Five years on from the release of "America's Volume Dealer" a great deal has changed in the world, the majority of which has been for the worse. For the political subversive, events in North America alone, least of all the rest of the world, should make for a delectable smorgers board of topics when it comes time to write material for your new album. Messer's Keenan, Weatherman and Dean have never been backwards in coming forwards when expressing their out look of the world and their place within it. So it proves again with COC's 8th studio album "In the Arms of God".

The crossover days of "Blind" are nowhere to be seen, but have been replaced with a more in your face rock vibe. The years have not mellowed these southern boys however, just the style of attack has changed. A little less obvious, but no less in your face. "In the Arms of God" is filled with layer upon layer of emotion and warmth, but scratch the surface and beneath you'll find an album darker and more emotive than we have heard in many a long day. The dual guitar assault and Keenan's southern vocal drawl work in such harmony that it is impossible not to be overwhelmed by the sheer creativity of each song. With Mike Dean and new drummer Stanton Moore providing a rock solid rhythm section, Woody Weatherman's ten ton riffs are allowed the platform to truly flourish.

"In the Arms of God" has all the grandeur and assurance to become a classic, not only of it's time but within this genre of music as a whole. When an album opens with a track as colossal as "Stonebreaker" you know that what must follow has some way to go to maintain such a standard. What follows is just that; an album of mammoth proportions. The record works so well due to the collective tightness of all the songs, while stunning in their own right, collectively they make the album a juggernaut of emotive, passion fuelled metal. COC never one's for over complication have a beautifully crafted album chocked full of sensitivity yet so simplistic in it's delivery.