Dax Riggs
7 Songs For Spiders


4.0
excellent

Review

by PsychicChris USER (602 Reviews)
January 30th, 2025 | 18 replies


Release Date: 01/24/2025 | Tracklist

Review Summary: I got my soul all tangled up in a song

Much has already been made of Acid Bath’s head-turning resurrection, but the prospect of singer Dax Riggs releasing new solo material was enough in itself to get me excited. It’s been fifteen years since his last outing, 2010’s Say Goodnight To The World, but it feels like he wasn’t a day away on 7 Songs For Spiders. His grungy drawl has either gone unaged or has aged in just the right way with a darkly poetic word salad draped in his signature morbidity.

Of course, time has affected how his brand of alt-stoner rock by way of swamp blues is presented. The instrumentation is much fuzzier than it’d been before with the bass often enveloping the proceedings and the drums putting in some extra weight without losing sight of the methodical pacing. It can feel almost claustrophobic compared to his past low key approach, but it’s just as atmospheric. One could argue it’s reaching back to his other post-Acid Bath projects like Agents of Oblivion almost as much as other solo outings.

Seven songs across twenty-eight minutes can seem lacking in light of such a long gap, but the compositions’ slow burn nature and loose structuring is a fitting juxtaposition. Tracks like the opening “Deceiver” and “Even The Stars Fall” put in steady grooves that are easy to vibe along to and soon lapse into more mellow contexts on songs like “Blues For You Know Who” and “Pagan Moon.” “Sunshine Felt The Darkness Smile” may have the closest kinship to his past songs, really tapping into a subdued yet ghostly disorienting mood.

One may have to work against the lofty expectations set for the first Dax Riggs outing in fifteen years, but 7 Songs For Spiders is ultimately a great swamp rock album. It’s a fairly simple setup that never feels like it’s reaching for anything too important while fuzzy tinges give it a distinct enough identity still fitting in with his other works. The brief runtime may also work in its favor, making those extra listens even easier to marathon. One can imagine something even bigger on the horizon (would a third Acid Bath album be that surprising at this point?) but this is a pleasant welcome back.



Recent reviews by this author
Uriah Heep WonderworldDream Theater Parasomnia
Uriah Heep Demons And WizardsWeed Demon The Doom Scroll
Avatarium Between You, God, The Devil And The DeadDream Widow Dream Widow
user ratings (27)
3.6
great

Comments:Add a Comment 
SpiritCrusher2
January 31st 2025


6461 Comments


yooooo Dax is back!

Lichtbringer
January 31st 2025


1242 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

can't wait to spin

83Bumakis
February 1st 2025


74 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Sublime stuff, can’t stop playing this. The man’s voice is beautiful as ever.

DadKungFu
Staff Reviewer
February 1st 2025


5739 Comments


This a good album art

Voivod
Staff Reviewer
February 1st 2025


11120 Comments


Album stream:
http://daxriggs.bandcamp.com/album/7-songs-for-spiders


Good review, always in need of heavy alternative, so I will check this out.

farmerobama
February 1st 2025


560 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Love his voice, unmatched

chronoclast
February 1st 2025


56 Comments


A singular voice. Love this guy.

DeadManDreaming
February 1st 2025


2 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

He didn't miss a beat in all that time away. My only complaint is that over 40% of the album was released as singles before the record dropped. Not the worst problem to have, but still.

Scoot
February 2nd 2025


22997 Comments


dude's voice is just sublime

tyman128
Staff Reviewer
February 3rd 2025


4687 Comments

Album Rating: 4.3

Yeah, this is phenomenal, his voice is just way too good

farmerobama
February 4th 2025


560 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Sunshine felt the Darkness Smile is so good omg

Lichtbringer
February 5th 2025


1242 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

came here to post just that. unreal song.

DDDeftoneDDD
February 5th 2025


22943 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Very good qotsa album

Lichtbringer
February 6th 2025


1242 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

cannot stop spinning. love this guy

DDDeftoneDDD
February 7th 2025


22943 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

"Sunshine felt the Darkness Smile is so good omg"

Holly shit that tune doesn't get out of my head.

DDDeftoneDDD
February 8th 2025


22943 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Is the album If This is Hell then I'm Lucky an lp not on db?

Voivod
Staff Reviewer
February 9th 2025


11120 Comments


Just spun this twice in a row, great stuff indeed.

Lichtbringer
February 9th 2025


1242 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

"Is the album If This is Hell then I'm Lucky an lp not on db?"

nope, that album is by deadboy & the elephantmen, an older project of his that's disbanded now.



You have to be logged in to post a comment. Login | Create a Profile





STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS // CONTACT US

Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


Site Copyright 2005-2023 Sputnikmusic.com
All Album Reviews Displayed With Permission of Authors | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy