In the Name of the Suffering (Reissued)

Eyehategod's first installment of ornery filth remains their most primitive sounding record, which is actually a big part of its appeal. The guitars are coarse and grainy — a fitting match for frontman Michael Williams' tortured laryngitis screams — spilling out high-pitched feedback all over the place, while Joe Lacaze's snare drum sounds like a wooden plank being hit by a hammer. There are a few up-tempo hardcore punk sections scattered throughout the album, but for the most part, the songs move at a slow-motion pace reminiscent of the Melvins' early work. You can also make out hints of My War-era Black Flag, Black Sabbath, and Southern rock in general, though the latter two elements are not nearly as noticeable as on later albums. This is not a catchy album, but it's not really meant to be — the bleak mood and the overall dense, crusty sound are what really dominate. Later Eyehategod albums have more memorable songs, but In the Name of Suffering, Rovi