MIKE DEAN On A Possible Return To CORROSION OF CONFORMITY: "Never Say Never"

In a new interview with Drew Stone of The New York Hardcore Chronicles Live!, Corrosion of Conformity founding bassist Mike Dean addressed whether fans could ever see him rejoin the veteran sludge metal outfit after his 2024 departure.

"Never say never," Dean said. "Yeah, it's possible. I'm not opposed to it. It just seemed too cumbersome to make new music. They managed to make some new music [since my exit], so I'm glad for them. And I think their record's gonna sound good."

Following Dean's exit, C.O.C. enlisted Bobby Landgraf – former Down guitarist and current Pantera bass tech – to handle bass duties. Dean praised his replacement, noting that Landgraf "actually plays bass with his fingers" and "shows up every day."

"They got Bobby, who played guitar in Down, who, it turns out, is actually a real bass player," Dean continued. "He used to play bass in a band called Snakes of Central Texas, and he's a hard-working dude. He techs for Pantera and stuff like that. So he really shows up every day, and they're sounding good. So I'm glad for them. But never say never."

Dean went on to share that his creative focus has shifted to a new Raleigh-based project called Archaos, currently in the early stages of recording: "In the immediate, I've got this band called Archaos, and we're just getting started recording now," he said. "So that's kind of what I'm focused on—creating some stuff with them. And these are local guys, so we can just, 'Hey, you wanna rehearse?' And we rehearse, and we don't have to fly in from far corners of the country."

Dean initially announced his departure from Corrosion of Conformity on September 20, 2024, explaining that long-distance collaboration and the loss of drummer Reed Mullin made continuing difficult: "Ever since Reed drifted away from the band and then passed away, it's been difficult for me to collaborate on new material with bandmates who live hundreds of miles away,"

Dean said in his original statement. "I look forward to putting together a new Raleigh-based outlet to create new music with more alacrity and with more of an emphasis on my own ideas than in recent times."

At the time, Corrosion of Conformity's remaining members Pepper Keenan and Woody Weatherman expressed support for Dean's decision, confirming that new material was already in progress: "We are in full support of Dean's future endeavors," they wrote. "This book of Corrosion is not finished, nor will the train stop. New C.O.C. recording is well underway and will be released in 2025."