Thomas Michael Dean (born August 24, 1963) is an American musician, best known as the bassist and occasional vocalist of heavy metal band Corrosion of Conformity. He is also a member of Lightning Born, a four-piece out of Raleigh, North Carolina, formed in 2016.
Dean sang on Corrosion of Conformity's early recordings from their crossover thrash era before leaving the band in 1987. In 1989, Dean, along with C.O.C. guitarist Woody Weatherman and Brian Walsby on drums, released the Snake Nation album via Caroline Records.[1] Dean rejoined C.O.C. as the bassist and occasional vocalist in 1993 and remained with the band until 2024. From 2010 through 2020, the original lineup of Corrosion of Conformity consisting of Dean, Reed Mullin, and Woody Weatherman, were again performing and recording as a three-piece, until Mullin's death in 2020. In 2024, Dean announced that he was stepping away from Corrosion of Conformity to pursue new opportunities in music.[2]
Along with several production and engineering credits, Dean also collaborated with Dave Grohl on the Probot song "Access Babylon", a return to the punk/metal fusion of old. He was also the producer and engineer for Vampire Circus, an album by Maryland-based doom metal band Earthride released in 2005 by Southern Lord Records. He served as touring bassist for Vista Chino in 2013 and played bass on the song "As You Wish" on Vista Chino's 2013 album Peace.
