FFO: EyeHateGod, Alice in Chains, Morbid Angel, Black Sabbath, Black Flag
For a while I took a break from hardcore, one or two years ago, and found myself going to more doom/stoner/sludge metal shows. 90% of the people I met at these shows would bring up Acid Bath. If you are familiar with doom metal at all this probably happened to you but finding their music was near impossible unless you actually wanted to buy a physical copy, but if your like me, you're not gonna buy the album when you haven't heard anything on it. Recently I decided to throw on some Crowbar and under the recommended artists on Spotify, guess who I saw. Thats right, Acid Bath, and now that I finally got the opportunity to listen to them I need to talk about them.
Let's start with a little history. Acid Bath were a band from the 90s that didn't last very long and didn't get much attention outside their home of the swampiest end of Louisiana. There's a reason and we'll get to that later. In the 90s New Orleans aka NOLA had some of the top notch sludge metal acts that are still active to this day, such as EyeHateGod, Crowbar, etc. While Acid Bath never claimed to be part of the NOLA scene, something about this area was influencing this style.
When you look at a promo pic of them, they look like an average 90s band but don't judge them on that. These guys never gave themselves a "true genre". Vocalist Dax Riggs would call them "death rock" or folk metal, while guitarist Sammy Duet (now active in Goatwhore) would often call them "gothic hardcore". Back when I had a Facebook, I was part of a Stoner/doom group and a running inside joke would be "What genre is Acid Bath?".
What makes this band so incredible and unique is they manage to combine sludge metal, death metal, black metal, grunge, blues, folk, and even gothic rock all into one. I'm not joking. They flip a switch from Incantation to Alice in Chains to EyeHateGod and it just leaves you saying wow. I could add at least 10 more bands to the FFO. A certain record label, Rotten Records, signed them and Acid Bath ended up releasing two LPs with them.
Now remember when I said it was hard to find their songs anywhere? Dax Riggs once said in an interview talking about Rotten Records that they were a "bad label"...which he said after signing with them. Speaking from my point of view, they seem very greedy and are afraid that by putting music out without making anyone pay for it they are throwing money out the window. Theyve responded to Youtube comments on the only Acid Bath music video, where people asked them to put Acid Bath on streaming services. They responded with "Spotify doesn't pay shit". Acid bath broke up '97 after the tragic death of bassist Audie Pitre, who died in a car accident, and ever since Rotten pretty much owned the name and did as they pleased. It was only recently that Rotten finally gave in and put Acid bath's two LPs on streaming services.
Now lets discuss these LPs
I'll go as far as saying When the Kite String Pops is one of the most important albums in metal history. I swear there's something for everyone in this album, I guarantee it would make hardcore kids kill each other and metal heads... well kill each other too. In no way would I call this album progressive but I told my old prog head coworkers to check it out and they loved it for the same reason I did. If you want to get a metal head into it, start with the song Jezebel which spontaneously starts with blast beats and an evil death metal riff thats pretty signature Sammy Duet. While the album as a whole keeps a sludge structure for the most part, you can't go threw it without having a "holy shit!" moment. Even the ballad, which I would say is my favorite track, Scream of the Butterfly. This is a slow gothic Alice in Chains song, but with eerie lyrics and even double bass, its insane that they make this work. The album weighs in at over an hour but every second is worth it. If I'm listening to an album that long, its usually something shoegazing or pretty like post metal or something. This album ain't either of those.
Now as for LP numero dos, Paegan Terrorism Tactics. When it comes to the artwork, this one is definitely the better one done by Dr. Jack Kevorkian (Kite String was done by John Wayne Gacy while in prison awaiting execution, the label made them use the artwork while the band actually hated it). Now this album is more melodic than the previous but still maintains the same influences...maybe more on the grunge side, but still a strong metal/hardcore presence. Same deal really hardcore kids and metal kids can both get down but what really sticks out about this one are the slower acoustic ballads. again with the chill Alice in Chains vibes but it really makes you think that its an Acid Bath thing, especially when you listen to this after Kite String. Again one moment will be Crowbar, then switches to Morbid Angel, then Black Sabbath, yeah you get it. While I prefer Kite String, Paegan Terrorism Tactics is still a ride you won't forget, guess you could say two sides of the same coin. Most doom fans will tell you to just listen to/buy both albums anyway, even before you hear them.
Overall with all the hype I heard about this band, they live up to every expectation I had. Members are often asked if a reunion is possible and the answer is usually the same. "There's no Acid Bath without Audie". After a while the band got tired of playing the same songs and after Pitre's passing only played live a couple times and they say it just wasn't the same. Dax Riggs ended up forming a few bands in a less metal style before ultimately persuing a solo career while Sammy duet went on to be in Crowbar then formed Goatwhore which he is still active with. While I don't have any hopes of a reunion, I wouldn't be opposed to it.
