The hot, humid swamps of the Louisiana bayou, early 1993. Dax Riggs, Audie Pitre, Sammy Duet, Mike Sanchez and Jimmy Kyle drove from New Orleans to Orlando to record a demo for their band�aptly named, Acid Bath. What nobody knew was that they were about to pour the sonic foundation that dozens of bands would ultimately use to build their own houses on. These recordings, namely the 12 demos contained within, are what the band had laid down and are almost like a mile marker as to how their sound developed, evolved and became the polar opposite of what was going on in the music industry at that time.

I�ve found that I can listen to Demos 1993 - 1996 just about any old time. I think a good chunk of that is due to the vocals. Dax Riggs alternates between a Phil Anselmo-like growl to a clear, booming croon (think traditional doom metal). It adds another layer of dynamics to the music, which itself is pretty complex. Rather than focusing on one soupy groove, Acid Bath runs the gamut of riffs and rhythms, including some inspired Slayer-speed thrash. Demos 1993-1996 does a superb job at charting the evolution of a band. Towards the end, Acid Bath is unrestricted by genre conventions. By taking the best of thrash, metal, doom, and sludge, they created something beautifully grim.

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