Righteous Fool's long-shelved album will melt your face into a puddle of goo

Little-known Corrosion Of Conformity offshoot surfaces unexpectedly to bring maximum sludge to the masses

The Righteous Fool cover art
(Image: © Ripple)

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Late Corrosion Of Conformity drummer Reed Mullin formed Righteous Fool during a break in the action in 2009. 

Alongside guitarist Jason Browning, Mullin pulled in former COC bassist Mike Dean, effectively creating a southern stoner-rock supergroup. A single was released a year later but the album was never released. Well, here it is.

As you might expect, given the pedigree, it features a veritable mountain of sludgy riffs and thunderous, tree-trunk drumming. It is relentless, doomy, and sounds like you’re being dragged into a swamp by a giant python.

There’s a surprisingly funky cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Green Manalishi (by way of Judas Priest, naturally) and there are flashes of soul (Edict Of Worms), groovy proto-metal (Shifty) and proggy grandeur (Enter The Fool), but really this is about melting your face into a puddle of goo. And that’s exactly what it does.

Sleazegrinder

Came from the sky like a 747. Classic Rock’s least-reputable byline-grabber since 2003. Several decades deep into the music industry. Got fired from an early incarnation of Anal C**t after one show. 30 years later, got fired from the New York Times after one week. Likes rock and hates everything else. Still believes in Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction, against all better judgment.