Take as Needed for Pain
Take as Needed for Pain turns a filthy guitar sound into a surprisingly mobile form of metal. Eyehategod keep pushing blues riffs and slow grooves against hardcore aggression. Feedback and Mike Williams' abrasive voice make the result deeply uncomfortable, but beneath that rough surface the music has a movement of its own.
Blank makes the difference clear. The guitars are heavy and distorted, yet the riffs retain a melodic quality. The drums do more than mark the pace. Joey LaCaze adds small, unexpected shifts to the slower passages, making them less clumsy than their weight might suggest. The band can afford to sound messy because the underlying groove holds together.
Shoplifter pulls the music towards grunge without removing the tension. Its riff feels more open and has enough character to survive the surrounding noise. The title track works mainly through the contrast between an appealing guitar groove and Williams' distressed cries. You can settle into the rhythm while still finding the voice difficult to get comfortable with.
There are limits to that approach. Some guitar parts sound very similar, and not every song maintains the same tension. The extended noise collage Disturbance interrupts the flow considerably. Such an experiment belongs in this hostile setting, but it makes the album less focused overall.
The blues is recognisable, the riffs offer something to follow, and the performance refuses to make either comfortable. Take as Needed for Pain asks quite a lot from its audience, but it also gives sludge a particularly strong identity.
