Back from the swampy bayous of Louisiana, Cajun sludge metal titans Acid Bath made their triumphant return to perform at a sold-out show in Atlanta, Georgia, at The Eastern on April 17th. For this tour stop in Atlanta, Acid Bath brought with them a few close friends from Louisiana for opening support, Crowbar and EyeHateGod, plus Atlanta’s very own Whores. This would be my first time getting the opportunity to photograph two out of the four bands scheduled to perform, so needless to say, I was excited as I drove up to Atlanta for this once-in-a-lifetime show.

Whores. is a noise rock/sludge metal band from Atlanta, Georgia that has been active since 2010. Whores consists of founding member Christian Lembach (vocals/guitar), Casey Maxwell (bass), and Douglas Jennings Barrett (drums). Whores have released two (2) LPs, two (2) EPs, and five (5) singles since their debut EP, Ruiner, in 2011. Their latest release, War (2024), was released through Brutal Panda Records. It has been quite a few years since I last saw Whores. perform live, so I was excited when they were added to this already stacked lineup after the announcement.

Whores. have always performed an intense show for their fans filled with crunchy, dominating riffs and Christian’s legendary vitriolic growl. Knowing that Whores. would be performing a hometown show supporting these behemoths of metal, I knew Whores. was ready to lay waste to the stage at the Eastern during their 6:30 pm sharp start time.

Whores.

Whores. took the stage to the roar of the crowd; many fans had shown up early to support the hometown’s dudes, and you could see the joy in the band’s faces as they walked out onto the stage. Whores. began their fiery set with the first track off their debut EP, Ruiner, entitled “Daddy’s Money.” In my opinion, this was a fantastic start for one of the best bands in Atlanta, Georgia, and I was stoked that they were added to this evening’s festivities. Whores. career-spanning set was chock full of bangers from their discography like “Hostage Therapy”, “Imposter Syndrome”, and “I Am an Amateur at Everything.”

What was supposed to be the final song of the night for Whores. became a lesson for all soundboard engineers. Some bands just perform much louder than others, and unfortunately, both Christian’s guitar and Casey’s bass amps cut off during the latter part of “I Am Not a Goal-Oriented Person”, thus causing their set to end earlier than expected, much to the crowd’s dismay.

Check out Whores. opening set from Friday’s sold-out show at The Eastern below:

· “Daddy’s Money”

· “Baby Bird”

· “Charlie Chaplin Routine”

· “Hostage Therapy”

· “Participation Trophy”

· “Imposter Syndrome”

· “I Am an Amateur at Everything”

· “I Am Not a Goal-Oriented Person” – (Unfinished – all the guitar and bass amps cut off during the latter part of the song)

If you are a fan of Whores., check out “Red Fang, Torche, & Whores: Live at The Masquerade” from 2016 by following this link to Concerthopper.

EyeHateGod is a sludge metal band that is also from New Orleans, Louisiana, and has been performing since 1988. EyeHateGod consists of Mike Williams (vocals), Jimmy Bower (rhythm guitar), Gary Mader (bass), and Aaron Hill (drums). EyeHateGod has released nine (9) LPs, five (5) splits, one (1) EP, two (2) singles, two (2) DVDs, and five (5) music videos since their debut LP, In the Name of Suffering, in 1990. Over the years, I have seen EyeHateGod tour with many bands like Black Label Society, Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar, Goatwhore, and BL’AST! to name a few.

EyeHateGod

EyeHateGod was summoned to the stage after an unforgettable performance from Whores., and the crowd let them know they were ready for the NOLA portion of the night. EyeHateGod started their set off with a B-Side track from Southern Discomfort, “Blank / Shoplift”, which is a favorite of mine from this demos/rarities release from 2000. It is always great seeing EyeHateGod roll through Atlanta, because the Atlanta metal scene always comes out in full force to show these dudes some love and support.

Other notable songs from EyeHateGod’s opening set included “New Orleans Is the New Vietnam”, “High Risk Trigger”, and “Masters of Legalized Confusion.” EyeHateGod’s last studio album, A History of Nomadic Behavior (2021), has some incredible songs on it, so I was thrilled to finally hear some of these songs performed live, such as the song “High Risk Trigger” and the final song of the night, “Every Thing, Every Day.”

You can view EyeHateGod’s epic set from The Eastern below:

· “Blank / Shoplift”

· “Sisterfuck (Part 1)”

· “Medicine Noose”

· “New Orleans Is the New Vietnam”

· “Agitation! Propaganda!”

· “High Risk Trigger”

· “Masters of Legalized Confusion”

· “Every Thing, Every Day”

If you are a fan of EyeHateGod, check out “EyeHateGod, Cro-Mags, & Dead Oath: Sold Out at The Earl!” from 2018 by following this link.

Crowbar is a sludge/doom metal band from New Orleans, Louisiana, that has been together since 1990. Crowbar currently consists of founding member Kirk Windstein (vocals/guitars), Tommy Buckley (drums), Matt Brunson (guitar), and Pat Bruders (bass). Other notable former members of Crowbar include EyeHateGod’s Jimmy Bower (drums) and Acid Bath’s Sammy Duet (guitar/backing vocals). Crowbar has released eleven (11) LPs, one (1) live album, two (2) demos, two (2) DVDs, and several music videos since their debut LP, Obedience thru Suffering, in 1991. Crowbar’s latest release, Zero and Below (2022), was released through MNRK Heavy and received critical acclaim from many metal fans across the world. The last time I saw Crowbar was at the 40 Watt Club in Athens, Georgia, with the homies Spirit Adrift a few years back.

This would be my first opportunity to photograph Crowbar live, so I was just as eager to get to work with them as I was with Acid Bath. I remember the first time I heard “Embracing Emptiness” from Time Heals Nothing (1995) when my friend Matt played the CD for me in his car during a lunch break. You could feel the heaviness of Kirk’s vocals weighing down on your body like a ton of bricks.

Crowbar

Even before seeing Crowbar perform live, I knew they were a force to be reckoned with in the metal community with Kirk’s sludgy vocal style and the band’s crushing riffs. Sammy Pierre Duet from Acid Bath even came out on stage during the performance of “Planets Collide” and joined Kirk singing the refrain during this song. Nothing could prepare the crowd for what would be the final song of the night from Crowbar, “All I Had (I Gave)” from their self-titled second album, Crowbar (1993). The crowd instantly went into a fury as the pit opened wider, and many crowd surfers took to surf the sea of hands gathered around them in the crowd.

You can view Crowbar’s setlist from their opening support of Acid Bath at The Eastern below:

· “… And Suffer as One”

· “The Lasting Dose”

· “I Feel the Burning Sun”

· “To Build a Mountain”

· “The Cemetery Angels”

· “Repulsive in Its Splendid Beauty”

· “Planets Collide” (with Sammy Pierre Duet)

· “Existence is Pain”

· “All I Had (I Gave)”

Acid Bath is a sludge metal band from Houma, Louisiana that has been active from 1991 to 1997 and 2024-present. Acid Bath currently consists of Dax Riggs (vocals), Sammy “Pierre” Duet (guitars/backing vocals), Mike Sanchez (guitars), Shane Wesley (bass), and Zack Simmons (drums) round out the lineup. Acid Bath has released two (2) LPs, three (3) videos, and nine (9) demos since forming back in 1991. When the Kite String Pops (1994) by the sludge metal band Acid Bath is considered by many to be one of the early examples of the sludge metal genre.

What is currently recognized as an underground classic in the heavy metal world, When the Kite String Pops, was my first introduction to the band Acid Bath in 1996 when a friend happened to have this CD in his collection. I remember noticing the cover of this CD had a strangely familiar picture of a clown staring at some balloons. After looking into this artwork, I was reminded that this was an actual self-portrait painting entitled “Pogo the Clown” by John Wayne Gacy while he was on death row awaiting execution for his deviant crimes. On January 23, 1997, tragedy struck Acid Bath and all of those around the band. Acid Bath bassist Audie Pitre was tragically killed alongside his parents when a drunk driver drove through a stop sign. This heartbreaking loss was a pivotal moment in the band’s history, as it proved to be the nail in Acid Bath’s proverbial coffin for the time being. Consequently, Acid Bath mutually decided they could not see themselves carrying on without Audie on bass.

Acid Bath

Years later, rumors of Acid Bath’s return to performing live started swirling around the internet in 2014, but were later debunked by the band themselves. It was clear that the surviving members did not want to continue without Audie. The band cited in an interview with Loudwire in 2014 that the surviving members of Acid Bath, “… Jimmy, Mike, and myself – have been considering the possibility of doing some shows in the future, as an Acid Bath tribute band, but nothing has been set in stone, and it is still just an idea.”

Despite taking this hiatus between 1997-2024, Acid Bath’s following in the metal community grew stronger. This growth of popularity during the band’s hiatus gathered enough steam that the band decided to play some shows in 2024 to see how it felt to get back on stage. Flash forward to the present, Acid Bath has now performed several shows since reuniting, including The Caverns in Pelham, Tennessee, a few months back. Now, the metal scene in Atlanta was in the middle of one of the most anticipated concerts of 2026 with the reunited Acid Bath.

Acid Bath took the stage at The Eastern, and you could feel the crowd breathe a collective sigh of relief that this moment had finally come. One would think that quite a few people in attendance were finally seeing Acid Bath performing live for the first time. Starting off their much-anticipated set with the second track off their debut album, When The Kite String Pops, “Tranquilized” drove the crowd into a frenzy of excitement. Crowd surfers kicked it in high gear from the start of Avid Bath’s set and started surfing the wave of hands, guiding them safely to the rail for the Security guards to scoop them out of the sea of fans.

Acid Bath

For their second song of the night, Acid Bath gave the fans the second song from their sophomore album, Paegan Terrorism Tactics, “Bleed Me an Ocean.” This was one of my favorite tracks off that album, and I could see the crowd also enjoying this song as Dax belted out “Bleed me an ocean / As the blossom eats the butterfly / Can you feel the cold death that rides along your spine?” What transpired next was something I was not expecting, but I was not surprised at all.

The next song of the night was “Venus Blue”, also from Paegan Terrorism Tactics, and was dedicated to their former bassist Audie Pitre. It was a touching moment during their set for their fallen brother. As the band played through their set, I walked around the venue paying close attention to the vibe that permeated throughout The Eastern. You could see so many happy faces as Acid Bath performed a good selection of songs from their studio albums. I was thrilled to watch Acid Bath perform a few of my favorite songs for the final three songs of the night: “Graveflower” > “Paegan Love Song” > “The Blue.” It’s been so long since we were fortunate enough to watch Acid Bath perform live in concert; now that we can, I implore you to do so before they go back into a deep hibernation.

In case you missed this evening’s performance, you can check out Acid Bath’s setlist from The Eastern below:

· “Tranquilized”

· “Bleed Me an Ocean”

· “Venus Blue” (Dedicated to Audie Pitre)

· “The Bones of Baby Dolls”

· “Dead Girls” (Agents of Oblivion version)

· “The Mortician’s Flame”

· “New Death Sensation”

· “Graveflower”

· “Paegan Love Song”

· “The Blue”

You still have a few chances to see Acid Bath stateside at Sick New World Las Vegas 2026, Milwaukee Metal Fest 2026, and a few tour dates stateside before they travel to Europe for the Summer.

Apr. 25, 2026

Las Vegas, NV

Sick New World Las Vegas 2026

May 8, 2026

May 30, 2026