Eye for an Eye

AMG Review of Eye for an Eye

Vincent Jeffries
All Music Guide

Kicking off a recording career covering three decades, this aggressive debut from Raleigh North Carolina's legendary Corrosion of Conformity announced the group's destructive musical intentions. The original lineup of Eric Eycke on vocals, bassist Mike Dean, and co-founders Woody Weatherman (guitars) and Reed Mullin (bass), plows through 20 tracks of leftist hardcore on Eye for an Eye. More punk sounding than early '80s hrash-metal contemporaries Metallica, from the west coast, and Anthrax, from the East, C.O.C. claimed the title of hardcore's southern ambassadors with this release. Being somewhat isolated from the coastal hardcore movements worked heavily in the band's favor. Unbound by the edicts of punk fashion, Corrosion of Conformity forged a unique sound that generated a loyal fan base, and critical recognition. The group maintained their continuity, and surprisingly expanded their audience despite the fact that they featured a new lead singer in each of their first five full-length releases. On Eye for an Eye Eycke's hyperventilating sounds appropriate enough as the vocalist keeps pace with the rapid-fire guitar and drum exchanges. Fans of the band's Pepper Keenan-era sludgy-'70s-groove might not quite comprehend this 1983 release, but forward-thinking metalheads and punkers alike should enjoy and appreciate Eye for an Eye.