Woah, New Orleans, you really are spoiling us this year – Down, Crowbar and Eyehategod have each put out their respective releases following varying hiatuses and the world might just implode under the weight of all those riffs. Most surprising return to form, however, is Eyehategod; it seems 25 years of touring and substance abuse hasn’t left the band ravaged by the wayside as most would expect. It’s been 14 years since the release of ‘Confederacy of Ruined Lives’ and the break has clearly served Williams and co. well.
Their dirty, depraved, fast and raw sound hasn’t aged a day and Williams’ vocals are better than ever; volatile howls and scratchy low end choral segments erupt forth from the speakers on opener ‘Agitation! Propaganda!’ as the song charges forward at a relentlessly fast d-beat pace. Sure, this record can become monotonous at times, but variation isn’t what Eyehategod are famed for, the band are known and loved for their ability to consistently produce effortlessly powerful and memorable riffs and this self-titled opus is packing them by the bucket load.
‘Worthless Rescue’ is the heavyweight track to look out for, with lyrics such as “sometimes I’m stuck together, sometimes I come unglued” narrating the struggles the frontman faces with mental illness and drugs. People would be mistaken for thinking that Williams uses EHG as an outlet to exorcise his demons, this is purely a musical autobiography and listeners simply need to buckle up and experience the dark and miserable ride.
This is without a doubt EHG’s most entertaining release since 1996’s ‘Dopesick’ – the guitars produce riffs so fat they’re on the verge of heart failure, the drums provide the necessary cacophonous backdrops and Mike Williams’ voice hits completely new highs. Let’s just hope we don’t have to wait another 14 years for more of this.
(8/10 Angela Davey)
02/06/2014 at 8:29 am
Bought Down, bought Crowbar, guess I’ll have to grab this one and complete a triumvirate of NOLA sludge.