Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar, The Obsessed, Mothership

On last year’s No Cross No Crown—the first Corrosion of Conformity album since 2005’s In the Arms of God to feature vocalist and guitarist Pepper Keenan—the long-running band proved it still had new directions to take its fusion of stoner metal, hardcore, and hard rock. On Friday, the ever-evolving band makes a hometown stop on a headlining tour, joined by a trio of acts that each feel representative of specific elements of COC’s mighty brew. New Orleans stalwarts Crowbar dig deep into sludgy belligerence, fusing the menace of later Black Flag with the gloom of Black Sabbath. Maryland’s proto-doom icons The Obsessed offer a clearer through line to heavy metal pioneers like Sabbath and Blue Cheer, while Texas outfit Mothership digs into heavy psych and stoner-rock like a spaced-out Kyuss. —Bryan C. Reed