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Academy 2 (formerly MDH)

formerly known as Manchester MDH»

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Corrosion Of Conformity

One of the first punk/metal fusion bands, Corrosion of Conformity (C.O.C. for short) were formed in North Carolina by guitarist

Woody Weatherman during the early '80s. In their early years, C.O.C. became known for their aggressive sound, intelligent political lyrics, and willingness to break away from both hardcore and metal conventions. In the '90s, their shift to a more stripped-down, deliberate sound -- sort of Black Sabbath filtered through the Deep South -- brought them enough in line with the alternative metal zeitgeist to bring them a measure of mainstream popularity.

C.O.C. debuted in 1983 with the thrashy, Black Flag-influenced Eye for an Eye, featuring a lineup of Weatherman, drummer Reed Mullin, vocalist Eric Eycke, and bassist Mike Dean. They began to build up a cult following with 1985's Animosity, which featured additional guitarist Pepper Keenan and new vocalist Simon Bob. However, their label at the time, Death, grew tired of the band's internal instability and dropped them following 1987's Technocracy. It took several years for a new lineup to come together -- featuring Weatherman, Keenan, Mullin, vocalist Karl Agell, and bassist Phil Swisher -- but when it did, the result was 1991's Blind, a powerful, focused, more metallic record which increased their audience by leaps and bounds. Agell was fired following its success, and he and Swisher went on to form Leadfoot; meanwhile, Keenan became the full-time lead vocalist on 1994's even more Sabbath-esque Deliverance, which also featured the return of original bassist Mike Dean. During 1995, Keenan took a short detour into the Southern metal supergroup Down (which also featured Pantera's Phil Anselmo and members of Crowbar). Thanks to a shift in popular taste in favor of the ultra-heavy brand of alternative metal the group had helped pioneer, C.O.C. found themselves with a larger audience than ever before when they released 1996's Wiseblood, which continued and expanded their rock radio success. After a lengthy break from recording and a world tour with Metallica, C.O.C. returned with a new album in the fall of 2000, titled America's Volume Dealer. Another break ensued, resulting in the release of the live recording Live Volume in 2001. It wasn't until April of 2005 that the band regrouped for the hard-hitting and complex In the Arms of God.»

Stinking Lizaveta

US instrumental-prog-metal three piece Stinking Lizaveta are straight outta Philly, and have been for the past 10 years. Steve Albini recorded their debut album way back in '96, and they can count him amongst their many fans. Their first three albums were released on the now defunct Fugazi-linked Tolotta imprint. Fourth album Caught Between Worlds hit the shelves in 2004.

Lineup
Yanni Papadopoulos - guitar
Alexi Papadopoulos - upright electric bass
Cheshire Agusta - drums

stinkinglizaveta.com