Dax Riggs
Encyclopedia
Dax David Riggs is an American musician from Houma, Louisiana
, most well known for formerly fronting the sludge
band Acid Bath
in the 1990s. Dax has been a part of many projects since then, including Agents of Oblivion
and Deadboy & the Elephantmen. In 2007 he began releasing material under his own name. He currently resides in Austin, Texas
.
/thrash metal
foundation of what would later become Acid Bath
. The band released one demo Wet Dreams of the Insane (1991) under that name before changing it. It featured Dax Riggs as the lead vocalist, Mike Sanchez and Jerry "Boon" Businelli on guitar, Jimmy Kyle on drums, and Chad Pierce on bass. Iterations of this line up included Hans van den Aardweg on bass. Kyle went on to form Acid Bath. van den Aardweg went on to co-found Drunk Guys With Guns, a punk/funk project out of southern Colorado led by anti-establishmentarian Bryan Williams.
was a seminal heavy metal
band from southern Louisiana. The band was marked by an unusual blend of black metal
, doom metal
, hardcore punk
and psychedelia. Singer Dax Riggs's voice could range from a guttural growl
to a Roy Orbison-esque wail in mid-song. In the liner notes for their second album, Paegan Terrorism Tactics
, the band thanked the ghost of Roy Orbison (as well as David Bowie) for his help in creating their sound. The band was also noted for Dax's imaginative and distinctive lyrics which often featured themes of death and drugs.
was a project of Dax Riggs between 1995 and 1997 that never took off. Only two Daisyhead recordings are known to exist.
They also detail a point in Riggs' career when he's struggling for life after Acid Bath, which disbanded following the death of bassist Audie Pitre in 1997.
Toward the end of Daisyhead & The Mooncrickets, Riggs was pushing for a more melodic sound, which materializes in his subsequent bands Agents of Oblivion
and deadboy & the Elephantmen. But, that sound was first heard on the Daisyhead recordings.
was the first of Dax's post-Acid Bath
projects to release any official recordings. The band first emerged with a five song demo and featured former Acid Bath guitarist Mike Sanchez on lead guitar. The demo included "Big Black Backwards," "Ash of the Mind," and other songs which would later appear on the band's self-titled debut, along with 2 other songs: "Riding the Wormhole" and a new version of "The Skeletal Circus Derails." The album, issued in 2000, features a blend of spare, dark ballads interspersed with blues-based heavy metal, although the sound never reverts to the more aggressive stylings of Acid Bath. The band broke up after a short tour in support of the album.
was Dax's next band, who were active from 2000 until 2007. Initially a Dax solo project, it later morphed into a full band before eventually settling on a two-piece lineup of Dax and drummer Tessie Brunet. The band toured on many festivals with many bands, including Fiery Furnaces, Peaches
, Eagles of Death Metal
, Wolfmother
, and Heartless Bastards
, and released albums on Fat Possum Records.
After the breakup of Deadboy & The Elephantmen in early 2007, Dax stated that he would release future albums under his own name. His first solo album, We Sing of Only Blood or Love, was released on Fat Possum Records in August 2007. Dax's second album, Say Goodnight to the World was released on August 3, 2010 (also with Fat Possum Records).
Houma, Louisiana
Houma is a city in and the parish seat of Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, and the largest principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's powers of government have been absorbed by the parish, which is now run by the Terrebonne Parish...
, most well known for formerly fronting the sludge
Sludge metal
Sludge metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that melds elements of doom metal and hardcore punk, and sometimes incorporates influences from southern rock, stoner rock and grunge. Sludge metal is typically abrasive; often featuring shouted vocals, heavily distorted instruments and sharply contrasting...
band Acid Bath
Acid Bath
Acid Bath was a seminal American sludge metal band from Houma, Louisiana that was active from 1991 to 1997. Acid Bath combined doom metal roots with influences from black metal, death metal, gothic rock, blues, folk, and country...
in the 1990s. Dax has been a part of many projects since then, including Agents of Oblivion
Agents of Oblivion
Agents of Oblivion was an American alternative rock band from Louisiana that evolved from the ashes of Acid Bath. Fronted by Dax Riggs, their sound encapsulated psychedelic rock and blues-rock elements creating swamp rock.-History:...
and Deadboy & the Elephantmen. In 2007 he began releasing material under his own name. He currently resides in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
.
Corruption
Corruption was Dax in his teens fronting a thrash metal band that played cover songs, though they never played a real gig.Golgotha
Golgotha was the sludgeSludge metal
Sludge metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that melds elements of doom metal and hardcore punk, and sometimes incorporates influences from southern rock, stoner rock and grunge. Sludge metal is typically abrasive; often featuring shouted vocals, heavily distorted instruments and sharply contrasting...
/thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
foundation of what would later become Acid Bath
Acid Bath
Acid Bath was a seminal American sludge metal band from Houma, Louisiana that was active from 1991 to 1997. Acid Bath combined doom metal roots with influences from black metal, death metal, gothic rock, blues, folk, and country...
. The band released one demo Wet Dreams of the Insane (1991) under that name before changing it. It featured Dax Riggs as the lead vocalist, Mike Sanchez and Jerry "Boon" Businelli on guitar, Jimmy Kyle on drums, and Chad Pierce on bass. Iterations of this line up included Hans van den Aardweg on bass. Kyle went on to form Acid Bath. van den Aardweg went on to co-found Drunk Guys With Guns, a punk/funk project out of southern Colorado led by anti-establishmentarian Bryan Williams.
Acid Bath
Acid BathAcid Bath
Acid Bath was a seminal American sludge metal band from Houma, Louisiana that was active from 1991 to 1997. Acid Bath combined doom metal roots with influences from black metal, death metal, gothic rock, blues, folk, and country...
was a seminal heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band from southern Louisiana. The band was marked by an unusual blend of black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
, doom metal
Doom metal
Doom metal is an extreme form of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other metal genres...
, hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
and psychedelia. Singer Dax Riggs's voice could range from a guttural growl
Death growl
A death growl, also known as death metal vocals, guttural vocals, death grunts, and harsh vocals among other names, is a vocalisation style usually employed by vocalists of the death metal and black metal music genre, but also used in a variety of heavy metal and hardcore punk subgenres.Death...
to a Roy Orbison-esque wail in mid-song. In the liner notes for their second album, Paegan Terrorism Tactics
Paegan Terrorism Tactics
Track 1 is listed in the liner notes as "Pagan Love Song".Track 12 is sometimes mislabeled as "Ode of the Paegan".The length of Track 11 including the hidden track is 24:08.-Acid Bath:*Dax Riggs - Vocals*Mike Sanchez - Guitar...
, the band thanked the ghost of Roy Orbison (as well as David Bowie) for his help in creating their sound. The band was also noted for Dax's imaginative and distinctive lyrics which often featured themes of death and drugs.
Daisyhead & The Mooncrickets
Daisyhead & The MooncricketsDaisyhead & The Mooncrickets
Daisyhead & The Mooncrickets was a project of Dax Riggs between 1995 and 1997 that never took off. Only two Daisyhead recordings are known to exist.-Legacy:...
was a project of Dax Riggs between 1995 and 1997 that never took off. Only two Daisyhead recordings are known to exist.
They also detail a point in Riggs' career when he's struggling for life after Acid Bath, which disbanded following the death of bassist Audie Pitre in 1997.
Toward the end of Daisyhead & The Mooncrickets, Riggs was pushing for a more melodic sound, which materializes in his subsequent bands Agents of Oblivion
Agents of Oblivion
Agents of Oblivion was an American alternative rock band from Louisiana that evolved from the ashes of Acid Bath. Fronted by Dax Riggs, their sound encapsulated psychedelic rock and blues-rock elements creating swamp rock.-History:...
and deadboy & the Elephantmen. But, that sound was first heard on the Daisyhead recordings.
Agents of Oblivion
Agents of OblivionAgents of Oblivion
Agents of Oblivion was an American alternative rock band from Louisiana that evolved from the ashes of Acid Bath. Fronted by Dax Riggs, their sound encapsulated psychedelic rock and blues-rock elements creating swamp rock.-History:...
was the first of Dax's post-Acid Bath
Acid Bath
Acid Bath was a seminal American sludge metal band from Houma, Louisiana that was active from 1991 to 1997. Acid Bath combined doom metal roots with influences from black metal, death metal, gothic rock, blues, folk, and country...
projects to release any official recordings. The band first emerged with a five song demo and featured former Acid Bath guitarist Mike Sanchez on lead guitar. The demo included "Big Black Backwards," "Ash of the Mind," and other songs which would later appear on the band's self-titled debut, along with 2 other songs: "Riding the Wormhole" and a new version of "The Skeletal Circus Derails." The album, issued in 2000, features a blend of spare, dark ballads interspersed with blues-based heavy metal, although the sound never reverts to the more aggressive stylings of Acid Bath. The band broke up after a short tour in support of the album.
Deadboy & the Elephantmen
Deadboy & the ElephantmenDeadboy & the Elephantmen
Deadboy & the Elephantmen was an American indie rock band from 2000 to 2007. Based in Houma, Louisiana, the band was fronted by Dax Riggs ....
was Dax's next band, who were active from 2000 until 2007. Initially a Dax solo project, it later morphed into a full band before eventually settling on a two-piece lineup of Dax and drummer Tessie Brunet. The band toured on many festivals with many bands, including Fiery Furnaces, Peaches
Peaches (musician)
Merrill Beth Nisker , better known by her stage name Peaches, is a Canadian electronic musician and performance artist who lives in Berlin, Germany. Her songs are noted for disregarding traditional gender norms and their use of sexually explicit lyrics...
, Eagles of Death Metal
Eagles of Death Metal
Eagles of Death Metal is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, formed in 1998 by Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme. Despite their band name, Eagles of Death Metal are not a death metal band. Hughes stated that a friend was introducing Josh Homme to the death metal genre...
, Wolfmother
Wolfmother
Wolfmother is an Australian rock band from Erskineville, Sydney. Formed in 2000, the group was originally a trio composed of vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, bassist and keyboardist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett. Wolfmother released their self-titled debut album in October 2005,...
, and Heartless Bastards
Heartless Bastards
Heartless Bastards is a garage rock band formed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2003. They are often compared to fellow Ohioans and Fat Possum labelmates The Black Keys.- History :...
, and released albums on Fat Possum Records.
T-Daks & His White Plastic Soul and Dax Riggs
Dax's solo project started out under the name T-Daks & His White Plastic Soul. Riggs performed a handful of live shows under that name, mostly performing acoustic.After the breakup of Deadboy & The Elephantmen in early 2007, Dax stated that he would release future albums under his own name. His first solo album, We Sing of Only Blood or Love, was released on Fat Possum Records in August 2007. Dax's second album, Say Goodnight to the World was released on August 3, 2010 (also with Fat Possum Records).
Discography
- When The Kite String PopsWhen the Kite String PopsSide TwoTrack 14 contains samples from the 1971 Stanley Kubrick film A Clockwork Orange, as well as the 1986 David Lynch film Blue Velvet.-Acid Bath:*Dax Riggs – Vocals*Mike Sanchez – Guitar*Sammy "Pierre" Duet – Guitar, Backing Vocals...
(1994) - Paegan Terrorism TacticsPaegan Terrorism TacticsTrack 1 is listed in the liner notes as "Pagan Love Song".Track 12 is sometimes mislabeled as "Ode of the Paegan".The length of Track 11 including the hidden track is 24:08.-Acid Bath:*Dax Riggs - Vocals*Mike Sanchez - Guitar...
(1996) - Agents of OblivionAgents of Oblivion (album)-Track listing:# "Endsmouth" – 4:24# "Slave Riot" – 3:21# "A Song That Crawls" – 4:10# "Dead Girl" – 6:25# "Phantom Green" – 5:06# "The Hangman's Daughter" – 4:34# "Ladybug" – 4:33# "Ash of the Mind" – 3:52...
(2000) - If This Is Hell, Then I'm LuckyIf This Is Hell, Then I'm LuckyIf This Is Hell, Then I'm Lucky is the debut album by Deadboy & the Elephantmen, fronted by Dax Riggs, formerly of Acid Bath and Agents of Oblivion. The album was re-released on February 5, 2008 under Dax Riggs' name only, and again in 2010 by Rotten Records, using the bands proper title...
(2002) - We Are Night SkyWe Are Night SkyWe Are Night Sky is the second full-length album of Deadboy & the Elephantmen. However it is often considered to be their first album, due to its sole major label level. It is also the first full length album to feature drummer Tessie Brunet....
(2005) - We Sing of Only Blood or LoveWe Sing of Only Blood or LoveWe Sing of Only Blood or Love is the debut solo album released by American singer and songwriter Dax Riggs. It was slated to be the next Deadboy and the Elephantmen album before that band's dissolution. Riggs decided to release it under his own name, on August 21, 2007...
(2007) - If This Is Hell, Then I'm LuckyIf This Is Hell, Then I'm LuckyIf This Is Hell, Then I'm Lucky is the debut album by Deadboy & the Elephantmen, fronted by Dax Riggs, formerly of Acid Bath and Agents of Oblivion. The album was re-released on February 5, 2008 under Dax Riggs' name only, and again in 2010 by Rotten Records, using the bands proper title...
(rereleased 2008) - Say Goodnight To The WorldSay Goodnight To The World- Tracklisting :#Say Goodnight To The World#I Hear Satan#You Were Born To Be My Gallows#Gravedirt On My Blue Suede Shoes#Like Moonlight#No One Will Be A Stranger#Heartbreak Hotel#Sleeping With The Witch#Let Me Be Your Cigarette...
(2010)