Retro Raunch Revisit

Happy 35th Anniversary to gore-infested guttural landmark Florida death metal. COD was the Tampa band's 2nd album, first with bassist Frank, and first & only with guitarist James. As the competitive genre was steeped in incorporated blast beats, the band was fusing more hardcore styling breakdowns & slower proto-grooves with both elements dripping in riffs for a pure sound brooding in brutality. Along with its transformative technical progression, singer John's vocally-stretched gurgling, creeping eerie ambience and permeating crushing force, COD was a template of expressive doom and a unique evolvement in fertile ground that also saw them churn out a strong cover of CELTIC FROST's 'Circle of the Tyrants' which was endorsed by CF's singer Tom. The album cover artwork by H.P. Lovecraft was originally meant for SEPULTURA's 'Beneath the Remains' but the Roadrunner label mixed up the intended illustrations resulting in a forced switch. Regarded as their most heralded album (with many saying the title belongs to 1992's 'The End Complete') COD is considered one of death metal's most quintessential offerings of the 90's decade, and one of the genre's greatest seminal releases period. R.I.P. Frank Watkins.