When the Kite String Pops

Abstractly speaking, if an album was to be a serial killer, this one would be it. You see, for more than an hour, it creeps behind you, shrouding your every step, leering at your presence, forever in possession of that blood-stained knife and making subtle yet chilling remarks about gashing your throat open, all the while smirking menacingly... It's a heavy, intimidating feeling listening to this menace of an album - the opening song with its nasty bass creeping in on you is enough to give you the chills and make you realise these aren't going to be the easiest 69 minutes. Words like ugly, uncouth and nasty aren't nice in real life usage but super-worthy praises in the metal world and this album is every bit of those. And then some...

On my first-time listen, I had a pretty hard time coming to terms with this impious monster. It seemed so unhinged, sinister and creepy that I felt totally fagged out by the time it ended. I did not expect much from the sound since I'd never listened to the band before, but a good look at the album cover drawn by the infamous American serial killer John Gacy made me conjure up a rough idea already. The actual album was far more intimidating. The opening song The Blue leaves an indelible impression with its thick and groovy bass, almost molesting you with its nastiness and then the slow and heavy riffs are deployed to telling effect, meandering for a good while before opening into a vast expanse of faster riffs, angry vocals and tight drumming. It doesn't matter whether you like it or not, you aren't going to forget your first acquaintance with this song and the undeniable impact it has on you.

The other songs follow suit and seem pretty influential in their own right, drawing heavily from the aforementioned formula of slow and fast riffing but each one having its own distinct personality. You can hear the switch between sludge and doom metal styles primarily, convincingly and organically. But it's not confined to that and you also hear mild death metal influences. There are two ballads, much softer in comparison and totally at odds with the flock of mean, angry songs plaguing this album. Scream of the Butterfly especially is a beautiful one on account of its overtly acoustic overtures but packing some truly horrifying lyrics. Some of the slower sections sound sublime and they're interposed with the frenzied, fuming bits from the guitars, drums and raspy vocals; the cleaner vocals on top of the growling ones impart the album a certain chilling demeanour. The bass is thick, nasty and overpowering but appealingly so and the drumming's pretty tight and one of the high points, with a fair bit of double bass and a meeker form of blast beats in a few instances.

I have rambled well-enough about how this is a daunting album, not least because of its atmosphere but also because of the lyrics - profane, violent and straight up creepy. Some of them are pretty knotty and hard to decipher, kind of open to your interpretation while some are simpler in comparison and more obvious about their meaning. An excerpt from Finger Paintings of the Insane says the following:

"Come on and sterilize me
Kneel down and idolize me
Suck me
Fuck me
Resurrect me
Rut me
Cut me and infect me
Slice me
Dice me
I want to die screaming

The thoughts of dead babies
Wiped away with my semen

Bleed me
Feed me and inject me
Feel me
Kill me
Then dissect me"

I personally find this kind of stuff far more unsettling than death metal's stupid gory mania or black metal's constant and hilarious reverence of Satan. It doesn't help that nearly every song on this album has lyrics of a similar nature and makes my brain go hazy.

Now to its Achilles Heel: its length, or rather the number of songs in it. When I first saw it had 14 songs, I was kind of skeptical if it was a bit much and whether all 14 of them would engage consistently and thoroughly. They did not. Provided it was my first time, I gave it many more chances and multiple listens later, I can affirm the second half is boring and in stark contrast to the excellence of the first; tracks 1-7 are original and groundbreaking whereas tracks 8-14 are repetitive and unnecessary, with some being straight up filler. I'd still say Dope Fiend, The Bones of Baby Dolls and Casie Eats Cockroaches are mildly interesting but the rest is best avoided. These songs seem like quick rehashes of the first half's greatest tunes, albeit nowhere near as nicely executed and sounding generic in comparison. The last 30 or so minutes on the album, in my opinion, are unnecessary, underwhelming and unmemorable and that mars the listening experience for me.

If we cut the excess flab, there’s a truly fantastic album hidden somewhere in there. But sadly it can't be ignored there's a good amount of filler material that unnecessarily bloats the album and kind of drags it down. I prefer its sweeter lil' brother Paegan Terrorism Tactics as the better album by the band and whenever I do listen to When the Kite String Pops, I tend to skip the second half most of the times if not all the time. But that's just me. For a pioneering sludge metal sound in the mid-nineties when it wasn't as prevalent, this album takes some beating and indeed is the landmark of the genre. Love it or hate it, you are NOT going to forget your first-ever acquaintance with it, so strong and memorable is its mien, and for that, it deserves full marks.

If I took the cigarette and put it out on you...

In my eyes, metal lives and dies by the riff. You know the usual suspects: Slayer, Deicide, Cryptopsy, and obviously Black Sabbath to name a few. There's not much twisting words around it, you know good riffs when you hear them, it's that je ne sais quoi that pushes riffs from good to glorious. It's the universal constant from day 1 to today.

Acid Bath shows more of the other side of metal, bringing more of that atmospheric touch and even some light worldbuilding (as weird as that term sounds). This doesn't mean it's all atmosphere. When the Kite String Pops is still full to the brim of skull-crushing riffs. It's definitely more hardcore influenced than most, but Acid Bath writes their names in the riff canon all the same. It's stupendously heavy, while still retaining a touch of accessibility through the more grungy outings of its riffing, as well as the inclusion of two ballads in "Scream of the Butterfly" and "The Bones of Baby Dolls". These tracks aren't even a reprieve here, given the more sombre mood and even more buildup of atmosphere. They may be a little jarring in the pacing (especially the former), but they are still welcome diversions and show their maturity as songcrafters.

The album itself starts out really strong, with the eclectic "The Blue" making statements and taking names, which is followed the grunge hit from hell "Tranquilized", giving the album an amazing one-two punch. These tracks could give a mistake of this being an accessible album ala Alice in Chains, but as soon as "Cheap Vodka" boots up, all expectations are crushed, and the album shows its true colors. From there, there is not a dip in quality until "Toubabo Koomi". It's really hard for any band to lead off with even three classics in a row, much less eight, but Acid Bath are just built different. All of them groove in their own separate ways, and all of them rightfully rip. There's the sludge-crossover bastard child of "Cheap Vodka", the doomy and looming "Dr. Seuss is Dead", and perhaps the best track on the album: "Jezebel", showing significant death metal riffing with haunting breaks. After this small bump, the tracklisting becomes significantly more scatterbrained in both execution and quality, from the great "What Color is Death" to the underwhelming "The Mortician's Flame". It's not any fault of the riffing quality, the songs themselves seem less well constructed, though nothing here devolves into outright riff salad. This album separation isn't as noted as something like Napalm Death's Scum, but I do think the quality change is unique to Acid Bath. Still, "God Machine" is a rager with a fantastic climax, and album closer "Cassie Eats Cockroaches" has a fantastic triplet groove showing some of the most southern-influenced riffing. Front to back, the album doesn't let up for a second in delivering riffs in the sludge and fuck factory.

The production on the album is quite good, the guitars have a nice and heavy tone to them which is complimented by their downtuning. The drums also have a nice punch to them, triggering aside. The bass tracks you can actually make out quite well, with a fantastic almost swampy tone. Dax Riggs kills it on vocals, never sticking to one style being either some haunting clean vocals or a more hardcore shout, he is a fantastic vocalist. The length here is an issue: this is almost 70 minutes long, with all but two tracks cracking at least four minutes. Given the shaky second half, perhaps they could have refined the riffs there a little bit into a separate EP, but there is still more than enough classic material on display here to make up for it.

When the Kite String Pops is rightfully lauded as a metal classic, warts and all. It's eclectic but still grounded, heavy yet still accessible, and other seemingly contradictory qualities that make it so. It's far from perfect, but that's part of its twisted charm: the grunge album from hell. A high recommendation to any metal fan.

Originally written for Rate Your Music: https://rateyourmusic.com/music-review/TheRomansLord/acid-bath/when-the-kite-string-pops/160274196

Louisiana isn’t really the first place you’d think to go find metal but there’s a lot of great bands there like Soilent Green, Incubus (the death metal band, not the nu metal band), Exhorder, Down, Crowbar, Goatwhore, Eyehategod, and Acid Bath. Acid Bath is probably one of the most interesting bands named here. They aren’t very well known but they pioneered the genre of sludge metal back in the mid-1990’s. Sludge metal combines the slow trudging of doom metal with the abrasiveness of hardcore punk to make some insane stuff.

Now, to actually talk about the album, “When the Kite String Pops” is really awesome. To make it short, it is haunting. The slow parts of “Dr. Seuss is Dead” is scary. Legitimately spine-tingling. “Jezebel” goes hand in hand with “Dr. Seuss is Dead” but with more screaming and blast beats. “Scream of the Butterfly” is one of the ballads on the album and it definitely is the best out of the two. Scary, really. “Cheap Vodka” sounds like a thrashing party song. It’s only two minutes long and doesn’t have any slow parts, probably one of the best songs here. The production quality is raw, and not black metal raw, but it’s just raw enough so that it feels like you’re right there with the band in the band room practicing. That’s the best kind of production quality and there’s not many albums I’ve listened to that have done that. This is probably part of the reason why the album is so creepy. The looming sense of doom and dread within the slow parts, the blow-to-the-head-style abrasive fast parts, the raw-sounding production quality, the insane vocals. It makes for some truly scary stuff. The drums sound awesome, along with the great drumming from Jimmy Kyle. The vocals are absolutely amazing, Dax Riggs is really fun to listen to and the distortion on the backup vocalists are really creepy. The lyrics are so mesmerizing to read. Sure, there’s a ton of profanities in most of the songs but there’s some good stuff around it. Read this from “Dr. Seuss is Dead”.

“The dream is swirling
I’m alone
Where the streets are paved with bone
Buildings with a hundred eyes
Watch me through the swarming flies

Behind shade pulled down tight
Things are growing without light
Hungry things in circles crowd
Around TV’s turned up too loud”

Surely interesting, and so open to interpretation!

I’ve been skipping around here, the first seven songs, from “The Blue” to “Dr. Seuss is Dead” are true masterpieces and are pretty timeless if you ask me. The next half, not so much.

The second half of the album, which is quite large at fourteen songs, is pretty boring. It sounds like a second album to go along with the first one. It’s like “Hellbilly Deluxe 2” by Rob Zombie or maybe “Operation: Mindcrime II” by Queensrÿche or maybe “Welcome 2 My Nightmare” by Alice Cooper. You know, they're all terrible album sequels. “Toubabo Koomi” makes as much sense as it’s title. Somehow it was the only Acid Bath song to get a music video. Then, there’s a couple songs that go by and you’re at “The Bones of Baby Dolls” which is the second out of two ballads on this album. Spoiler alert: It can’t touch “Scream of the Butterfly”. It’s about the same length but super boring. The album doesn't need two ballads though. This is a pretty heavy album, so having two ballads on it doesn't really make a lot of sense. All of these songs have the grooves, speedy parts, and screams of the first half of the album but it is too similar to the first half of the album. The idea of the music gets old by the end of the album and by track nine it's pretty hard to pay attention. I just sort of zoned out while listening to it because I felt as if I had heard it before. So, in other words, the second half of the fourteen track album sounds like a rehash of the first half. It doesn't do much to differentiate itself from the first half, going so far as to include a second ballad.

Overall, “When the Kite String Pops” is a banger, for the most part. There’s just so much fluff towards the end of the album, I had to give this a 83%. I don't think there's any reason the album should be fourteen songs. If you don't have the best material, why even record it and put it on the album? I think the best out of the fluff is “Dope Fiend” but that just sounds like a duplicate of “Jezebel”. “Dr. Seuss is Dead” is definitely going on all of my playlists right away, however. You can't help but to headbang at 2:24 when the chorus kicks in and then at 2:36 when they repeat it but it’s got the double bass going and it completely destroys my neck. It’s so sad that this band only made two albums before disbanding after their bassist, Audie Pitre died in a car accident. On that note, after listening to this album a good couple times, I've realized this is not sludge metal. This is psychological horror metal, of course in a good way.

Highlights: “Cheap Vodka”, “Jezebel”, “Dr. Seuss is Dead”.

Metal as a genre is littered with the defunct careers of bands that, purely on the strength of their musical output, should have been considerably more commercially successful than they were, but for a variety of reasons never quite made it. Bands as diverse as Cave In, Warning, and Ved Buens Ende have all produced fantastic records that deserved a wider audience than they ever found, but due to internal disagreements, label politics, and even the prevailing trends at the time, they are destined to be considered cult figures, as opposed to classic bands. In addition, it took many of the more popular bands in the contemporary heavy music scene years or even decades of gradually building an audience, before they attained the revered status they hold today. It took Opeth five albums to break through to the mainstream that they have been ensconced in ever since Blackwater Park, and the likes of Clutch, Behemoth and Devin Townsend have all followed a similarly scenic route to their current elevated levels of success.

It’s easy to wonder if Acid Bath would’ve seen this kind of eventual transition to the metal mainstream, had their career not been prematurely ended by the sad and sudden death of bassist Audie Pitre in the car accident that also killed his parents. Although their wilfully off-kilter and somewhat scattershot sound weights the scales of judgement against them, the fact that they also foreshadowed both the stoner-doom sound that Down and Corrosion Of Conformity popularised only a matter of months after the release of When The Kite String Pops, but also the sludge sub-genre that has dominated underground heavy music in the 21st century, tips the scales back in their favour. Regardless of what the future might have brought for the band, the fact that we are left with only two full-length album releases is a cause for sorrow – there were undoubtedly more superb records left in a band that still resists the allure of the lucrative festival reformation circuit, and will presumably continue to do so.

For all of the attempts to put When The Kite Strong Pops into its historical context, what really counts is whether the music itself is any good, and nearly 3 decades on from its release, it is a startling and fascinating album. One of the most striking elements of the Acid Bath sound is just how sonically creepy it feels. Countless black and death metal bands aim to scare and terrify with their music and overall aesthetic, but very few actually achieve it. Indeed, in many respects, it is only the criminal activities of a relatively small number of black metal’s progenitors at the genesis of the second-wave that continue to lend black metal any sense of danger and transgression a quarter of a century on from the murder of Euronymous. Many of the other key figures (Abbath, ex- of Immortal, for example) have long since resigned themselves to embracing the sheer ridiculousness of heavy metal, and previously extreme musical forms have been embraced and assimilated across the heavy music spectrum. Acid Bath, on the other hand are frequently genuinely unsettling. In particular, the way in which spoken word samples and whispered vocal lines are just audible within a dense mix, but occasionally reveal themselves in a moment of space, before dipping back below the surface again provide glimpses of a true psychosis at the heart of the band’s sound, and a schizophrenic multiplicity of personalities on the part of the outstanding vocalist Dax Riggs.

The schizophrenia is also evident in the musical accompaniment to Riggs’ many voices. Opening track ‘The Blue’ emerges from a haze of background distortion, with the filthy, fuzzed-out bass of the late Pitre giving way to the kind of multi-tempo Sabbathian sludge that Down would soon make a career out. Perhaps a result of their immersion in the swampy sounds of Louisiana, where Dixie jazz and delta blues share musical space with fertile hardcore and doom scenes, the drums of Jimmy Kyle really swing. As influential as Black Sabbath have clearly been to heavy metal as a genre in terms of their riffing style, it’s noticeable that frequently the influence is confined to the guitars. The smaller number of bands that really invoke the feel of Ozzy-era Sabbath (Sleep, for example) convey this through a drumming style that recalls Bill Ward’s heavy jazz-inflected swing, and Acid Bath are no exception. However, as soon as the opener comes to a conclusion, Acid Bath immediately wrongfoot the listener that might be expecting an hour of Iommi tribute riffage, with the addictive and propulsive riff of ‘Tranquilized’. It’s not exactly ‘Angel Of Death’, but it represents one of several moments on the album on which the speed dial is raised far beyond the kind of crawl that might be in evidence on a more traditional doom record.

On other stand-out tracks, the band move seamlessly from monolithic stoner workouts to the dissolute and raging punk-metal of ‘Cheap Vodka’, and the more brutal, almost death metal, tremolo-picking of ‘Jezebel’, which pummels the listener musically, but also intrigues with Riggs’ spectral vocals adding a demonic dimension to the sound that more rudimentary growls would fail to add. Elsewhere, the sludge of ‘Dr. Seuss Is Dead’ feels like the band are wading through tar, evoking authentic terror in a way not unlike the disorientating sounds of Today Is The Day managed on Temple Of The Morning Star, and ‘God Machine’ adds some surprisingly deft twin guitar to a song that effortlessly switches between a head-bobbing stoner groove, and despairing slow-motion noise. Most intriguingly, ‘Cassie Eats Cockroaches’ sounds a little like a proto-Skipknot, utilising a thuggishly monstrous groove, in which the syncopated off-beat snare rhythm gives an unusual feel to an otherwise basic riff, overlaying static noises and disembodied voices that agitate the listener into final submission as the album draws to a close.

When The Kite String Pops, sporting chilling John Wayne Gacy artwork custom-designed to evade mainstream acceptance (not that this proved problematic for Marilyn Manson only 2 years later), was probably never destined to achieve the kind of break through that many bands would achieve over the next twenty years with a more streamlined, commercially acceptable take on the Acid Bath sound. That’s certainly no criticism of this endlessly captivating, and deceptively complex album though. Unusually, it offers both immediate thrills, but continues to reveal new facets on every listen, forcing the listener to return time and time again to this majestic masterpiece. Rarely do a band sound this fully-formed and cohesive on a debut, and given the ground covered by Acid Bath’s eclectic melange of styles, it is a minor miracle that it offers such a definitive statement of intent. When The Kite String Pops may never reach the audience that it deserves, but virtually everyone who hears it will be profoundly affected, and that is a more than respectable legacy for Acid Bath to leave.

First published here: https://alifetimeofmusic537956501.wordpress.com/2020/05/31/acid-bath-when-the-kite-string-pops/

Never in my life have I come across an album as badass and unique as When The Kite String Pops. This is one of those very few albums where a vast majority of the people who've listened to it regard it as nearly flawless, if not completely flawless. The searing crunchy guitars from Mike Sanchez and Sammy Duet combined with the intense groove of Audie Pitre's bass playing, the impeccable precision of Jimmy Kyle's drumming, and Dax Riggs's impressive vocal range made for an iconic metal album that became highly regarded in the underground movement known as sludge metal.

I will be 100% honest when I say this, when I first heard this album I was so freaked out by the sheer creepiness and ambiance of the opening track entitled "The Blue" that I ended up turning the album off before even getting a minute into the song. You know a song is good when you can "feel it" (for lack of better words). Now keep in mind that this was my first time listening to the album and I did not know what to expect, so that's why I ended up getting spooked. I'm glad that I ended up giving this album a second chance months later after my first experience with this album. This album ended up being one of my top favorite metal albums of all time.

So as I said about how "The Blue" freaked me out at first, that leads to my first point about why I love this album so much: the atmosphere. The first song on this album starting out with feedbacking guitars for the first 23 seconds which then leads into this groovy, yet sinister bass riff from the late Audie Pitre gives the listener a feeling of impending doom as that bass riff continues and then ambient feedback from the guitars kicks in. This is an ultimate definition of sludge metal: sinister, dark, and heavy. The song maintains its slow nature for a good portion of the song, but also picks up speed later. Each song on this album was like a different person with a different personality. a good portion of the songs are also very catchy too. Tracks such as "The Blue" and "Dr. Seuss Is Dead" are slowed down sludge metal masterpieces. There are tracks like "Tranquilized" and "Cassie Eats Cockroaches" which are more on the groovier side. There are laid back ballads such as "Scream of the Butterfly" and "The Bones of Baby Dolls. Then there are tracks like "Cheap Vodka," "Toubabo Koomi," and "Jezebel" which do not fail in being fast paced and filled with brutality.

An aspect of this album that I love is that there were so many different musical styles that went into this album. Obviously, there was a ton of metal influence. Influences from various metal subgenres in this album range from Black Sabbath style doom metal to Swedish death metal. And just to clarify, it's evident that at least some members of the band were death metal fans considering how a picture of Audie Pitre wearing a Grave shirt at a gig can easily be found when searching "Audie Pitre" on Google Images. The song "Jezebel" is another fine example of the death metal influence that went into this album. Tons of Black Sabbath influence can be heard throughout this album, especially during the slowed down bridge of "Tranquilized." Psychedelic influence can be easily heard on "Scream of the Butterfly." It's also evident that members of Acid Bath were into psychedelic music as a cover of Iron Butterfly's "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" can be found on the Screams of the Butterfly demo.

One of my favorite things about this album was the guitar tone as well as the bass guitar tone. The guitar tone on this album is easily one of my favorite guitar tones. At the time, Sammy Duet was using a Randall head (I don't remember which model), and needless to say the amp and any effect pedals Sammy used did not fail in getting a crunchy and sludgy tone that fit perfectly for this album. I don't know what gear Mike Sanchez was using during the recording of this album, but he surely got a good tone out of his rig and made it work. Audie Pitre's bass tone was godly to say the least. If I remember correctly, Audie used a Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal pedal for the distorted bass parts, and holy hell did that bass soar. The distorted bass riffs that can be clearly heard in "The Blue" and "Cheap Vodka" go to show how under-appreciated some bass guitarists are as well as how badass distorted bass guitars sound when dialed in right. One other thing I liked pertaining to the guitars was how the downtuning fit so well with this album. It added a lot of heaviness and darkness to the riffs. Needless to say, C standard and/or Drop A# tuning are essential tunings for sludge metal.

I'm sure many people will agree with me on this when I say that Dax Riggs's has an amazing vocal range and he's easily one of the most under-appreciated vocalists. Most of the songs on this album show how precisely Dax can go from screaming to clean vocals in the blink of an eye, then back to screaming. Songs like "Scream of the Butterfly" and "The Bones of Baby Dolls" show how melodic Dax's clean singing can be. I love how unique Dax's vocals were on this album. His vocals are very difficult to replicate, and I like that. It shows how Dax had his own signing style that not many people were doing at the time or had the ability to.

I can't possibly do a review of this album without mentioning Jimmy Kyle's drumming on this album. Just like Audie, Jimmy had an intense amount of groove in his playing. Jimmy's use of the ride cymbal on sludgy tracks like "The Blue" and "Dr. Seuss Is Dead" helped add that sinister and bone-chilling atmosphere filled. Jimmy's drumming on fast paced tracks like "Toubabo Koomi" and "Jezebel" is superb. The accuracy and precision of his drumming on those songs were out of this world amazing. Overall, Jimmy Kyle is another musician that never got the love that he deserved.

One last thing that I want to bring up is the production. Spike Cassidy did an outstanding job as the producer of this album as well as mixing and mastering. All instruments were mixed very well and equally. It was not like one instrument dominated over the others. Every instrument got their own spotlight at least once during this album. The bass guitar also got its own spotlight on a vast majority of the songs on this album, and I like that. I love when the bass guitar gets more exposure as with some metal albums the bass can get lost in the mixing. The production with Dax's vocals was pretty awesome. For the most part, the vocals were process and give them this very industrial sound. Heavy distortion was applied to the clean vocals on "The Bones of Baby Dolls" and it just fit so well. Once again. the vocals had a very industrial sound to them. Even when the vocals weren't distorted or processed, the way they were mixed made them flow so well.

That's my review for Acid Bath's debut album When The Kite String Pops. The only complaints I have about this album is that some tracks didn't really stick to me compared to others and some songs could've used a guitar solo, but it's not the end of the world. Top 3 favorite songs: Dr. Seuss Is Dead, Cheap Vodka, and The Bones of Baby Dolls.

The 1990s were an interesting time for heavy music, thrash went heavily down in popularity and gave way to groove metal, while in the underground death metal was gaining more and more traction among fans of extreme music. Grunge was also one of the most popular forms of music at the time and saw a lot of success with bands like Alice In Chains mixing moody soundscapes with slow and heavy riffing. But down in the American South something very unique was taking shape, that being sludge metal, with bands like Crowbar and Eyehategod mixing together the aggressive tempos and energy of hardcore punk with thick riffing akin to that of doom metal, and creating a subgenre that while not very popular, has maintained a steady following and has seen a stream of quality releases from a multitude of bands, one of which is Acid Bath, who in 1994 released their seminal debut, When the Kite String Pops, an album that managed to flawlessly blend a multitude of genres that were popular at the time, from sludge to death metal and grunge.

The album kicks off with “The Blue”, a thick-as-molasses sludge track which does an excellent job at bludgeoning the listener with its bass driven riffs which, coupled with Dax Riggs’ stellar vocals, which range from a raspy yell to crooning akin to that of Layne Stalley create an atmosphere the likes of which is hard, if not impossible to find in most metal music.

It is then followed by the tracks “Tranquilized” and “Cheap Vodka”, which kick the tempo up a notch, with the later of which being the shorter song on the album clocking in at 2:15 and displaying some more hardcore punk sensibilities, while “Tranquilized” is a more grunge influenced song, which is exemplified by its heavy use of clean vocals throughout its runtime, with the exception of the song’s bridge and last verse.

At the album’s core lie some of its best tracks, like the quasi-death metal assault that is “Jezebel”, with its blistering double bass and crushing riffs, which make for what is arguably the most aggressive track in the entire album, which is then followed by one of 2 ballads found in the album, and what I consider to be the crown jewel of this album, “Scream of the Butterfly”, a track that despite its change in pace compared to the track that precedes it manages to not feel out of place thanks to its haunting melodies and pace which reinforce the uncomfortable atmosphere that the album creates.

The following tracks, “Dr. Seuss is Dead”, “Dope Fiend” and “Toubabo Koomi” are more straightforward sludge tracks which involve a lot of tempo changes along with a multitude of interesting drum fills, courtesy of Jimmy Kyle, who manages to keep things tasteful with his displays of technique throughout the album while also providing a steady base for the rest of the band to build upon.

The album is bookended by “What Colour Is Death”, “The Bones of Baby Dolls” and “Cassie Eats Cockroaches”, the former of which is another death metal influenced track which, which also features an interesting solo around the 1:20 mark, as well as some stop-start riffing from 2:45 onwards. “The Bones of Baby Dolls” is the second ballad of the album, one that is quite sombre and has a defeated tone to it, accentuated by the fact that the song simply fades away, unlike any other song on the album. The band then picks it up for the final track, which is another sludge number that has some obvious death metal influences and also uses some vocal samples throughout in order to supplement the suffocating and aggressive feel of it, and with that, the album ends in a manner as explosive as it began.

Lyrically the album is quite varied too, with its central themes being addiction (The Blue, Tranquilized, Dope Fiend), abuse and murder (Finger Paintings of the Insane, Jezebel, Scream of the Butterfly) and some tracks talking about religion, pain and death (God Machine, The Mortician’s Flame, What Colour is Death). All of it is written in a somewhat abstract and poetic way and has some hints of dark humour sprinkled within most of the tracks, and all of that is carried by Dax Riggs’ exceptional vocal performances and his flawless alternations between harsh and clean vocals, which further elevate the songs’ lyrics.

Production wise the album is quite dynamically mixed, with every instrument getting a chance to be in the spotlight in just about every song, and it doesn’t feel like they’re fighting to be heard. The drums have a very thick sound to them and really shine in the more death metal influenced tracks (see the opening to “Jezebel”), the guitars have a thick and somewhat fuzzy tone whereas Audie Pitre’s bass can be heard at all times, not just supporting the guitars but also wandering out on its own on quite a few occasions, or even taking center stage. The vocals on the other hand have a very slight amount of distortion applied to them, but not to the point where one would think that they’re completely edited to sound the way they do (there are live performances floating around on the internet and Dax sounds just as good as he does on the album itself).

I always try to find some fault in the albums I usually listen to but this is one of the rare cases where an album is flawless front to back, Acid Bath managed to not just put a great sludge metal album but an album that is worthy of being included in discussions over what the greatest metal album of all time is. The follow-up to this, Paegan Terrorist Tactics, while also exceptional falls just short of the immaculate heights that When The Kite String Pops reaches. It’s a real shame that the band disbanded the way they did, but at least they left us with 2 fantastic albums before they respectfully decided to call it quits.

Highlights (even higher than the rest of the album): Tranquilized, Jezebel, Scream of the Butterfly, God Machine

Acid Bath was an incredible sludge metal band whom emerged from the swamps of Louisiana. What a shame it is that they were only able to produce two full length LPs before splitting up due to the death of bassist Audie Pitre. It's also a shame that such a great band has been held back in popularity due to their record label, Rotten Records. If you don't already know, RR is very strict on the use of their artist's music, so you won't be able to find Acid Bath's music on any streaming service or on YouTube (say for one song). However, enough rambling, onto the music itself.

When compared with most bands of a similar labeling, (this being sludge) Acid Bath are typically overlooked and are arguably more talented and unique. The vocals of Dax Riggs are some of the best, with him to go from mellow cleans to harsh screams in an instant. A good example of this is in the songs "Scream of the Butterfly" and "Dr. Seuss is Dead". Throughout Scream of the Butterfly, Riggs has some of the best cleans metal has to offer, and only does clean vocals throughout this song (as some mix like "Finger Paintings of the Insane"). However, the song right afterwards, "Dr. Seuss is Dead" shows the dynamics of his voice, showing that he is not limited to only one style. Those two songs also happen to be my favorite on the album.

Another thing I love about this album is that all instruments are able to be heard clearly and none are overpowering. In fact, Acid Bath seem to be one of the minority metal bands to utilize bass quite heavily. The bass tone is also great; a gnarly, distorted one. The drum kit doesn't have any part louder than the others, as you'd see in genres like slam with their ridiculous volumes of snare drowning out the rest of the kit. The guitars on this album are very sick and heavily scooped as they should be. As with many sludge bands, Acid Bath also use a lot of feedback in their songs as intros and transitions. But as my rating warrants, there is no flaw I can find with this album, and if I were to find one it would definitely would not be anything with the instrumentation. The only real complaint I can imagine someone having with this album is the lyrics, as some people can't stand lyrics that are edgy.

My favorite songs on the album: Dr Seuss is Dead, Scream of the Butterfly, Jezebel, and The Bones of Baby Dolls

This album is masterful. There is no other set of words that I can open this review with. There are a select few albums out there that I can listen to and remain completely engaged in throughout, and this is one of them. All the way from the screeching opening of "The Blue" to the final sting of Dax's vocals at the end of "Cassie Eats Cockroaches", I can't help but quietly move and lip sync along. The way the riffs flow together and the variation within each song is completely enthralling, and each song sounds completely distinct. There's no overlap, no two songs sound dangerously similar, and Acid Bath doesn't burden themselves with trying to show off or display one member's talent, it's all about the sludge.

The guitars punch like hell and no one instrument gets covered up, the bass has many moments to itself while not being an oppressive force that feels like a fucking pneumatic drill, it complements the guitars extremely well and adds a great foundation to their grimy sounding tone. The drums don't have any St. Anger tom fuckery on them, they all sound solid and full and not like a "trve kvlt" trash can that's been recorded from the room over. All of this is balanced extremely well on its own, and the songwriting skill shown here is something else. The final aspect of this album that adds a whole new dimension to the incredible instrumentals is Dax Riggs' vocal performance. His clean sings are deep and flowing, being showcased most prominently on "Scream of the Butterfly", and his screams have just the right amount of crunch and he can get alarmingly scraping highs, which shines through on songs like "Finger Paintings of the Insane" and "Jezebel".

Lyrically, When the Kite String Pops explores some very dark territory, covering abortion, addiction, murder, religion, rape and sexual deviancy, fucking the hole in Kennedy's head, people eating their own babies, government control, the death of creativity, and more. Fitting that a painting by John Wayne Gacy the Killer Clown should adorn the cover. This album is an absolute must-listen for those that frequent death, doom, sludge, thrash, along with just about every other subgenre. An album of this quality is rare, and Acid Bath were able to pull it off again with their second album, Paegan Terrorism Tactics. It's a shame that Audie was killed by a drunk driver and the band broke up, metal lost a group of true masters.

Easily a sludge metal classic, and one of my favorite overall metal albums. Acid Bath really knew what the fuck they were doing here. This album has such a twisted perception on life, it is so dark and reading the lyrics honestly made me uncomfortable to an extent. Considering the album art is a drawing of a famous John Wayne Gacy picture, you damn well need to know you are delving into some very distorted music that brings out a lot of dark fantasies I am sure we all have every once in a great while.

Getting on to the music itself. Acid Bath is extremely diverse. They really explore their range as musicians which makes this album so well respected in the metal community. It can go from very dark acoustic instrumentals, to very heavy southern sludge, then to very mainstream groove territory, and finally a very rough Gothic doom, which reminds me a lot of Pantera to an extent. Don't crucify me for that comparison but a lot of people can hear it. If I am to more or less make that comparison okay, I'll say Acid Bath is a much more extreme, heavier, more diverse, and overall better version of Pantera during the Far Beyond Driven and The Great Southern Trendkill era. It is a shame that the band ended when they did, because I firmly believe they could have been as big as some of the groove bands to come out of that era and they even could have achieved mainstream success.

Throughout the album you realize there is so much diversity going on, even through a single song you can hear the sudden changes in the music. For example, the song "Finger Painting of The Insane" has a very common Acid Bath sound. Very sludgey and muddy sounding, then it will switch to a very symphonic, gothic, and doom type sound which is so greatly added into the song. Throughout the album you can really tell where the tracks switch, they really all have the base sludge metal sound, but it is very diverse when it comes down to it.

The riffs in this album is something I really want to get into. They are very dirty and animalistic in sound. They are super catchy, I found myself reciting them in my head for a few days after listening to this album for the first time. They are very southern influenced like most sludge is usually. Music is always better with catchy riffs I must add. Also you find the bass to the songs very prominent. There is a lot of bass lines throughout the album which I really love their use of the bass in this manner.

One thing I would really like to point out is Dax Riggs' vocal ability. He is an amazing harsh vocalist. He has very ear piercing high screams and powerful mid screams which are very easy to enjoy. They have a very unique tone to them and are very recognizable. Someone will put on Acid Bath and you could really tell that it is Dax on vocals. Not to mention his singing voice is very oddly soothing to me. It sounds weird, because considering the whole atmosphere Acid Bath has going is very aggressive and heavy. Although he really makes it fit into the music in a very calming and satisfying way. Adding that vocal diversity was a really big attraction to the record I had upon first listen.

Overall this is easily the best sludge metal album I have ever listened too. It was super innovative and new to the scene and I can see why it is so highly praised. This album has never gotten boring after the countless times I have listened too it and I still listen to it a lot. It sets a certain mood and attitude I find very comforting. If you want to get into sludge metal, I would start with this album. It is easily the best the genre has to offer and you really cannot find much like this record.

Acid Bath, like Kyuss, is just one of these legendary 90s bands that most of us unfortunately will not experience (at least not in all their glory). The band released their debut album 'When the Kite String Pops' in 1994 and gives us a great example on how to make extreme metal properly. Acid Bath draws influence from different bands from different genres. With the band being from New Orleans, LA, there is obviously heavy sludge metal elements, since that's the time and region of that very genre, and with sludge metal often comes doom and stoner metal; whose elements are also prominent to Acid Bath. Other influences are thrash metal, death metal, and perhaps more surprisingly, black metal (as in the Norwegian black metal scene). Acid Bath has taken these influences and forged it into a surprisingly coherent piece of work.

'When the Kite String Pops' has got some of the finest extreme metal songs of our time. Take for instance opener "The Blue". It sounds like Black Sabbath dipped their instruments into a pool of thick, sticky tar and created something extremely heavy and sludgy, but still with the charm and groove that made them famous. The song does its job as an opener well, in the sense that it gives you an idea of what is to come. It's got a bit of everything. The heavy, doomy sludge sound, as well as the faster thrashier bits, and vocals go from clean-singing to growls and screams/shouts thanks to the excellent team-work between vocalists Dax Riggs (lead vocals) and Sammy Duet (backing vocals + guitar).

The other songs on this album are built around the same foundation that makes the song "The Blue" great. "Tranquilized" is a fun, groovy rocker with some stronger blues elements, "Cheap Vodka" is short, intense song about getting wasted and going crazy (I suppose you can try and figure what it could sound like), and another example of a good, varied song is "Finger Paintings of the Insane" with a good bassline, good vocals and progression. Two other highlights are definitely the semi-acoustic ballad "Scream of the Butterfly" and the acoustic "The Bones of Baby Dolls". They're both beautifully made. Progressive builds with emotional playing and singing, but incredibly dark and evil at the same time thanks to the very dark, but poetic lyrics of Dax Riggs.

The production is stellar, the band members play like they've worked hard to get the good chemistry and deliver awesomely. I have to give credit to the late Audie Pitre for his amazing bass-playing (as a bassist, I personally love it). 'When the Kite String Pops' has something for everyone. Even if you only like "this little bit of The Blue" or "that cool part of Dr. Seuss Is Dead", I'm sure that anybody could find good stuff on this album. Luckily, for me, I think it's a perfect example of extreme metal that has just enough "soft moments" to make it incredibly consistent and well-made, without getting too repetitive and dull. Top marks!

I've kind of been listening to tracks from this album for quite a while, but never really sat down and thought to review it. Sludge isn't where my heart is, but I'm not going to lie, this album is still pretty good even if it's not my taste in music.

The cover art is slightly disturbing, what with it being a picture of John Gacy (known as the Killer Clown) who was a serial killer and rapist. That pretty much sums up the band's work: disturbing. The titles and topics of the songs show this ('Dr. Seuss Is Dead' and 'Cassie Eats Cockroaches' showing the former, 'Scream of the Butterfly' the latter as it tells the story of a woman performing an abortion on herself - really, who comes up with that?), and really this is some messed up shit. If you like to understand lyrics, I'd suggest keeping away from this album.

There is a great variety in terms of how the music is played on this album. 'Cheap Vodka' and 'Toubabo Koomi' take a fast (for sludge anyway) approach to the music with heavy guitars and pounding drums while 'Dr. Seuss Is Dead' is far slower, although it is still heavy. Then there are a couple of songs that are hardly metal at all, and focus on largely sending a creepy feeling up your spine. Although the vocals vary like the music does though, I just don't really like them. They're not bad as such, but they're far from being the best I've ever heard.

'Dr. Seuss Is Dead' is the track that sticks in my mind the most, I'm not sure why. It's long, slow and repetitive - exactly the kind of music that I don't like - and yet it somehow manages to capture my attention every time. It's a bit of a weird feeling really. The pace actually changes quite a lot throughout, speeding up and slowing down a lot a various points. It never gets too fast, but it does get to a decent speed at some bits. Really, I don't know why I like it. The vocals aren't the reason, neither are the guitars or the drumming. And let's face it, the bass isn't going to do it either. It just comes together very well.

The song 'Cheap Vodka' is one of the ones I like best because it feels slightly more thrash-like than the other tracks, although it is still more along the lines of doom than thrash metal. The song is short but sweet, a mere two minutes coupled with the faster pace meaning that it passes much quicker than the other songs do. It does feel a little out of place, but with an album so varied it isn't quite as obvious as it otherwise would be.

I'm also drawn to 'Toubabo Koomi' more than the other songs, again because it is faster and has a feel to it that I'm more comfortable with. Unlike 'Cheap Vodka', this track lasts five minutes. As a result it pretty much hides itself from discovery if you're looking at the length of all the songs, but it doesn't feel as long because it's faster than the other tracks. The drumming on this track is pretty fast like the rest of the music, but at some parts you just think how insane it is that people can play like that. It's not fast the whole way through, but for the most part it is and it does sound very, very good.

If you can deal with how messed up the meanings behind the songs on this are (as well as the actual lyrics) and you don't mind slow headbangers rather than rapid double bass on your drums, you will enjoy this to at least some extent. I'm not saying it's perfect, because it isn't. There are plenty of other artists that I like better and I didn't love every song on this album. However, no matter what your stance on sludge metal is you will enjoy this album, simply because there is something for everyone on this record.

Acid Bath let us know that on their full-length debut, there is something afoot, something sinister stirring when it comes to how the band present themselves. From the artwork of serial killer John Wayne Gacy, the Killer Clown on the front cover, to the incredibly demented lyrics that, quite frankly, you'd have to be at least a little insane to write, to the fuzzed out distortion effects on the guitars and savagely screamed vocals mixed with effect-drowned clean vocals. The whole album exudes this feeling of unsettling wrongness and a slow creeping on of insanity. Stylistically, it's one of the first few sludge albums put out with grunge and extreme metal influences tossed into the bloody bucket that is Acid Bath's sound. This is a low-down dirty and evil album and I mean that as a compliment.

The sound of this album is very rough, muddy, and drowned in effects and distortion. The guitar tone is extremely low with a large amount of bass complimenting it. Sludge metal is a more than apt descriptor for this kind of music as the guitars have their sound as if it was melting slowly, flowing, and bleeding out all over and covering as much as it can cover. Dax Rigg's voice is also a defining characteristic of When the Kite String Pops. He alternates between mournful, ethereal, effect-drowned clean vocals and harsh hardcore barks that sometimes twist into black metal screaming. This delivery of the vocals contributes to the prevailing atmosphere of insanity and derangement as he barks forth his incredibly bizarre and disturbing lyrics with the kind of emotion that you'd imagine serial killers have when closing in for the kill. Whether calmly contemplating his derangement through singing or furiously spitting forth his mad rage, Dax puts all of his effort into this vocal delivery that makes you actually believe a madman is singing these songs to you.

Insanity seems to be the prevailing theme throughout this release as the band members play off of all sorts of things that could seriously disturb you. From the aforementioned serial killer artwork to the incredibly dark and madhouse-worthy lyrics to the one music video for Toubabo Koomi which features the band members flipping out half-naked in the swamp banging their heads and making poses in a ritualistic manner, Acid Bath seems to want you to think they're genuinely crazy. I wouldn't blame you if you believed them.

The Individual songs on the Album all fare well with their own flavor and sting. Tranquilized relies on a heavily distorted rock and roll riff to drive home the point and get heads banging. Similar fast-paced, crushing smash anthems such as Cheap Vodka and Toubabo Koomi are also incredibly mosh-able and their violent tone only enhances the rage. Other songs go on more of a trudging pace and use this to build on their atmosphere while also adding a slow drive to the song to give it this "marching through hostile swampland" feel. The Mortician's Flame and Finger Paintings of the Insane exemplify these characteristics best. The songs that stand out most on this are oddly enough the two acoustic songs. Scream of the Butterfly, despite being acoustic has a distortion effect on the guitar play to give it this disturbing feeling that will chill and unnerve you as Dax lets the creepy imagery flow forth from his mouth while a creeping bass thuds in the background as if someone's sneaking up upon you. The Bones of Baby Dolls has an extremely ethereal and otherworldly sound to it as Dax's voice is echoed and distorted to the extreme. It is a mournful song with rhythms that could only be done effectively with acoustic guitars. The warped vocals plus the sorrowful sounds of the acoustic guitars deliver this incredibly rich, yet chilling song. Both of these acoustic songs are unnerving and give plenty of emotion mixed with the already present creepiness and absurdity. The songs on this album are definite winners, succeeding to go where they seek to go.

The lyrical content of this album is easily what is the most mentally distressed thing about this album. They are outright insane. The songs cover various twisted topics from messianic delusions (Finger Paintings of the Insane) to sexual perversion and violence (Cassie Eats Cockroaches) to reality unraveling (What Color Is Death?) to a woman performing an abortion on herself (Scream of the Butterfly). This album is, to put it lightly, pretty messed up. If you like your lyrics creepy and cryptic, this will satisfy your morbid curiosities.

When the Kite String Pops is one of the nastiest, dirtiest, craziest, most savage, vicious, and mentally crooked records out there; And that's all to Acid Bath's advantage. This unique take on the genre that would eventually become sludge metal combines the aforementioned crazed lyrics with crushing guitars, violent screams, and unorthodox beats and rhythms into one monstrous, sick, twisted hellride of massive proportions. It delivers it's sound with potency and savagery and will give you an experience of bizarre terror that will resonate with you for a long, long time.

When one discusses Acid Bath, one immediately must take into account how obscure this band truly was. The fact that an entire underground following began under their name is quite an accomplishment, given this band was never signed by a recognized label or promoted by a well known figure in heavy metal like their peers. Instead they released two albums on a local label, and spent most of their career in relative obscurity. It didn't really seem until later that they gained any form of attention, though nowadays have a recieved quite a bit of worship from those who know and appreciate the style they put forth on their short and rather limited discography.

Conventional labels often quote this band as a sludge metal act, which seems pretty obvious given the band was associated with the New Orleans bands of the early to mid 90's and hailed from the state of Louisiana themselves. Yet when one experiences either one of this band's two albums, the listener isn't really reminded of Crowbar, Eyehategod, or acts a little further north in Buzzov*en. Naturally there are some similiarities, but none of the aforementioned acts sported a vocalist as pleasant as Dax Riggs, nor did any of them really focus on creating a surrealistic, almost paranormal atmosphere. Most of the time sludge metal concentrated on oppressively heavy riffs and an atmosphere of oblique depression by which no mortal man could overcome. While that is on display somewhat here, it more or less appears on the heavier sections of the songs.

Indeed, this goes beyond the label of sludge metal and really beyond anything Crowbar, Eyehategod, Iron Monkey, or Grief ever really came up with. It sometimes fails to conjure up the same sense of misanthropic aggression, and in some ways this album isn't as heavy as what those bands were often up to. Instead, this merges a mixture of styles from the blues, to heavy metal, a dash of Southern rock, and some gothic influence for good measure. The end result doesn't sound like it would be too appealing, perhaps too uneven stylistically but aside from this album's somewhat inconsistent pacing most things blend well.

The album begins with one of its better songs, "The Blue," which immediately floats a doom metal riff and conjures up that genre's infamous atmospheric tone. This eventually gives way to more hardcore sections as Riggs' vocals shift from soothing calm to something more akin to Mike Williams angry shouts but with more attention to the music going on behind them. The longer songs here often display a variety of change-ups, "Dr. Suess Is Dead" and "Toubabo Kooml" all being examples, as is the more sludge oriented "Dope Fiend." The album sometimes breaks away to exemplify one particular genre, such as the crust punk vibe of "Cheap Vodka," the more bluesy "Tranquilized," or the slightly thrashy feel of "Jezebelle" of course accompanied by its psychotic and often disturbing lyrics.

Yet the best song on here is reserved for the one that leaves out the sludgey riffs almost entirely. "Scream of the Butterfly" is a more mellowed out song, in which Riggs vocals take on that calming tone, despite the fact that the lyrics he's putting forth are quite grotesque, albeit far more poetic than most bands of this caliber. The song definitely carries an artistic feel to it, something I'm not entirely sure any of this band's peers were capable of, which in itself makes it worth hearing. Virtually everything positive about this band comes out in this one song, this is the sort of ballad most mainstream metal bands of today wish they could write.

As such, "When the Kite String Pops" is a hard album to talk about. Its an album that defies conventional logic in that it doesn't adhere to boundaries. Naturally it gets clumped in with most sludge metal bands and is one of the genre's more infamous acts, yet at the same time ventures into territories no one in Crowbar or Eyehategod would have thought to try. This alone makes it something worth hearing, as it doesn't allow the confines of genre adherence to interfere with the writing process. It is not a perfect album, however, at times the songs find ways to meander despite their menancing tone and can become repetitive. Its pretty obvious Acid Bath were not truly on their game at this point, as the next recording "Paegan Terrorism Tactics" was more consistent, mature, and superior in overall quality. That shouldn't deter anyone from hearing this album, as I personally couldn't stand it when I first heard it, but I can recommend this as one of those albums that will grow on you in time.

What an amazing album!

Acid Bath's first album is probably nothing like you have heard before. It is not entirely weird, nor is it revolutionary, yet it manages to create a whole world that is original and one-of-the-kind. In fact, it's even quite different, in a way, from Acid Bath's second (and last) album, which is another incredible album.

Maybe it's only natural that Acid Bath is as unique as it is, considering the singer Dax Riggs worships David Bowie and guitarist Sammy Duet worships Satan. The two dudes' interests are contradictory, yet the these core members are close friends who has mutual fascination with death, insanity, and darkness in general. Acid Bath is fascinated with themes more than a particular musical style, and that really makes them stand out from other metal bands. They are able to have a bluesy song ("Tranquilized"), an acoustic song ("Scream of the Butterfly" and "Bones of Baby Dolls"), a sludgy song ("Cassie Eats Cockroaches" and "Dope Fiend"), all in one album, and still maintain coherence and impact.

The whole thing is just nuts. It grabs your attention, grips your mind, and will surely poisons your feelings with negativity. Start off with album cover; even if you didn't know that the painting was done by serial killer John Wayne Gacy, it looks creepy and gives you a fair warning of what is contained within. Dax Riggs is a hell of a songwriter; his words are beautifully demented and imaginative. He is also a great singer that gives so much color and dimension to the album, whereas your average metal singer would've been disposable and predictable. Sammy's distorted backing screams are more sinister than any vocal work you heard on a black metal album. Sammy and co-guitarist Mike Sanchez, along with bassist Audie Pitre, cranks out some mean riffs and grooves that sometimes compliments each other and sometimes trades off with each other. The guitars make liberal use of squeals, pick scrapings, and feedbacks - you heard these tricks before, but here, these simple sound effects are somehow spooky... for example, the opening to "The Blue" and "Dr. Seuss is Dead." Audie and drummer Jimmy Kyle provides perfect complimentary support to evil vocals and guitars. The music is carefully placed to keep it balanced - I, for example, love the first 6 tracks and the last 4 tracks, which make the album easy to listen through. On top of all this, raw but effective production, mix of musical styles (like doom, blues, thrash, and even a slight touch of industrial??), and diversity in tempo and loudness turns an album into a perverted monster.

Bottom line, it kicks fucking ass, and any reviews you read will probably not do enough justice to the album. It's a true underground legend, a classic among classics that will surely survive through the test of time. Go buy it NOW!

When you think of Louisiana, what is the first band that comes to mind? For me, and many other sludge fans it should be Acid Bath. I must say, this is truly a dark and bizarre album. Specifically, this album is musically dark, and lyrically bizarre. Though, this is a sure-fire, 100% album that should be remembered through the years, and replayed many times.

As I said in the introduction, this album is musically dark. The use of acoustics helps add that depressive, melancholic sound to the music. A great example is the introduction in 'The Bones of Babydolls'. The acoustic guitar/vocal combo is very effective, and adds a touch of sadness into the song. It goes without saying that the guitar/bass work is very strong throughout the release. It sounds like Acid Bath spent a very long time writing their music. Though, the faster songs aren't as captivating, but are awesome nonetheless. They don't have the melancholic effect, but have a nice heavy sound and give you the ability to actually headbang to Acid Bath. The drumming isn't prominent throughout every song, but where it is used, it is great. The vocals can be described as nothing less than amazing. Dax Riggs has a superb clean singing voice, and it goes along very nicely with the slow, melancholic parts. His screams, like in the track 'Jezebel', are rough and sound relentless.

Throughout the album, I found myself very interested in this band. Once the last track had completed, I knew this would be an album I'd listen to a lot more in the future. Acid Bath had added a very significant touch to sludge metal, and I'm sure this album has influenced other bands. I'd recommend you check this one out, surely this was a major highlite for the year 1994.

This is one of the most diverse albums to ever emerge from the United States. I cannot pinpoint exactly what category musically to put Acid Bath in. I hear doom and death as well as black and sludge elements. Even thrash and melodic rock emerge at some point. Lets just say that Acid Bath were ahead of their time so much that they are revered as legends only 10 years after their departure from the metal world. Dax, for starters, is a very interchangeable vocalist. His range can go from extremely melodic to as extreme as screaming can get. This Jekyl and Hyde personae works well with Sammy's blackened screams and the rest of the bands different methods and tones.

When listening to songs like 'Scream of the butterfly' and 'Bones of baby dolls' the listener can become mesmerized and lost in the overall depth of the beauty. The melodies are very ballad like and quite overwhelmingly soothing. They are what sets them apart from the very aggressive ferocity of songs like 'Cassie eats cockroaches', 'Jezebel' (which when the song breaks down, gets calm with decipherable lyrics) and 'The Blue'. Overall each song has a different individualistic stance when it comes to pace, sound and story. There are no nuances nor mundane offerings.

This is for all listeners. Whether you prefer the doom/sludge aspects or the black and death alike. Metal aficionados who appreciate new territories explored and calculatingly executed will find at least one thing they like about 'When the kite string pops'. It Usually take 2 or more releases to give this much impression for just one album. Not to mention awesome cover artwork done by sadistic madman John Wayne Gacy (an author of death as a creator of art).

I highly recommend their follow 'Pagan Terrorism Tactics' for an album equal to brilliance. Compare

Acid Bath doesn't belong to one particular style or genre. There influences are many, but they are mostly reminiscent of doom bands such as Black Sabbath. Most of their songs are mixed with slow and speedy parts. The fast parts are mostly accompanied with a harsh scream. While the slow parts are put with a softer, melodic voice. Though, it is sometimes switched around.

The riffs are pretty good, but nothing spectacular. The songs are bass driven and Dax Riggs has the perfect voice for this type of music. The only downside is that the songs start to blend together at the end. The first six songs are great. They are heavy, slow, fast, and soft, it really is the perfect combination. Jezebel, Finger Paintings of the Insane, and The Blue are among the best on the album. They lead into Scream of the Butterfly, which is the climax of the album and fan favorite. Scream of the Butterfly is a soft acoustic song which puts emphasis Dax's voice. This song is great.

Dr. Seuss is Dead follows that, this song totally kicks your ass. After this song is when the songs start to get repetitive, don't get me wrong, there is not a bad song here but its kind of annoying when songs start blending together. Bones of Baby Dolls is the second acoustic song on this CD, it is not as good as Scream of the Butterfly, but good in its own right.

There really is no reason to not get this album, a fan of any type of metal should like it, the lyrics are sometimes poetic but sometimes they are bad and just trying to sound shocking. The band mixes so many things so well, its amazing.

The long-defunct Acid Bath played a variety of sludge doom metal infused with influences from their native Louisiana roots, resulting in something of a cross between the gritty riffs of Black Sabbath, the Southern anger of contemporary groove metal bands like Pantera, and even some moderate outbursts of death metal. ‘When the Kite String Pops’ is the first of only two albums the popular outfit recorded before the death of bassist Audie Pitre from a collision with a drunk driver in 1997, when the band respectfully called it a day and frontman Dax Riggs went on to found a number of ambitious projects.

Acid Bath’s music is really more suited to the pent-up rage of moshing teenagers than self-satisfied metal nerds like myself, but the doom influence keeps this album of interest to me for the most part, even if I resent it a little for becoming overrated in the way all American bands inevitably do, in comparison to their hard-working European equivalents. Ranging frequently from violent cacophony to reflective calm several times within each song, with a couple of exceptions sticking steadfastly to each extreme, ‘When the Kite String Pops’ is a generous offering of fourteen similar-sounding songs to entertain patient listeners for just over an hour, provided they can stomach the aural assault and Dax Riggs’ deliberately violent, occasionally gruesome lyrics. Perhaps in a further bid for notoriety with the kids, the cover art is taken from a painting called ‘Pogo the Clown #15/Skull Clown #171’ by incarcerated serial killer and cannibal John Wayne Gacy. Perhaps I’m inferring too much of the band; maybe they just really liked the picture.

The style of this album varies very little throughout its extensive playing time, based primarily on simplistic, extremely down-tuned and distorted guitar riffs usually played at medium speed, with occasional outbursts into a thrash assault. The late Pitre’s bass is a key ingredient of the already bass-heavy sound, accompanying Sammy Duet and Mike Sanchez’s guitars or filling in when they’re absent, while Jimmy Kyle’s drums get plenty of time in the spotlight when the rest of the band’s backs are turned, and he gets to show off his clicky double bass pedals in performances reminiscent of Pantera’s Vinnie Paul. Riggs’ vocals are an interesting feature, equally weighted between a distinctive Southern U.S. low singing and distorted hardcore shouting, occasionally broadening his range in the softer songs. The band isn’t about skilled musicianship as much as it’s about the release of hatred and frustration at the end of the weekly grind, never making proper use of its two guitarists and clearly not paying any attention to the commercial prospects that would doubtless come their way if only they calmed down a little. The introductions and endings of a number of songs are infected with serious guitar feedback, clearly left it on purpose and adding to the generally stoned and careless attitude the band succeeds in conveying.

Doubtless angsty youths will appreciate the mindless assault of songs such as the opener ‘The Blue’ and the other speedy swear-fests such as ‘Cheap Vodka,’ ‘Jezebel’ and a couple of tracks towards the end, but these really aren’t for me. I’ve polluted myself so much with this heavy metal thing that sludge bands’ anger sounds practically contented compared to the more violent excesses of Scandinavian scene, and their attempts to shock or provoke appear fairly tame when viewed alongside the disgusting themes, album covers and lyrics of their own country’s brutal death metal. Far more interesting are the songs like ‘Tranquilized,’ which fittingly takes on a slightly slower, truly droning tone and entrances the listener for several minutes with a more modern equivalent of the Black Sabbath sound, throwing out the occasional random, squealing and pleasantly amateurish guitar solo as Riggs sings in a gruff-but-soft tone similar to bands such as Tool. The lengthy ‘Finger Paintings of the Insane’ is even better, featuring some plodding, doomy sections that sound a lot like Candlemass, and based around some very half-hearted lead melodies that play a little bit of an Egyptian theme, but then can’t be bothered. It’s cool, and Kyle’s drumming is used sparingly and ominously in the slower sections to create a great atmosphere; the only problem is the slightly muted vocal performance towards the end, which sounds like it might be rap (and there was me claiming proudly that I didn’t own any), but might just as easily be Riggs mumbling on about something or other. The listener really isn’t supposed to be paying attention by now, as whatever they’re smoking makes them more concerned with flying, or whatever those drugs make people do.

Perhaps my favourite song is oddly the biggest diversion of the whole album, the fully acoustic ‘Scream of the Butterfly.’ Clearly aiming to be this album’s ‘Planet Caravan,’ the band refrains from leaping into all-out noise despite prominent heavy percussion from Kyle that oddly doesn’t seem out of place with the laid-back bass and acoustic guitar. Riggs’ singing takes on a more traditional sound in this softer piece, sounding similar to rock bands of the time such as Stone Temple Pilots and Alice in Chains, and it’s a really nice, almost psychedelic release that thankfully isn’t spoiled by the next song leaping back into heaviness straight away. Although it’s soon back to the normal order, ‘Dr. Seuss is Dead’ at least begins with some slow feedback and an enjoyable bit of groove metal. The penultimate ‘Bones of Baby Dolls’ is the other acoustic song on here, but a bit more forced and less refined, surrounded by the heaviest offerings of the album in the form of the energetic ‘What Colour is Death?’, annoyingly reminiscent of System of a Down in several places despite predating that ridiculously popular band, and the final ‘Cassie Eats Cockroaches’ that sees the band pour all of its remaining force into a near-death-metal attack interspersed with distorted but relevant samples from films, opening with a line from ‘A Clockwork Orange’ and ending the album with Riggs’ line: ‘they suck the meat from her bones.’ Just about sums it up really.

Acid Bath is a bit of a departure from the norm for me, but an interesting piece of nineties sludge-doom all the same. Although the annoying distorted shouting reminds me unpleasantly of later youth-angst bands like Slipknot, they suit the overall fuzzy sound of this release, particularly the droning guitars, and were clearly innovative at the time. Dax Riggs went on to found Agents of Oblivion, whose name begins with ‘Ag’ and will therefore clearly pop up in my review list some time in the near future. As for Acid Bath’s second album, I don’t think I’ll bother; this is all the Pantera-esque Southern violent doom I need in my life right now.

This band is just phenomenal; I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a chaotic, speedy, murky, and depressing sound. Also, the collaboration of the manic (Hardcore) and grunge-oriented vocals, with more heavy sounds and rock approaches (But still keeping that insanity displayed by more sludge songs), constitutes a very unique sound. Indeed, this is some strange stoner rock, sludge, and doom metal.

Furthermore, there are some other very interesting and worthwhile qualities about this band. I know many don't enjoy songs for their lyrics, saying "Lyrics aren't significant for metal - or in general" - but reading this band's lyrics gives more insight to the tone of the songs and understand between the more vigorous and slower songs. Personally, I believe that it's quite strange that such a slow, depressing-toned song could be conveying a message of only something a psychopath would attempt to disperse. Yes, a lot of the lyrics are building upon one another, slowly becoming more and more demented, along with one similarity - the killing and loathing of a certain "she." Perhaps the track "Jezebel" provides more of an insight?

Moreover, if you like some catchy riffs, manic screams and shouts, slothful-grunge vocals whispering spite and death - this may be an asset for you - which you should find to find somewhat of an appreciation for, that is, if you enjoy doom and sludge metal. For those not very much acquainted with doom/sludge metal, it may be a boring and even a chore to listen to at first - but trust me - the second or third just will confound and entrap you. From experience, the more you understand about the band, the more significant everyone becomes... Some usually unnoticed qualities just animate themselves, and become so interesting.

More about the band: be warned that if you do not enjoy some influence from doomy Black Sabbath, this may not come as so wonderful for you. That being said, some may not like post-death metal vocals or hardcore - or even grunge. Slow, stoner rock songs aren't always very interesting for metalheads, but past that - there is the alternate sludge that may compensate - and root more infatuation.

On any note, I hope this gave you SOMEWHAT of an idea as to what the band is like, and what to expect. Who knows, you might be more in for than you anticipated, or completely revolted by the band as a whole. Just remember, denying the placement of the head into the asshole will ALWAYS help one when present the habit of consistent critique.

I love this album. More than PTT, thats for sure. The riffs are great, the vocals are great, and this is a band that can play and arrange well. It starts off good with The Blue, a solid song and moves right into Tranquilized and its catchy as fuck beginning riff, changing to slower tempo through most of the middle, and drones off to finish. Cheap Vodka is really just filler, and next is Finger Paintings of the Insane. This album is full of amazing shit, and this is some of it. Starting off slow, and breaking off into a strange riff, after that breaking into a very black-metalish section, with keyboards and double bass. It eventually gets back to the main riff, and ends in a swell of mumbling and feedback. Jezebel is good, with a sudden intro to break the random feedback feeling. Then Screams of the Butterfly. Quieter acoustic song, which Acid Bath is talented at pulling off and placing. It creates almost a midpoint to the album. Next, Dr. Seuss is Dead, sparked a debate between my friend and I over stoner doom and how cool it is. heh. Dope Fiend opens with almsot the same feedback as The Blue, and you're almost waiting to hear The Blue's riff...but you don't. Mediocre song at best. Next is Toubabo Koomi, their only single they made a video for if i recall. It does have a very 'pop' feeling to it, but is good enough to not be a throwaway track. God Machine begins with a few samples from movies I can't quite place, and develops the main riff gradually, until vocals enter. It starts and stops tempo-wise for the rest of the song, and ends with a strange scream and clatter. Morticians Flame includes one of the catchiest riffs on the album, played by the bass, which is more prominent on this track. What Color Is Death seems out of place, with the singer screaming GO! repeatedly. It reminds me more of nu-metal, and doesnt flow with the rest of the album. The last two songs are Acid Bath classics, meant to kick your ass and make you love the album. Bones of Baby Dolls is another slow acoustic song, much better than the previous, sporting one of the coolest solos I've heard in a while. Cassie Eats Cockroaches is a fucking awesome song, starting with a detuned note over and over along with a Clockwork Orange sample, which goes so well with the lyrics. Samples that are random make the song suck. Acid Bath is a great band for not filling the second half up with shit filler, saving one of the best for last.