Wiseblood is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Corrosion of Conformity. It was released on October 15, 1996 by Columbia Records, the band's second and final album for the label. Its name comes from the novel Wise Blood, written by Southern Gothic author Flannery O'Connor. Metallica's lead vocalist James Hetfield provides backing vocals on "Man or Ash". The song "Drowning in a Daydream" was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 40th Grammy Awards ceremony (which went to Tool for "Ænema"). The album had sold 130,000 copies by 1999,[2] selling less than Blind and Deliverance.[3]
| Wiseblood | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 15, 1996[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1995–1996 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 57:49 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | John Custer | |||
| Corrosion of Conformity chronology | ||||
| ||||
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 9/10[4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A–[5] |
Wiseblood received a mixed-to-positive review from AllMusic writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine, who gave the album four stars out of five. He described Wiseblood as the "closest Corrosion of Conformity have gotten to old-school heavy metal, yet their fondness for industrial soundbites and thrash-metal keeps the group sounding contemporary." However, Erlewine stated that it "doesn't have half the hooks of its predecessor, which means it sounds great while its playing, but it disappears into the abyss once it's finished."[1]
Despite receiving mixed reviews, Wiseblood peaked at number 104 on the Billboard 200; this was the band's highest position on the chart for 22 years, until No Cross No Crown, which peaked at number 67.[6] It also peaked at number two on the Heatseekers chart.[7] However, it only spent two weeks on the US Billboard 200.[8]
One of the album's singles, "Drowning in a Daydream", peaked at number 27 on the Mainstream Rock chart.[9]
The "Drowning in a Daydream" single includes a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son".
The "King of the Rotten" single includes a cover of Black Flag's "I've Heard It Before".[10]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "King of the Rotten" | Pepper Keenan | 3:14 |
| 2. | "Long Whip / Big America" | Keenan, Reed Mullin, Woody Weatherman | 4:52 |
| 3. | "Wiseblood" | Keenan, Mullin | 3:01 |
| 4. | "Goodbye Windows" | Keenan, Weatherman | 5:41 |
| 5. | "Born Again for the Last Time" | Keenan, Mullin | 4:39 |
| 6. | "Drowning in a Daydream" | Keenan, Mullin, Weatherman, Mike Dean | 4:22 |
| 7. | "The Snake Has No Head" | Keenan, Dean | 4:13 |
| 8. | "The Door" | Keenan, Mullin, Dean | 3:28 |
| 9. | "Man or Ash" (featuring James Hetfield) | Keenan, Dean | 5:13 |
| 10. | "Redemption City" | Keenan, John Custer | 4:51 |
| 11. | "Wishbone (Some Tomorrow)" | Keenan | 3:59 |
| 12. | "Fuel" | Keenan, Mullin | 2:39 |
| 13. | "Bottom Feeder (El que come abajo)" (instrumental) | Keenan, Mullin, Weatherman, Dean | 7:51 |
| Total length: | 57:49 | ||
Japanese edition
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "The Land of Free Disease" (bonus track) | Keenan, Mullin | 4:20 |
| Total length: | 62:09 | ||
Personnel
editCorrosion of Conformity
- Pepper Keenan – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Woody Weatherman – lead guitar
- Mike Dean – bass guitar
- Reed Mullin – drums
Additional personnel
- James Hetfield – background vocals on "Man or Ash" (uncredited)
Chart positions
editAlbum
editBillboard (United States)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Billboard 200 | 104[6] |
Singles
edit| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "Drowning in a Daydream" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 27[9] |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Wiseblood - Corrosion of Conformity". AllMusic.
- ^ "Sludge Scan For November 1999 | Metal Sludge". January 2, 2015. Archived from the original on January 2, 2015. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- ^ "Corrosion of Conformity", Wikipedia, February 15, 2020, retrieved March 23, 2020
- ^ Popoff, Martin (2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 88–89. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
- ^ Sinclair, Tom (November 29, 1996). "Music Review: 'Wiseblood'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
- ^ a b "Corrosion of Conformity Billboard 200 Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
- ^ "Corrosion of Conformity - Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
- ^ "Corrosion of Conformity". Billboard. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- ^ a b "Wiseblood - Corrosion of Conformity - Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
- ^ "Corrosion Of Conformity - King Of The Rotten". Discogs.