The 'Animosity'-era line up of Corrosion of Conformity is back together and working on its as-yet untitled eighth studio album, which will be released by Candlelight Records. Vocalist/bassist Mike Dean, guitarist Woody Weatherman and drummer/vocalist Reed Mullin took time away from the recording process to chat exclusively with Noisecreep about their first album since 2005's 'In the Arms of God.'

Noisecreep got an exclusive interview with Dead where he reveals details about the long-anticipated album and the recording process behind it.

Since this is your eighth album, can we expect any big changes to your sound?

What's new is what was old. It's the three piece lineup from 'Animosity.' While we're not focusing on recreating that sound deliberately, there are some fast tempos and aggressive riffs but it's a reflection of where we're at today.

What was the impetus for wanting to record again?

The impetus was rockers make rock and we were sitting home, busy with other s--t, not making any rock, so it was time to take back the means of expression and express ourselves.

It was our intention to come out with a new collection of songs last year when we started playing out again. We came out of the box playing a few of them and gradually accumulated enough to record a very good album.

Was there any sort of rust that needed to be worn away or did it come natural to work together again?

It was natural to work together again for sure. There was a little rust. But, Reed and I had been doing Righteous Fool, our other band, so we weren't far off the mark.

Watch Corrosion of Conformity's 'Holier (Live at Roadburn 2011)' Video


What is your head space like right now?

My head space personally is one of trying to maintain some even-keeled excitement as we go into mixing this album. We have some work that we're really proud of and we just need to allow it to come together without over-thinking it. Its also one of gratitude to have the change to do this one more time. Whether any one gives a s--- or not, I firmly believe this will be among our best records.

Can you share a writing/recording/jamming story with us?

Last year, we were writing and recording in Woody's barn up in the hills about a three-hour drive from Raleigh. Reed and I would often spend the night and jam some more before heading back to city life. I remember peering out of my enormous military sleeping bag to see Reed wrapped in a thin blanket, optimistically putting an enormous log onto the last dying embers of the evening's fire. He seemed more accustomed to adjusting a thermostat than keeping a fire going. As a result, we were freezing to death for our music.

As for the unspoken language, that was something we observed Black Flag doing when we were young, where they would retard the next part or beat of a song in an exaggerated way and finally execute it with a visual cue. This had a really dramatic effect and we started doing our own variations on that basic idea.

Anything else you'd like to share about coming together again and operating off that energy?

It's very easy to collaborate with these guys and see how they interpret my ideas and how they let me mess up their ideas as well. It's a very easy format in which to create

Are all of the song titles finalized yet?

Well funny you should mention that as we are finalizing titles right now. The ones that come to mind are 'River of Stone,' 'Psychic Vampire,' 'Leeches,' 'Rat City,' 'The Moneychangers' and "What We Become.' The rest of the titles are still working titles.

Corrosion of Conformity will do a run of tour dates with Clutch and Kyng in December:

12/27 - Boston, MA @ House of Blues

12/28 - Portland, ME @ The State Theater

12/29 - Syracuse, NY @ Westcott Theater

12/30 - Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom

12/31 - Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero

More From Noisecreep