In the Name of Suffering

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 Joey 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 arguably captures the band's compelling ugliness in its most raw state.