Corrosion of Conformity’s Mike Dean Leaves Band, Shares Statement

Founding Corrosion of Conformity bassist and vocalist Mike Dean has shared a statement announcing his departure from the band.

Guitarist Woodroe Weatherman and frontman Pepper Keenan shared a post on social media regarding Dean’s decision, noting that they are “in full support” of the bassist’s choice and his future endeavors. Additionally, they assured that Corrosion of Conformity will continue and confirmed that they’ll have a new album out in 2025.

The statement from Dean was included in their post.

“Recently I made a decision to step away from Corrosion of Conformity, a band started 40 odd years ago by Reed Mullin, Woody Weatherman and myself. I’m extremely proud of everything we’ve done together, and look forward to hearing more from the band going forward,” he wrote.

The bassist explained that “time, distance, side projects and life in general,” as well as the death of Mullin in 2020, have all made it more difficult for him to work with his bandmates since they live far apart. However, he plans to start a new project where he currently resides, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

“Also, I look forward to continuing to record and produce other artists,” he continued. “All the best to Woodroe, Pepper and COC crew, and most importantly, many big thanks to all the fans of all iterations of the band, who have made this real for all of these years.”

See the post to read the full statements from both parties below.

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As mentioned in his statement, Dean co-founded Corrosion of Conformity in 1982. After the releases of Eye for an Eye (1984) and Animosity (1985), Dean left in ’87, and then returned to the group in the mid-’90s. He remained in the band ever since, aside from their hiatus in the late 2000s.

The group’s last full-length release, No Cross No Crown, came out in 2018. We don’t currently have any other details on its follow-up, other than Weatherman describing the material as “brutal sounding” to Eonmusic in May of 2023.