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Acid Bath is Back: A History Through Controversy and Tragedy, by Braeden Pelko

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On October 15, the Sick New World festival in Las Vegas, Nevada announced its lineup of bands for 2025. The festival is set to be headlined by Metallica and Linkin Park with a multitude of other bands playing. Such other acts include Queens of the Stone Age, Evanescence, Gojira and a whole list of other notable names. However, to the shock of many people (including myself) it was announced that the band Acid Bath was reuniting to perform for the first time in 28 years.


The reason why Acid Bath’s appearance on the lineup is so monumental is because it was said to be completely impossible for them to get back together. The notability of the band includes a long history of tragedy and controversy. To begin with, the initial run of Acid Bath is now something referred to as the stuff of legend. 


They formed in 1991 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The members of the original formation of the band included eccentric front man Dax Riggs, guitarists Sammy “Pierre” Duet and Mike Sanchez, drummer Jimmy Kyle and bassist Audie Pitre. The sound of Acid Bath was inspired by many thrash metal and death metal bands that came before them. The biggest difference between them and the bands that inspired them was the particular tone of guitars and pace of the music.


While thrash and death metal often have an emphasis on speed, Acid Bath focused more on mid paced and slower tempos contrasted with growling vocals and an extremely distorted guitar tone. In fact, the tone was so distorted and revolutionary at the time that Acid Bath became pioneers of a new metal subgenre now known as sludge metal. The term “sludge” was in direct reference to guitar tone, and many bands heard that tone in their music. The overall mood of the music is very melancholic, almost like an extremely heavy grunge. The vocals sometimes go very soft in contrast to loud shouting, creating an interesting dichotomy of sound. They have since influenced countless new sludge metal bands. 


Acid Bath’s discography is incredibly small, only consisting of two albums and a few demos. Their debut album, released in 1994, was entitled When the Kite String Pops. This album was the kickstarter to their influential career in the underground metal scene, but was also what made them controversial. The album itself is an absolute monster, consisting of 14 tracks and a runtime of over an hour long. Their second album, Paegan Terrorism Tactics, was released in 1996, garnering more favorable reviews by fans and critics of the first album. The attractiveness of the albums were of course from their new and innovative sound, but also from the lyrics and song titles themselves. Song names on When the Kite String Pops like Finger Paintings of the Insane and Cassie Eats Cockroaches were titles that would attract listeners, like myself, to see what it was all about. However, in the songs lies an origin of the band’s controversies. A lot of lyrical themes depict graphic stories of violence, mental illness and drug use. Although these themes might seem unattractive to many people, they instead use these ideas in a philosophical sense and let the listener digest them at their discretion.


Controversy surrounding lyrics is one thing, but arguably the most controversial aspect was the artworks used for both of their albums. The cover art for When the Kite String Pops features a painting of a clown made by infamous serial killer John Wayne Gacy. Paegan Terrorism Tactics continued the cover art controversies, using a painting done by Jack Kevorkian, a prolific proponent of human euthanasia. This caused an outcry from critics arguing that the albums promoted violence and should be blacklisted. However, their record label put out a statement defending the band’s decisions. These controversies surrounding lyrics and cover art catapulted Acid Bath to cult status among the underground metal scene, a status they have maintained since. 















Acid Bath had many album covers that sparked controversy.


Despite picking up traction, an abrupt tragedy struck the band on January 23, 1997. Bassist Audie Pitre and his entire family were driving in Louisiana when they were suddenly hit by a drunk driver. Pitre died in the collision along with both his parents - his brother was the only survivor.  Following the accident, the band tried to continue with a different bass player but simply couldn’t, causing the band to break up. 


Following the dissolution of Acid Bath, every surviving member went their separate ways. Dax Riggs began a solo career and briefly joined the band Agents of Oblivion along with guitarist Mike Sanchez. Other guitarist Sammy Duet joined the blackened death metal band Goatwhore directly after the breakup and had a brief stint in another prominent sludge metal act, Crowbar.


Rumors of a reunion with the surviving members remained prevalent for decades after the breakup. However, former members always refuted the allegations, often saying there was no way a reunion would happen. So, it’s clear why this reunion following the Sick New World lineup announcement is so massive to fans of the band.


The reunited lineup consists of surviving members Riggs, Duet and Sanchez, along with Alex Bergeron, formerly of Agents of Oblivion, on bass, and Zack Simmons of Goatwhore on drums. The reunion looks to be a one time show, but speculation of a U.S. tour is beginning to circulate online. Other than their Sick New World, it was announced on October 23 that they will be playing at the Sonic Temple Festival in Columbus, Ohio. Many are holding out for a tour announcement and possibly new music. Personally, I can’t wait to see what this legendary band has in store for the future. 



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