Ex-CORROSION OF CONFORMITY Singer Debuts KARL AGELL'S BLIND; Video, Photos Available

A video clip of KARL AGELL'S BLIND, the new project of former CORROSION OF CONFORMITY/current LEADFOOT vocalist Karl Agell, performing the C.O.C. classic "Dance of the Dead" this past Saturday, January 6 at the Winter Metalfest at the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh, NC has been posted online at Away-Team.com. Also available at the same location are several photos of the group's performance, which included renditions of songs from C.O.C.'s classic "Blind" album from 1991 along with a few of the band's favorite cover tunes thrown in. (Note: All photos were taken by Dave Rogers.)

In a recent interview with The Independent Weekly, Agell spoke about his stint with C.O.C. back in the late '80s and early '90s and the evolution in the band's sound from hardcore punk sound to crossover punk/metal style.

"I was joining a pretty serious institution, and the reputation and logo that preceded them was important," he said. "I had no preconceived notions of doing anything other than holding down the job. But it was an interesting point in that band's evolution. We were all old hardcore punk guys, and we brought that punk attitude and political bent. But we were also in admiration of the whole hard rock and metal thing, the sheer heaviness of METALLICA and SLAYER and VENOM."

The crossover tendencies of his sole album with CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, "Blind", met mixed reviews, confusing metal fans and alienating some of the band's longtime followers in hardcore circles. As Agell put it, "Singing was considered a no-no in the punk community, and you were supposed to be gruff and yell. I realized I had a voice, so I said, 'What the hell?'"

KARL AGELL'S BLIND features Agell alongside fellow LEADFOOT members Scott Little (guitar),Paul Walz (bass) and Bill Eagen (drums),as well as John Pereksta on guitar (who had to bow out of the Jan. 6 show at the last minute due to illness and was replaced by "TR").

Agell stated, "Fans are always encouraging me to play those old tunes from the 'Blind' record. There's a lot of great songs on that record, many that haven't been performed live in almost 15 years. It's time to bring some of those tunes out of the vault and play them again. . . We'll eventually add more from the record to future shows that we'll be doing in the coming year. We're having fun with it."

In addition to KARL AGELL'S BLIND, Winter Metalfest included performances by WIDOW, AUTOMAG, THE FIFTH (featuring ex-COLD SWEAT vocalist Rory Cathey),STRYCHNINE SOUL, BULLY, HERE LIES… (featuring members of DREAMSCAPES OF THE PERVERSE, BLATANT DISARRAY and BLOODWRITTEN),BROADSLAB and BLACKWATCH.