EYEHATEGOD
17th November 2019
Whammy! Bar, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Cameron Miller. Feature photograph by Mark Derricutt.
“I think my throat is bleeding.”
So said Slumbug singer Jessica Patton, providing an early mission statement for a night of bleakly gleeful self-destruction. The preceding revelation being that Patton was delivering her set-piercing shrieks all through a case of tonsillitis.
You couldn’t ask for more dedication than that, and you couldn’t ask for more fitting openers to fearsome sludge legends Eyehategod. Slumbug themselves having a steadily bubbling reputation in the Auckland underground, evidenced by the unusually dense crowd for a Sunday evening local slot. They never disappoint, and in fact seem to get better every time I see them. The band’s sound takes the thick, bottom heavy sludge template and blends in an array of influences from desert rock to Riot Grrrl punk. Patton is chameleonic, shifting from swaggering rock growls, to aggressive punk chants on the virtues of masturbation, to trippy wordless stoner mantras reminiscent of Sleep’s Matt Pike. Bassist Lucy Katt holds it all together with scuzz and groove, underlying Cara Tinsley’s bombastic pounding on the kit. As the only kiwis on the lineup, Slumbug did us proud.
Australian multi-genre metallers Black Rheno took the stage next, played on through the PA by a hilariously atrocious rendition of ‘My Heart Will Go On’ on the recorder. This tendency to take the piss out of themselves was immediately endearing and proved to be a running theme. Vocalist Ryan Miller rushed onto the stage, belting out a raspy roar that was at times Phil Anselmo of Pantera, at others Jens Kidman of Meshuggah. These, and other large bald screamy dudes, often aim to appear intimidating, leaning imposingly over the crowd, grimacing and scowling. Miller cuts through the machismo with an exuberant lack of self-consciousness, flailing limbs around happily, leaping about, between songs joking affably with the crowd. He dominated the stage presence while remaining genuinely likeable, and this charisma for me was needed at times to carry the show. Black Rheno play “stoner sludge punk grind groove metal,” which is way too many styles at once to pull any of them off with real depth. The musicianship was well executed, and the songs arrested the crowd’s attention enough to keep the heads banging and bodies moshing from section to section; but I forgot each song as soon as it was over, and I kept wishing each grindy bit, each breakdown, each hard rock groove would stay a little longer to develop into something special. Black Rheno reliably make an impact but are in too much of a rush to leave a real impression. It’s important to note, though, that they invited an audience member onto the stage to take part in a grindcore cover of the Captain Planet theme song. This alone would be worth the price of admission.
If both opening acts had committed every effort to impressing the audience, the only word for Eyehategod was effortless. The New Orleans veterans claimed the stage and tore the roof off Whammy with a casual confidence born of decades perfecting their craft. The band have been reluctant to accept the credit often bestowed upon them as the progenitors of the swampy mix of doom, hardcore and blues rock called sludge metal. What is certain is that the transition from the opening acts was the shift from bands still developing their voice to a band that completely inhabits it, from the influenced to the influencers. It was going from a heady mix of ideas to a cohesive mission, distilled and aged like potent Southern liquor.
The style is far away from the feelgood chaos of Black Rheno. Eyehategod’s live experience is a chaotic one, but also woozy and oppressive. That appallingly heavy guitar tone weighing on you like the humid air, punctuated by scraping squalls of feedback, and Mike Williams’ iconic jagged, rasping screams. It all feels loose, like it could collapse into a shuddering heap at any moment, a vibe helped immensely by the relaxed pocket of drummer Aaron Hill. The front rows respond like drunks, heaving to and fro, falling over one another, slamming and stumbling, swapping sweat and bruises. Eyehategod live up to the name, summoning nihilism, desperation and the threat of violence.
Which is not to say the atmosphere is without warmth. The band are relaxed and friendly between songs, frankly appreciative of the rapt reception from the uproarious audience. Williams leans easily on the mic stand and throws out wry asides and pitch-black jokes. Asked how we are in real life, “nah, pretty shit aye,” comes floating up from the back rows. “We hear that a lot at our shows,” Williams responds. “Don’t kill yourself yet, we’ve got more to play.” They very much do, treating the fans to a full set and not one but two crushing encores.
I kept thinking about that exchange after the show. There’s something redemptive in that dynamic, people who’ve had hard times playing cathartically nasty music for people with their own struggles. Judging by the grins of the crowd queueing after for much needed water or the fans climbing on stage for a picture with the band, somewhere in there is a recipe for a glimpse of real happiness.
Were you there at Whammy! Bar for this brutal sludge metal gig? Or have you seen EYEHATEGOD perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- New Orleans Is The New Vietnam
- Jack Ass In The Will Of God
- Parish Motel Sickness
- Blank
- Shop Lift
- Nobody Told Me
- Agitation! Propaganda!
- Sisterfucker I
- Sisterfucker II
- Medicine Noose
- $30 Bag
- Lack Of Almost Everything
- Take As Needed For The Pain
- Masters Of Legalized Confusion
- Serving Time In The Middle Of Nowhere
- Left To Serve
- Methamphetamine
- Run It Into The Ground
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