Eyehategod

Eyehategod
Eyehategod at the Roskilde Festival in 2011
Background information
Origin	New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Genres	Sludge metal
Years active	1988–present
Labels	Century Media, Emetic
Associated acts	Outlaw Order, Superjoint Ritual, Soilent Green, Arson Anthem
Website	eyehategod.ee
Members	Jimmy Bower Mike Williams Brian Patton Gary Mader Aaron Hill
Past members	Joey LaCaze Steve Dale Mark Schultz Vince LeBlanc Daniel Nick

Eyehategod (also abbreviated and referred to as EHG) is an American sludge metal band from New Orleans who formed in 1988. They have become one of the most well known bands to emerge from the NOLA metal scene. Throughout the years, their core line-up has remained, with the exceptions of the bass guitarist, a slot in which several musicians have played, and the death of drummer Joey LaCaze in 2013.

Eyehategod have noted Melvins, Carnivore, The Obsessed, Discharge, Black Flag, Corrosion of Conformity, Black Sabbath, Celtic Frost, Confessor and Saint Vitus as key influences to their sound. Heavy, detuned, and bluesy guitar riffs dominate the band's discography. They are combined with walls of feedback and tortured vocals to create a harsh misanthropic vibe. The band was friends with Anal Cunt and performed with them for the first show after their frontman Seth Putnam came out of his coma.

Very little is known about early Eyehategod. Jimmy Bower and Joey LaCaze founded the band on April 20, 1988 (in accordance with 4/20 in cannabis culture), and they recruited Brian Patton, Steve Dale and vocalist Chris Hilliard. Hilliard would later leave the group early on, and would be replaced by Mike Williams. The band then recorded two demos Garden Dwarf Woman Driver (1989) and Lack of Almost Everything (1990); the latter was sent out to various labels. They eventually got signed to the small French label Intellectual Convulsion, and released their first album In the Name of Suffering in 1990. The album had a far more primitive and raw sound than later releases (as it was recorded by the inexperienced band members for only $1000), and had a more hardcore feel to it. The label dissolved with only a couple of thousand copies having been printed, so the band had to find a new label. They soon signed with Century Media however, who re-released In the Name of Suffering on December 1, 1992, as it is known today. Also in 2006, In the Name of Suffering was re-issued with four bonus tracks. These four tracks were the same as those on the original demo Lack Of Almost Everything.