For this Nine Circles ov…list, I wanted to highlight one of my favorite bands of all time: New Orleans sludge masters Eyehategod. Formed in 1988, the band truly sit on the throne of the downtrodden and down-tuned, with a storied past involving drugs, prison, hurricanes, countless side projects and, sadly, a fallen brother, in original drummer Joey Lacaze (RIP). Somehow, some way, the band never truly finds itself down for the count, and with their last year’s self-titled full length, they further proved they don’t give a rip about anything except being the most vicious sludge troop on the planet.

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“Depress” (from In the Name of Suffering, 1992)

This track was the first from Eyehategod’s debut album, and my initial intro to the band. From the screeching feedback opening to the dueling, down-tuned guitar and bass, this song set the tone for the band as we know it. With a bit of punk attitude thrown in halfway through, it’s hard not to get hooked by this nasty, hate-fueled display.

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“30$ Bag” (from Take As Needed for Pain, 1993)

The band really found their calling on Take As Needed. An infectious riff and a bit of reverb start things off, before Mike IX Williams gets down to his caustic vocal business. Speeds range from all-out war to slow and dense, and the tones of the guitar and bass on this track are unrivaled. It’s amazing after all these years to listen to this thing and hear where it all started.

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“Kill Your Boss” (from Take As Needed for Pain, 1993)

Have to include another track from this album, as it was a true landmark for the band. The band’s collective look on life shines through here; by this time they’d all been through the ringer in life, and it shows in the vitriolic delivery of the vocals and the almost doomy speed of the accompanying music.

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“International Narcotic” (from Preaching the “End-Time” Message, 2005)

A lot of people took a dump on this compilation, and I don’t really know why. This track was one of three then-new tunes to make the cut, and while the production is a little off from their other releases, it fits the punishing drum sound and hissing bass lines perfectly. Some throat-tearing vocals from Mike IX, mixed with some lower-toned, spoken delivery make for a mindfuck unheard of to this point in the band’s career.

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“Parish Motel Sickness” (from Eyehategod, 2014)

Fourteen years is a long time for any band between full-length releases, but what a ripper of a comeback this was. All the standard, downtrodden sludge is there but with a larger-than-life sound. Mike’s vocals are still gravelly, but carry a more clarity in his delivery; from the first spin, you know “sometimes I come unglued” is precisely where his head is at. This feedback drenched track was exactly what I’d been waiting for.

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“Jack Ass in the Will of God” (from Confederacy of Ruined Lives, 2000)

This song rides a hard line between a straight-ahead rocker and the sludge the band is known for. The riff at 0:44 hangs around until the end and is simply infectious. The drums are at their loudest, and the crashing cymbals make a huge impression in the architecture of the song. Ultra-crunchy guitars and a thicker-than-mud bass line propel this one to the top of the pile amongst their rockers.

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“Dixie Whiskey” (from Dopesick, 1996)

A long-standing favorite of mine for the way the guitars and drums collide into a wreck of epic proportions. The band show their love of Sabbath well here, but also throw hints of The Melvins around, and meld these influences to perfection. This one has always felt like a drug binge of a tune, and no collection would be complete without this track or album.

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“Self Medication Blues” (from Confederacy of Ruined Lives, 2000)

Here, the band let their Sabbath flag fly, starting out with an Iommi-influenced riff that never once loses momentum. This one’s always felt Iike such a monster of a track, and has always been an epic display of the power of this band. As always with EHG, the bass can literally rattle the windows and with the low tuned guitars at full force, it’s like a twin attack on the senses.

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“The Age of Bootcamp” (from Eyehategod, 2014)

This track first appeared on Preaching the “End-Time” Message, but this re-recording boasts slicker production that really brings out the guitar tones. The drumming is louder and Mike’s vocals sound more hateful than ever. The riff through the chorus is a wet dream for any sludge fan: drenched in feedback and absolutely perfect.

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The Nine Circles ov Eyehategod on Spotify

-Josh