Crushingly brutal
sludge band from
New Orleans. They are pioneers of the genre, which is characterized by
screaming walls of feedback,
thunderous detuned guitars,
throat-shredding howls, and a pace nearly equivalent to
how long it takes for cliffs to erode.
Eyehatehod was founded in
1988 in New Orleans - the scene at that time consisted mostly of fast
thrash bands like
Exhorder and bands playing
crossover. Eyehategod didn't conform to their surroundings - they played music that was slow, heavy, and painful. With influences from bands like
Black Sabbath,
St. Vitus,
Black Flag, and
The Melvins, they also added a healthy dose of
Lynyrd Skynyrd and traditional
delta blues. The result was slow, agonizing and heavy
punk rock that was strangely southern.
Eyehategod has gone through numerous line-up changes - oddly the consistency is the way the liner notes creatively describe each members place in the band. See the lineup from "
Confederacy of Ruined Lives":
Jim Bower -
Paranoid Disorientation and
Off-balance Motor Disturbance
Michael Williams -
Agitated Depression and
Ideopathic Psycho-Dissociative Phobia
Joe Lacaze -
Perceptual Distortion and
Anxious Neurotic Expansiveness
Danny Nick -
Hostile Belligerence and
Intropunitive Projection
Brian Patton -
Catatonic Thought Impairment and
Pathogenic Retardation
Vocalist Michael Williams has developed a unique style that's been imitated and copied by many other singers - a combination of immediately recognizable
bloody snarl and surreal,
stream of consciousness lyricism. His lyrics often examine unflinchingly the
dregs of humanity, and are usually filled with allusions to
misery,
drug addiction,
heartbreak,
misogyny, and
oppression. But rather than coming off
whiny and self-absorbed, Eyehategod is infused with a bitter, vitriolic
depression and hatred that is frightening and often painfully easy to relate to for many.
Eyehategod is definitely a love it or hate it affair. Some people (like myself) are enraptured by the
pounding, fuzzed-out agony they are able to deliver, while others are immediately turned off by it. It's worth your time to look into though.
EYEHATEGOD DISCOGRAPHY (through 2002)
"
In The Name of Suffering" full-length (1992,
Century Media)
"
Take As Needed For Pain" full-length (1993, Century Media)
"
Dopesick" full-length (1996, Century Media)
"
Ruptured Heart Theory" 7 inch EP (????,
Bovine Records)
"
Loud and Ugly" 7 inch EP (????, Bovine Records)
Split 7 inch with
13 (????,
Slap-A-Ham Records)
Split 7 inch with
Anal Cunt (????,
Hydra Head Records)
"
Southern Discomfort" full-length (2000, Century Media)
"
Confederacy of Ruined Lives full-length (2000, Century Media)
"
Ten Years of Abuse (and Still Broke)" full-length (2000, Century Media)
Numerous other compilation appearances, etc.