Eyehategod

(Housecore)

It’s been nearly 15 years since Eyehategod released a record. The New Orleans quintet has had a rough run, with its latest gut-punch being the sudden death of drummer Joey LaCaze. The band pours years of pain and frustration into this eponymous release, attacking songs like a wrongfully convicted criminal confronting his framer. Singer Mike Williams directs his rage at complacency (“Quitter’s Offensive”), addiction (“Robitussin and Rejection”), and political skullduggery (“The Age of Bootcamp”) fully exerting his feral delivery. His bandmates grind out a surprisingly tuneful brand of sludge, shifting from burly aggrodoom on “Nobody Told Me” to speedy hardcore on “Agitation! Propaganda!” Offering plenty of catharsis, Eyehategod gives good acrimony.

***.5

This article appears in June 27 • 2014.

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Michael Toland started writing about music in 1988 on the Gulf Coast, moved to Austin in early 1991, and has inflicted bylines upon the corporeal and digital pages of Pop Culture Press, The Big Takeover, Blurt, Amplifier, Austin.citysearch, the Austin American Statesman, Goldmine, Sleazegrinder, Rock & Roll Globe, High Bias, FHT Music Notes, and, since 2011, The Austin Chronicle.