Eyehategod

Eyehategod arose as a pivotal force in New Orleans sludge metal during the early 1990s, forging a raw, unyielding mix of doom-laden blues punk and bleak metal that placed them at the forefront of the city’s thriving underground. The group’s catalog began with the 1990 release In the Name of Suffering and has since built a devoted audience through powerful, disorienting albums such as Take as Needed for Pain (1993), Confederacy of Ruined Lives (2000), and A History of Nomadic Behavior (2021).

The band originated in New Orleans in 1988, swiftly rising within a regional sludgecore community alongside Crowbar and Down, all drawing heavily from Black Sabbath, Black Flag, and the Melvins. Guitarist Jimmy Bower and drummer Joe LaCaze founded the project, which expanded into a five-piece with vocalist Michael Williams, lead guitarist Brian Patton, and bassist Steve Dale. Their debut, the abrasive and intense In the Name of Suffering, appeared in 1992 on the French imprint Intellectual Convulsion. Once that label folded, Century Media reissued the album the same year and followed it with the sharper yet equally volatile Take as Needed for Pain in 1993, tracked with bassist Mark Schultz now aboard. After touring behind the record, the members entered an informal break: Bower played drums for Crowbar and joined the Southern metal supergroup Down, Patton collaborated with Soilent Green, and Williams contributed writing to Metal Maniacs.

Eyehategod reassembled in 1996, adding bassist Vince LeBlanc for the turbulent Dopesick, yet remained largely inactive afterward. Bower rejoined Crowbar for their 1998 album Odd Fellows Rest before returning to focus on Eyehategod, which issued several 7-inch singles on independent labels. Those tracks, plus live cuts and Dopesick outtakes, surfaced on the 2000 compilation Southern Discomfort, setting the stage for Confederacy of Ruined Lives later that year, with Daniel Nick handling bass duties.

The following decade saw the musicians pursue side projects while occasionally playing shows and releasing split singles and 7-inches; the 2001 live album 10 Years of Abuse (and Still Broke) fulfilled a Century Media contract. Williams faced narcotics-related arrest during this period and eventually overcame a prolonged heroin addiction. Drummer Joey LaCaze died in 2013, delivering his final studio performance on the self-titled 2014 comeback album, which marked their strongest commercial showing by charting across multiple Billboard lists and earning widespread praise.

Aaron Hill took over on drums, and the band spent the next two years touring in support. Health complications that later led to a 2016 liver transplant prompted Williams to step back temporarily, during which Phil Anselmo of Pantera and Down, along with Randy Blythe of Lamb of God, filled in as guest vocalists. Williams rejoined in 2018 to prepare the sixth studio album, resulting in the 2021 release A History of Nomadic Behavior.