CORROSION OF CONFORMITY SOLD OUT LAS VEGAS SHOW at THE USUAL PLACE with DARK CHAPEL, SONOLITH and PAPSMEAR

Jo Anna Jackson Words and Photos
4 days ago
3 min read

Corrosion of Conformity returned to Las Vegas for their 2025 tour, full of piss and vinegar for a SOLD OUT headlining show at The Usual Place downtown, and the line was wrapped around the block in the hour before the doors opened, fans ready to hear some southern metal from the NC legendary COC. The show featured support from Dark Chapel, a project from Dario Lorena that is getting all kinds of love in Vegas, and also more Vegas metal with Sonolith and Papsmear.

Papsmear started off the night after most of the line got into the building, and were met with a roar as the show kicked into gear. Papsmear is a heavy thrash band from Las Vegas, who formed in 1985 and "still going strong today!" The band is noted for their 1986 demo Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas, and line up now is vocalist Paul French, Eric Thompson, Jeff Murphy, and David Schiller from what I can find. vegas loves our local metal, and the band really got the energy up to get the night started.

Sonolith is another Las Vegas band, and they pummeled the crowd with their instrumental stoner doom metal set. Self described as "Low Vibration Music For High Vibration Humans", the band has a super heavy groove and fit well with the line up for the night. The band has several albums out, most recently Sonolith III, check out more and listen to Sonolith HERE.

Dark Chapel is led by Vegas' Dario Lorena (Black Label Society) and has really made an impact since their debut album, Spirit in the Glass (on MNRK Heavy) earlier this year, and it was a treat to see them again before they head out on tour with Zakk Sabbath. The band enlists Dylan Dyce on guitar, Mike Gunn on bass, and Luis Silva on drum to complete the lineup, and gave the crowd a dazzling set of songs from the new record. The grungy riff driven songs create a 'dark' ambiance, and Lorena's soulful voice give a moody melancholy to the music.

Dark Chapel has a new single out, "Sign of Life", and a deluxe vinyl edition of Spirit in the Glass out now - the Laguna EcoMix variant special edition adds two brand-new tracks, “Hit of Your Love” and “Echoes of a Stone Heart II, ” and comes pressed on striking blue vinyl. The expanded version will also be available digitally and includes “Sign of Life” as a third bonus track. More on the band and upcoming tour HERE and how to get this new release HERE.

Corrosion of Conformity is near and dear to my heart being a Raleigh girl, who grew up seeing them in town the early 80's, through the years to the incarnation now. The band has had changes over the years, from thrash to a more bluesy sludgy metal, and still bring a down home lineup led by founder Woody Weatherman, and Pepper Keenan who became frontman and vocalist in 1995. Now the touring group is rounded out with Bobby Landgraft on bass and Jason Patterson on drums, and the Vegas show was fire.

After hearing "Rock Soldiers" through the club PA, COC took the stage and "Bottom Feeder" kicked off the set and the Vegas crowd was loud and ready. COC's heavy riffing, southern sludge metal hit with the crowd, and everyone was singing and drinking with many fists in the air, just a magnificent night. "Whose Got The Fire", "13 Angels", and "Vote With A Bullet" I was glad to hear, and Keenan spoke of Ace Frehley and dedicated "Albatross" to the guitarist, as the crowd roared. "Clean My Wounds" really brought the set home, and left the fans hot, exhausted, and more than satisfied.

COC has released a special jam-session version Of FREE's 'Fire And Water', while recording their forthcoming new double album, Forever Amplified. The record is in post production, and set for release in early 2026, the first with bassist Landgraft since the departure of Mike Dean, and with drummer Stanton Moore.

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY is currently on a North American tour supporting JUDAS PRIEST and Alice Cooper, and continues through October 26. More on Corrosion of Conformity HERE.

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY is currently on a North American tour supporting JUDAS PRIEST and Alice Cooper, and continues through October 26. More on Corrosion of Conformity HERE.

Corrosion of Conformity Photos Jo Anna Jackson / StardogPhotos.com