When the Kite String Pops (1994)

• Dax Riggs - Vocals
• Sammy Duet - Guitar
• Mike Sanchez - Guitar
• Audie Pitre - Bass
• Jimmy Kyle - Drums

With either of Acid Bath's two releases, you really can't go wrong, especially if you have an attraction to the Sabbath-drenched Louisiana swamp metal. All at once destructive, emotionally wrenching and as powerful as the remnants of that Cajun dinner you finished a few hours ago, Acid Bath possesses songwriting and playing ability miles beyond that of their brethen. While I prefer 1996's Paegan Terrorism Tactics to this, their debut, there is still quite a bit to recommend regardless. Much of Acid Bath's music is based around thick slabs of guitar warfare revolving around smooth tempo shifts. Meanwhile, vocalist Dax Riggs alternates between a tortured shriek and very strong, moody clean vocals. The somber dirge of "Scream of the Butterfly" is worthy of a chill down the spine. Other tracks like "Tranquilized" are almost booty-shaking material. The best thing about Acid Bath is that they never allow the album to stagnate or regale itself to samey-ness by mid-CD. You owe it to yourself to acquaint yourself with these chaps.

Paegan Terrorism Tactics (1994)

• Dax Riggs - Vocals
• Sammy Duet - Guitar
• Mike Sanchez - Guitar
• Audie Pitre - Bass
• Jimmy Kyle - Drums

Acid Bath's aural experience is akin to placing your head in a bucket of tar and inhaling deeply. Thicker than the air on a muggy southern swamp summer day (at noon, of course) and more of a journey through foggy nights, Lousiana's most underrated Acid Bath completely reminded me what it's all about with their second CD, Paegan Terrorism Tactics. Black Sabbath probably had no clue what they had wrought upon the world with their ultra-heavy vision, no idea that it could be taken to both the extreme of monstrous destruction and solemn edgy beauty. Paegan is a unique path for the listener to take and never once are you adhering to stagnation or boredom. The band's ability to mix somber, echoing passages of tense hollow angst with crushing blows to the cranium is uncanny. Singer Dax Riggs is obviously underrated and the most notable talent in the band. With his ability to scream like the most tortured soul in the depths of sorrow and croon like a morbid blues singer, Riggs carries a humongous weight on his shoulders without once dropping an ounce of the load. His other bandmates aptly move you through the passages of hate, disgust, mourning and tragedy with great ease. Simply put, this is an album that belongs in your collection.

Demos: 1993 - 1996 (2006)

• Dax Riggs - Vocals
• Sammy Duet - Guitar
• Mike Sanchez - Guitar
• Audie Pitre - Bass
• Jimmy Kyle - Drums

The hot, humid swamps of the Louisiana bayou, early 1993. Dax Riggs, Audie Pitre, Sammy Duet, Mike Sanchez and Jimmy Kyle drove from New Orleans to Orlando to record a demo for their band...aptly named, Acid Bath. What nobody knew was that they were about to pour the sonic foundation that dozens of bands would ultimately use to build their own houses on.

These recordings, namely the 12 demos contained within, are what the band had laid down and are almost like a mile marker as to how their sound developed, evolved and became the polar opposite of what was going on in the music industry at that time. Sit back, spin the volume knob to the right and let it burn...