few years, what many fans would consider the classic lineup of the band was no more. 

Faced with a half-full lineup and grieving the loss of their brother Reed, Weatherman and Keenan coped by jamming at Pepper’s home studio in Mississippi, compiling riffs that would become the groundwork for the band’s new record Good God/Baad Man.  Rounding out the recording lineup with Bobby Landgraf on bass and Stanton Moore, who admirably filled in for Mullin on 2005’s immortal In the Arms of God, on drums, Corrosion of Conformity have delivered an incredibly ambitious and fantastic addition to their legendary discography in Good God/Baad Man in seemingly the most dire of situations. 

Ahead of the release of Good God/Baad Man, I had a chance to catch up with Woody to talk about the record and a number of other topics, including: 

• the legacy of Reed Mullin and how his spirit in present on the new album, how he and Pepper took a new approach to songwriting this time around as opposed to No Cross No Crown, the plethora of material borne from that approach, and how they developed the theme for each record.
• the creative approach to spelling they took on some song titles, how Charlie Benante and Phil Anselmo helped them add new drummer Nick Shabatura, the band’s connection to Jason Everman from Nirvana and Soundgarden and his spoken word on “Run for Your Lives,” and the band’s new found social media success.
• the potential for “Baad Man” to be a huge next single, the writing process for 1991’s Blind, how the band wrote a Grammy-nominated song for 1996’s Wiseblood because the record company didn’t hear a single on the original tapes, and plans to celebrate the significant anniversaries of both of those records.
• the band’s connection to Metallica, the full circle moment of being influenced by them to potentially influencing them during the Load era, and reflections on the band’s longevity and how long they can keep going. 

As a longtime fan of Corrosion of Conformity in all its iterations, it was a pleasure for me to speak with Woody.   The new double album, Good God/Baad Man, will be released on April 3rd through Nuclear Blast Records.  Enjoy!