Artist: Eyehategod
Album: Eyehategod
Genre: Sludge/ Doom Metal
Release Date: 23rd May 2014
Label: Century Media Records
Album Review
There has been a lot of anticipation for metal albums in 2014 (and this has been since January) but one of the tops of the list is the legendary EYEHATEGOD'S self-titled, one of the considerable founders of the mixture of sludge/ hardcore/ and doom metal all lumped into one big package. It has been fourteen years since anyone has heard hide or hair of a studio album from them, and in their absence the ideas of sludge or hardcore music might have been a bit skewed by the other more mainstream (or un-mainstream) that have made quite an impression on the average listener today. It should be noted that this band does not do average chug-a-thon and grunting enjoyable music like HATEBREED or drone on and on with crashing atmosphere with drawn out songs like HEAVY LORD. This is more old school, almost punk crusted metal with touches of hardcore and doom metal. The tracks are short, direct, aggressive, and basic, but even after more than ten years in the dark, one can go back as early as 1992 and say that EYEHATEGOD still has the ability to create a good album.
It should be noted that this is also the last album to feature Joe LaCaze on the drums, who delivers an excellent performance with his band mates (sadly LaCaze passed away in late 2013 before he could see the work released). Like most sludge metal albums, the music here is raw, gritty and not of crisp and clear production. The vocals right off the bat on ‘Agitation! Propaganda!’ are a bit buried in the guitars and drums with the bass rumbling away like a monster awakened, but it isn't so poor that it is demo quality. The shouts, high pitched and throaty definitely accentuate the emotional output of this band. Tracks like ‘Pariah Motel Sickness’ feature memorable chugging riffs that are more drawn out than the others and have doom metal qualities while retaining a good speed versus other tracks like ‘Framed To The Wall’ which is faster, more punk oriented, and definitely one of the more hardcore songs of the album. One can definitely understand why Phil Anselmo of DOWN and his own solo work praises EYEHATEGOD as an influence on his work. Some of the vocal patterns on this song even match. ‘Flags and Cities Bound’ try to change things up by opting for a very slow pace with more spoken word lines and, without the aggressive chugging all the time, the drums sound their best. This is probably one of the doomier songs of the album with a biting perspective that would appeal to fans of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE.
Yes it is true that 'Eyehategod' is not going to be awarded for its technicality, or production, or thought provoking lyrics. Most of the fans will probably just be grateful these guys decided to create another album so many years later. Older metal fans will find this raw ball of energy fun and honest while the younger fans may take some adjusting to the furious and crushing elements that are- no pun intended- out of their own elements. EYEHATEGOD will take a few spins before one can truly appreciate the depth of their seemingly shallow work, but it definitely grows on the ears. It is hard to find music that isn't raw and trying to stay away from being caged into a particular genre formula or hit cloning sound, but EYEHATEGOD have avoided that trap so far- perhaps in their absence they were spared from such fates. The end result for EYEHATEGOD'S return is a reminder that 90s metal can still reign solid and that “original” sludge hardcore is ready to dirty things up again with an even heavier sound than before.
Tracklist
01. Agitation! Propaganda! - 2:23
02. Trying to Crack the Hard Dollar - 3:02
03. Parish Motel Sickness - 3:41
04. Quitter's Offensive - 3:45
05. Nobody Told Me - 3:39
06. Worthless Rescue - 3:57
07. Framed to the Wall - 3:27
08. Robitussin and Rejection - 3:38
09. Flags and Cities Bound - 7:10
10. Medicine Noose - 3:22
11. The Age of Bootcamp - 5:10
Line-up
Jimmy Bower- Guitars
Mike Williams- Vocals
Brian Patton- Guitars
Gary Mader- Bass
Joe LaCaze- Drums
Website
http://www.eyehategod.ee/
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 7
Sound: 8
Total: 7.5 / 10
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