30 Years of Pain: Eyehategod at Red Flag 04.27.23

Photo of Eyehategod by Nathan Tucker

Eyehategod w/ Goatwhore and Hot Corpse | 04.27.23, 8:00 PM | Red Flag, 3040 Locust Street | All ages | $20

This Thursday, pioneering sludge metal band Eyehategod will bring their trademark brand of Cajun nihilism to Red Flag. The band is celebrating the upcoming 30th anniversary of their landmark sophomore release, Take as Needed for Pain, released on September 9th, 1993.

Take as Needed for Pain arrived at a pivotal moment for the American underground. As the golden age of American punk had run its course, hardcore-influenced bands began experimenting with noise, distortion, and the slow, lumbering tempos that give sludge metal its namesake. The American South was something of an epicenter for this shift, with acts like Eyehategod and Corrosion of Conformity taking cues from their homeland’s rich blues tradition, creating a uniquely American take on the classic Black Sabbath doom metal formula.

Take as Needed for Pain

As innovative as the music itself was, Eyehategod’s utterly nihilistic worldview, communicated through the unsettling, abstract lyrics and inimitable (and often unintelligible) vocal stylings of Mike “IX” Williams. Every song on Take as Needed for Pain paints a disturbed portrait of people living far beyond the margins of society, their minds and bodies ravaged from the years of abuse, humiliation, and self-medication the album title insinuates (“Breast fed from a dog/Since the day I was born/Severe allergic infection/Narcotic induced hypothermia,” from the title track). Few albums have so vividly expressed the lived reality of suffering greatly in the land of opportunity, and the album’s message resonates powerfully to this day.

The band’s lineup for the upcoming tour will consist of Eyehategod’s two remaining original members—vocalist Mike “IX” Williams and guitarist Jimmy Bower—as well as bassist Gary Mader, who joined the band in 2001, and drummer Aaron Hill, who joined in 2013. Although the band has only released six studio albums over their 30+ years together, they have toured nationally or internationally virtually every year since the release of their first album, In the Name of Suffering, in 1992. This Thursday’s show at Red Flag will mark almost a year to the day since the band’s last performance in St. Louis, also at Red Flag, on April 15th, 2022; they have also headlined multiple shows at Fubar and Pop’s over the years.

Goatwhore

Joining Eyehategod on their upcoming tour are fellow New Oleanders Goatwhore, the band whose name just gets better every time you say it. Formed in 1996, Goatwhore consists of guitarist Sammy Duet, vocalist Ben Falgoust, drummer Zack Simmons, and bassist Nathan Bergeron. The band plays a breakneck fusion of black, death, and thrash metal, combining the blasphemous themes, speed, and raw intensity of all three genres into one mighty potent gumbo. They are currently touring in support of their most recent album, Angels Hung from the Arches of Heaven, which was released in October of last year.

Goatwhore is also notable for its connections to many other great Louisiana metal acts: guitarist Sammy Duet was in both Acid Bath and Crowbar, and Ben Falgoust is also the vocalist for Soilent Green. The upcoming tour with Eyehategod will be their first time playing in St. Louis since a 2016 set at Fubar. They have played Pop’s six times since 2002, and also played twice at the Creepy Crawl, the now-closed downtown music club that was located at Tucker and Washington (RIP).

Hot Corpse

Local support for the show will come courtesy of Hot Corpse, whose fusion of speed metal and hardcore punk should be a fitting aperitif for Goatwhore. Formed in October 2021, the band consists of guitarists Mike Highfill and Nick Muckerman, bassist Derek Rife, drummer Josh Skibar, and vocalist Erik Oxnard. Its members have connections to several other St. Louis metal and hardcore projects, including Path of Might, Mystic Will, and Life Sucks.

Hot Corpse released a two-song demo recording, Summer Demo, in July 2022, which is currently available on streaming and their Bandcamp page. They are currently planning the release of their debut EP, which was recorded with Gabe Usery at Encapsulated Studios, a sound engineer known for his work with St. Louis metal bands like Stormruler. They are excited for the opportunity to open for Eyehategod and Goatwhore, two bands they hold in high regard.

“It’s without a doubt a classic album that’s stood the test of time,” said Hot Corpse guitarist Nick Muckerman about Take As Needed for Pain. “Even after 30 years, it still sounds unique as hell. They carved their own path from the get-go and haven’t strayed. They do whatever they want, however they want, and don’t give a single  fuck what anyone has to say about it. We respect the hell out of them for that.”

Check out our playlist for the show, which includes tour setlists for Goatwhore and Eyehategod. | David Von Nordheim

Eyehategod and Goatwhore Spring 2023 Tour

04.24.23 | Nightshop, Bloomington, IL

04.25.23 | Wildwood, Iowa City, IA

04.26.23 | Royal Grove, Lincoln, NE

04.27.23 | Red Flag, St. Louis, MO

04.28.23 | Rev Room, Little Rock, AR

04.29.23 | Rubber Gloves, Denton, TX

04.30.23 | Rabbit Hole, Tulsa, OK

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *