Album Review: Eyehategod - A History Of Nomadic Behavior
Reviewed by Richard Oliver
NOLA sludge legends Eyehategod are back with their first album in seven years titled A History Of Nomadic Behavior. Despite being around for 33 years Eyehategod have only released a total of six albums including this one as Eyehategod are a band that prove their worth on the road rather than on record with an eye watering and relentless touring schedule. Like all bands touring has been completely derailed for Eyehategod by the ongoing pandemic but this has given the band the opportunity to finish off the album which has been in the making for a good few years.
A History Of Nomadic Behavior sees Eyehategod doing exactly what you would expect of them. It is an album of few surprises but one that shows why Eyehategod are such an unrivalled band in the NOLA sludge scene. It is typically acerbic and nihilistic as well as venomous and unhinged. Eyehategod have always had a healthy mix of dirty blues, hardcore punk and Sabbath worship and that is very much the case here with the dirty Nola groove of songs such as High Risk Trigger, the acidic tones of Three Black Eyes with its stop-start riffage and the hardcore punk infused assault of The Outer Banks. Personal highlights for me included the filthy groove of Current Situation which has a belter of a riff from guitarist Jimmy Bower and the caustic attack of Every Thing, Every Day which sees vocalist Mike IX Williams in truly acidic form. Considering things were looking very bleak for Mike a few years back suffering from liver failure he sounds positively energised here with his trademark snarl in fine form.
Eyehategod have another solid album with A History Of Nomadic Behavior. It doesn’t really offer anything new to the plate but 33 years in Eyehategod don’t need to prove anything to anyone and they have a sound that is recognisably their own. For a fix of filthy NOLA sludge you can’t go wrong here.
ICYMI - Check out our interview with Mike here.
