For the past four years, Corrosion of Conformity has been a cult band that didn't really exist: After being one of the first groups in the mid-'80s to combine heavy metal with hard-core punk, the group took a lengthy hiatus. Now, with a revamped lineup, C.O.C. has emerged with its third LP, Blind, and taken metalcore to yet another new level. ''Damned for All Time'' brings an electrified tribal pound to a '60s acid-rock groove, while ''Echoes in the Well'' oozes along at a slow, nightmarish crawl. C.O.C.'s lyrics sparkle too — lines like ''Power is the heroin of the small-minded man'' (from ''Great Purification'') are both earthy and eloquent, and ''Vote With a Bullet'' is a fierce, brutally twisted attack on Sen. Jesse Helms, who comes from the quintet's home base of North Carolina. Smart, political, and intensely moody, C.O.C. once again is a driving force on the outer limits of heavy metal, where major bands like Metallica originally made their mark. A
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