Live Review: eyehategod – Craufurs Arms, Milton Keynes
21st October 2023
Support: Raging Speedhorn, Verminthrone
Words: Cat Finch
Photos: Tim Finch
With a Saturday open in the calendar The Razor’s Edge team scan the gig listings and notice eyehategod are closing their UK tour at the Craufurd Arms in Milton Keynes with support from Raging Speedhorn. So what better way to spend a Saturday than with two of the heaviest bands on the planet?
The venue is sold out tonight in anticipation of this heavy weight tour and opening up the evening are Verminthrone. The room is packed before they even take to the stage and their brand of sludgecore is bound to enthral those in attendance. Their sound draws inspiration from tonight’s headliners and they get down and dirty with some sickening dark riffs and bass line that will shake your soul!
Now Raging Speedhorn shows are always unique, no matter how often you see them, each show will surprise you in one way or another. The last time they crossed our paths, they performed as a four piece, but this evening they are back to full strength with Frank recovering from a severe insect bite and Andy returning on bass duties.
‘Motorhead’ and ‘Fuck The Voodooman’ get things going early on with Dan his usual whirlwind on stage and those meaty riffs from Jim and Daf getting the blood pumping. ‘Hard To Kill’, ‘Hand of God’ and ‘Spitfire’ from the bands critically acclaim last album make appearances which demonstrates the bands heavier, sludgier side.
Throughout the evening the set is intersected with new songs, from their as yet unrecorded next album. The new material melds perfectly with the old following on from ‘Hard To Kill’ and shows just how string the band will be for years to come.
But it's down to the classics; ‘Superscud’ and ‘Thumper’ to close out a mesmeric show. A band on top of their game who can do no wrong.
By the time eyehategod take to the stage, you cannot move in the Craufurd Arms, the size of the crowd testament to the bands popularity. The show turns into an unrelenting onslaught of raw, unapologetic, and downright visceral energy. 'High Risk Trigger' sets the tone for an evening that would plunge the audience into the depths of sludgy, punishing metal. This song, like much of eyehategod's work, felt like a sonic battering ram to the senses, with frontman Mike Williams' guttural vocals and the band's crushing riffs invoking a sense of sonic chaos that was both unsettling and enthralling.
The band continued to serve up a heavy dose of their signature Southern sludge sound, with droning guitar feedback and relentless, pounding rhythms. The relentless 'Agitation! Propaganda!' further showcased Eyehategod's ability to conjure a sense of doom and despair with their music. What's fascinating about Eyehategod is their capacity to convey a visceral, raw emotional intensity through their sound, which was all too evident during 'New Orleans Is the New Vietnam.'
As the evening draws to an end we can look back at a show that from start to finished highlighted just how good very heavy music can be.
Photo credits: Tim Finch Photography
