Formed in the swamps of Louisiana bayou in 1991. Acid Bath exploded in their local scene after they recorded "Hymns Of A Needle Freak." And soon got signed onto Rotten Records. Which allowed them to create their debut label release "When The Kite String Pops."
Acid Bath is Mike Sanchez and Sammy Duet with their furious yet aggresive guitar sounds, Audie Pietre adds low-end sounds on bass to balance out the guitars. Jimmy Kyle uses his snare as a sound to make some unique sounding beats. And last but not least Dax Riggs with his vocals. Vocals thats sounds as if he is the evil son of Jim Morrison, with of course the once-in-a-while brutal screams added to the mix by Audie or Sammy.
And in the end they create several loud to heavy musical styles, making an exhausting sound that can be placed under the status of hard-core, gothic, and psychedelic-punk and grind. Acid Bath has one of the most explosive sounds that I have experienced in a long time.
To start this album off with a bang, its begins with the song that goes by the name of "The Blue." Keep in mind how explosive Acid Bath can be, and "The Blue" is a great example. Its starts out low with groovy guitar sounds, and then out of nowere Dax screams, and also shows off his more melodic singing style. The screams sound so explosive because of the help of Audie and Sammy. And they are done very well. The songs on here are placed very well, capable of keeping you on your feet, and making sure to keep your attention.
Skipping onto track #3, "Cheap Vodka" this track is one of the more in-your-face tracks, straight from the beginning Dax sings in a fast-pace. And the guitars are going crazy. Not only in this song, but all of them, I notice that all the instruments are very tight-knit and they are able to display great musicianship. Sadly "Cheap Vodka" ends as fast as an average Minor Threat song would, balls to the wall all the way though and ends on approx 2:15. Shortly after comes a song that is one of my favorites off this album and that is "Fingerpainting of the Insane." Not only is the song title catchy, but so is the song. Taking you on a rollercoaster of sounds, starts off with some cool, groovy guitar riffs and Dax's melodic moans, and then singing "Turning the knife buried in your stomach, I woke up alive black with stain, Glistening and new, the sunsets coming, Fingerpainting of the Insane." This song is very dark and somewhat mysterious. But it is one to stick in your head after your done listening.
Some may accuse Acid Bath of making cheesy lyrics, lyrics of murder, frustration, depression. Some may find them cliche. But when I compare their lyrics to different bands, I think that they put in alot more effort than most, instead of just pulling words out of their as*es and then writing them down on paper. They spend time thinking about it, and it comes from deep inside. We all have frustration. Acid Bath can help you vent.
Another one of my favorite tracks off this album is the #6 song "Scream Of The Butterfly." It is in fact the slowest song off the album, but def. not the worst. The guitars are nowere near as technical as they are on the rest of the songs. But if you are a bass player and want to try out a new song to play, with a very catchy bass line. Look no further. This song evolves around the bass and the guitar backs the bass up, intead of vice-versa. Acid Bath really shows their open-mindness to different style of music with this song (a more gothic style song.) Dax's vocals are at its best IMO in this song. %0 screams, and just straight melodic singing. Check this song out if you want to try Acid Bath out, then move onto some harder songs (any of the others.)
Acid Bath is obviously not a very well-known band, which is why I did this review. I think they should be better known. Acid Bath can be liked by any fan of any genre. If your wanting to check into them, check into the songs I just talked about. Or just buy the album.
Pros: Able to fit any mood, melodic, songs placed well, great musicianship, tight-knit, Dax's vocals are done well, explosive, doesnt get old fast, great for fans of any genre. Has some great bass lines. Solid Album.
Cons: Some may find lyrics cliche, some may find Dax's vocals to be an aquired taste.
