One of the first bands from the 1980s to draw equally from hardcore punk and metal influences, North Carolina band Corrosion of Conformity has built a sizeable following worldwide over a three-decade career with its mix of intelligent, politically-charged lyrics and aggressive riffs. The band's blazing 1983 debut Eye For An Eye (the only record the band made with original lead singer Eric Eycke) and the follow-up effort Animosity that found guitarist Woody Weatherman, bassist Mike Dean and drummer Reed Mullin soldiering on as a three piece were hailed as pioneering recordings in the crossover thrash movement.

During the 1990s, the group's line-up changed significantly as its sound evolved from its hardcore roots to become a more traditional (albeit still influential) metal band with their use of sludgy dropped tuning that future headbangers like Korn and Fear Factory would employ. Their Sabbath-tinged sound remained a favorite of metal fans the world over thanks to efforts from 1991's Blind through the acclaimed 2005 recording In the Arms of God.

The group went on hiatus in 2006 as guitarist Pepper Keenan focusing on doom supergroup Down (which also features former Pantera singer Phillip Anselmo and members of Crowbar), but in early 2010 announced the reunion of the Animosity-era line-up featuring the founding trio of guitarist Weatherman, bassist/vocalist Mike Dean, and drummer Reed Mullin. The band toured to rave reviews and an ecstatic fan response from those who grew up listening to COC's classic '80s material but never had a chance to see the songs performed live.While the group put out a 7-inch single with the song "Your Tomorrow (Parts 1 and 2)" through independent label Southern Lord Records that year, in 2011 it was announced that the trio would be putting out its first album as a trio in almost 30 years. The self-titled disc seeing released via Candlelight Records finds the band exploring the full expanse of the Corrosion of Conformity sound ranging from the breakneck tempos heard on "Leeches" and "Rat City" to the lumbering heaviness of "The Doom" and "Come Not Here." The band comes to the Bay Area with a monstrous four-band bill that features Utah-based heavy outfit Gaza, Oakland's own caustic metal duo Black Cobra and acclaimed Florida band Torche. Guitarist Weatherman spoke with KTVU.com back when the album was released about the new recording, touring plans and what lies in the future for Corrosion of Conformity.

KTVU.com: I was lucky enough to catch you when you did that first tour in 2010 with the Animosity line-up. Some of the new material touches on the faster, more hardcore side of the COC sound. Did you guys write some of those songs before the reunion tour? Or did they come during or afterwards?

Woody Weatherman: Well, some of that stuff was written right before the tour. We were actually doing some of those songs live. At least some of the riffs and whatnot. To supplement things, because we were kind of heavy on the Animosity album on that thing. We did do a couple of tracks off Technocracy too, but we were actually playing a couple of early new riffs on that trip. And then we wound up doing a lot [of shows] later on leading up to the actual recording. Which helped it a lot. There's nothing that helps making the songs gel like playing them at a live show. Tossing it out there and really working out the kinks. It makes a big difference.

KTVU.com:At that show, I picked up the seven-inch you had put out on Southern Lord with "Your Tommorrow." I couldn't figure out after the fact if that was one of the newer songs you played at that show. Did that tune make it on to the set list?

Woody Weatherman: Yeah, we were playing that. "Your Tomorrow" actually made it onto the new record too, a different version. It was Greg from Southern Lord who set that little trip up with the Goatsnake guys. We had a blast on that.

KTVU.com: After the tour and the single, I figured if you did a new album it might come out on Southern Lord as well. Instead the album is being released on Candlelight Records. Were there reasons behind the switch?

Woody Weatherman: You know, Greg just happened to do that seven-inch at that time. It was just to kick off the tour and we never really got into talking about the album with Southern Lord. But it was no big deal. Greg is a good bud. He actually came by the studio when we were out there recording, because we did it out there in Los Angeles. We just proverbially shot the s**t and hung out, had a beer. Southern Lord is a great label, but we're happy to be on Candlelight. They seem to be doing a great job so far, so I've got no complaints.

KTVU.com: To what extent did playing your older material in such a concentrated way on that tour impact the writing of the newer songs?

Woody Weatherman: I don't know if that in particular had a lot of impact. But initially, I know in my mind I almost envisioned when we got ready to do this new album -- because of having the original Animosity trio -- I sort of had it in the back of my mind that we might do an all fast album. Of course, my thoughts were completely thrown out the window once we started writing and getting into it. Whatever came out is what wound up on the record, and its pretty diverse. We're never going to stick to one thing, which is good. I'm glad it came out that way.

Really, playing that old stuff live again, that was stuff we'd touched on during various tours, but never really concentrated on doing seven or eight of those songs all at one time. It was pretty cool to relearn them and work them up the way that we do them now. We had a good time doing that, and still are.

KTVU.com: I imagine there would be some fans with the expectation that the new material would sound more like the earlier hardcore efforts given the return to the '80s line-up, but the new album seems to cover the whole range of what COC has done over 30 years. Do you concern yourself with those kinds of expectations, or do you figure if you're satisfied, the fans will be too?

Woody Weatherman: That's usually our perspective on it [laughs]. Let's be honest; no matter what you do, you're not going to please everybody. So you've just got to make sure you do the best job that you can. You just can't try to change the course of the ship too hard, because otherwise you'll end up getting in trouble. You can make a bad record that way. So we just let it be natural and did what we do. The new album is a result of that. I agree with you that it kind of touches on all the different eras of the band. It nods to all the different things we've done. We didn't set out for it to be that way, but that's how it wound up and we're pretty happy about it.

KTVU.com: Pepper Keenan was the principle lyricist on the last album COC put out in 2005 In the Arms of God as well the other albums he worked on during the 1990s. Did Mike end up taking back the reins with the lyrics for the new album or did everyone participate?

Woody Weatherman: Mike Dean handled the majority of it. Reed sings on a couple of songs for the album, so he contributed. But Mike is always a big contributor, even when Pepper is around. He and Pepper bounce things off each other all the time, so he never really left that role. He's always got to say.

KTVU.com: Which songs does Reed sing on? I didn't get that he was handling lead vocals from the press materials...

Woody Weatherman: He sang on"Come Not Here" and "What We Become." I chime in a time or two, but they generally don't want me to sing too much [laughs]...

KTVU.com: You mentioned working at Dave Grohl's studio in earlier. It's funny, because you're the second band from back in the early '80s to record there recently, the other being DC punk band Scream. Grohl played drums with that band in its latter stages before he joined Nirvana, but I was wondering what led you to recording there?

Woody Weatherman: The friendship goes back many years ago, back to when he was in Scream and even earlier. Reed had a little label that put out a record by one of Dave's earliest bands Dain Bramage. Reed and Dave had stayed pretty good friends over the years and it just came up. I guess they were on the phone talking to each other and it came up that we were getting ready to do something and Grohl graciously offered up his studio and we said 'Alright!' So we headed out there, which is kind of funny, because it's the same thing we did with Animosity [laughs]. We went to LA to make that too. Maybe whenever we record as a trio we have to do it in LA, I don't know...

KTVU.com: John Custer has worked on a lot of your albums...

Woody Weatherman: Yeah, everything since Blind [in 1991].

KTVU.com: You must have a good working relationship after all these years. What kind of input does he have during the recording process? Does he lend a hand with songwriting or arrangements?

 Woody Weatherman: Really, not so much on that end of things. He really makes sure we don't veer off course. He's kind of the quality control or continuity guy, you know? He's just awesome at getting tones and he's just got an ear. On this particular record, he just kind of let us do what we do. He didn't really try to do any rearranging of songs or anything like that. He just makes sure we don't veer off track and that we sound good whatever it is we're doing. He's a real wizard at that. And he's just a good guy. We get along and we trust him. Whenever he says 'Try this instead' we listen and trust his ear.

KTVU.com: There was one song in particular I wanted to ask about. "Come Not Here" is maybe the best Soundgarden or Alice in Chains song that those bands never did. It sounds like it could have come off of Louder Than Love. I wasn't thinking so much that they influenced how it sounds, since you guys were doing the punk-meets-Black-Sabbath thing that is the cornerstone of grunge years before anyway, but did you hear those elements coming together as you were writing the song?

Woody Weatherman: I can hear that, especially now that you mention it. The song has some of the elements with the big riff that kind of hangs there for a second before it moves on. It's kind of lumbering. And as far as those bands, we did a lot of touring with Soundgarden back during the Louder Than Love and Badmotorfinger days. They're good guys. That tour you mentioned with Goatsnake in the summer of 2010? Those  guys came out to the Seattle show on that tour, Ben and Kim [Soundgarden bassist Ben Shepherd and guitarist Kim Thayil]. I hadn't seen them in a few years. That was right went they had just gotten Soundgarden back together. I think they had just gotten back into town from doing Lollapalooza in Chicago that day. It was cool seeing those guys.

KTVU.com: You guys are getting ready to do a show that also features a screening of Slow Southern Steel, a documentary about the metal scene in the south. As one of the more influential punk/metal bands to come out of the south during the 1980s, are you featured in the film?

Woody Weatherman: That's an interesting question, but I don't have the answer. I haven't seen it.

KTVU.com: So you weren't interviewed for it?

Woody Weatherman: No. The only thing I know is the dude from Rwake [lead singer Chris Terry, who fronts the Arkansas-based band] did the movie and there's probably a lot of bands and a lot of people that I know in it. But I don't  know if we're featured if at all. I'll find out on Sunday when I see the screening.

KTVU.com: I noticed that after you do the swing through Austin for South By Southwest that your upcoming tour dates head back east. Do you have plans to make it back to the West Coast?

Woody Weatherman: It's going to be in May. We're going to do this March run and then go over to the UK and Europe for a couple of festivals in April. And then we'll come back and hopefully replicate a very similar line-up in May and head out West. That's the general plan. I saw it on paper a couple of times, so maybe that makes it real [laughs].

KTVU.com: The one last thing I wanted to ask about was your plans for the future of Corrosion of Conformity. You're main focus for now is the new album with the trio line-up, but do you sort of envision having two versions of the band once you start working with Pepper again as your time and schedules allow? It sounds like there's no ill will between parties, so do you have plans or will you just figure it out as you're able to?

Woody Weatherman: A little bit of both. We do talk to Pepper. I just talked to him a couple of days ago. I was inviting him to come out because we're going to New Orleans on St. Patty's Day of all things. Playing in the French Quarter on St. Patrick's. So I said 'Hey man, we're coming down. You come on out and party with us!' and he was like 'Yeah, I'll be there.' We did a couple of things last summer too, a couple of festivals in Europe and he got up and played with us. There definitely no animosity there. It's just a matter of getting the time to do it where everyone is in the same geographic location. Personally, I would like to do another album as a four piece. It's fun and we can delve deep back into that catalog again. But for now, we're having a good time doing the three-piece deal.

KTVU.com: I imagine with the trio, the set list is going to mostly draw from the new album and '80s-era songs. Are you going to forgo the material that has Pepper singing for the most part?

Woody Weatherman: For the most part. There's a few nods to it. There's a song here and there that we can pull off, for instance the title track to the album Deliverance. Mr. Mike Dean handles the lead vocal duties on that, so that may make an appearance. There will be a few nods to that period of the band, but we're going to concentrate pretty heavily on the new one.

Corrosion of Conformity plays Slim's on Saturday, June 9, 8 p.m. $21 with Gaza, Black Cobra and Torche.