Dopesick
Encyclopedia
- This article topic is about an album so titled, for colloquially so referred "dope sickness" see Withdrawal syndromeWithdrawal syndromeA withdrawal syndrome, also called a discontinuation syndrome, occurs when a person suddenly stops taking or reduces the dosage of some types of medications...
Dopesick is the third studio album by the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sludge metal
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 Eyehategod
Eyehategod
Eyehategod is an American sludge metal band from New Orleans who formed in 1988. They have become one of the most well known bands to emerge from the NOLA metal scene...
, released on April 2, 1996. It was reissued in 2006 as part of Century Media
Century Media Records
Century Media Records is an Independent record label with offices in the United States, Germany, Australia, France, Italy, Sweden, Finland, and the United Kingdom.- Background :...
's 20th Anniversary series with three bonus tracks that were recorded during the original Dopesick recording sessions.
Recording and production
After the release of Take as Needed for PainTake as Needed for Pain
Take as Needed for Pain is the second album by American sludge metal band Eyehategod, released on November 22, 1993. According to Mike Williams, it was the favorite album of nearly all band members, and his favorite album title, with the exception of Poison Idea's Record Collectors Are Pretentious...
, Eyehategod's previous album, the band recorded several demos, which were released on various 7" records and splits on various labels, before finally settling down in autumn
Autumn
Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September or March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....
of 1995 to record a full length record, Dopesick. The album featured Billy Anderson
Billy Anderson (music)
Billy Anderson is a record producer, engineer and musician. He has worked with hundreds of bands over the past 20 years, including Cormorant, Eyehategod, Mr. Bungle, Red House Painters, Fantômas and Sleep...
and Pepper Keenan
Pepper Keenan
Pepper J. Keenan , is an American vocalist and guitarist, best known for his work with heavy metal bands Corrosion of Conformity and Down. He joined Corrosion of Conformity in 1989, but did not become the lead singer until the recording of Deliverance in 1994...
as producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and co-producer respectively and new bassist Vince LeBlanc. It was recorded at Side One Studios in New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
so Mike Williams
Mike Williams (singer)
Mike IX Williams is the singer for Eyehategod and former associate editor for Metal Maniacs. He has also worked on other projects.-Eyehategod:Mike was invited to join Eyehategod by Jimmy Bower in 1988...
had to travel often between there and Clinton Hill
Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
Clinton Hill is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. It is bordered on the east by Bedford-Stuyvesant, on the west by Fort Greene, on the north by Wallabout Bay and on the south by Prospect Heights...
, Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he was living at the time.
The recording sessions were infamously chaotic, and involved the studio owner reportedly calling Century Media
Century Media Records
Century Media Records is an Independent record label with offices in the United States, Germany, Australia, France, Italy, Sweden, Finland, and the United Kingdom.- Background :...
to ask if the band was mentally unstable, and threatening to kick them out. This particular incident occurred after Mike Williams had attempted to record the sound of smashing glass for the introduction to the album, by smashing a bottle on the floor of the studio. In the process, he slashed open his hand and bled all over the studio floor; this recording did make it to the record as the introduction to the first track, "My Name Is God (I Hate You)." One of the band members then apparently smeared the words "Hell" and "Death to Pigs" in Williams' blood.
The album's recording finished during the winter
Winter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, between autumn and spring. At the winter solstice, the days are shortest and the nights are longest, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice.-Meteorology:...
of 1995. After the completion of the LP, Brian Patton and Joey LaCaze flew out to San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to mix
Audio mixing (recorded music)
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
the album at Hyde Street Studio with Billy Anderson, who would be the album's engineer
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
also.
Release
The album was finally released on April 2, 1996. Thanks to the LP, the band was able to embark on a United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
tour in the spring of 1997, supporting White Zombie and Pantera
Pantera
Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...
, bringing their music to a far wider audience.
On June 27, 2006, the album was reissued as part of Century Media
Century Media Records
Century Media Records is an Independent record label with offices in the United States, Germany, Australia, France, Italy, Sweden, Finland, and the United Kingdom.- Background :...
's 20th Anniversary series of reissues. The new edition included three bonus tracks recorded during the original Dopesick recording sessions.
Music
Dopesick continues Eyehategod's tradition of making hateful and painful music. The album opens with Mike WilliamsMike Williams (singer)
Mike IX Williams is the singer for Eyehategod and former associate editor for Metal Maniacs. He has also worked on other projects.-Eyehategod:Mike was invited to join Eyehategod by Jimmy Bower in 1988...
' screams and the sound of a broken bottle. It is somewhat diverse musically, but not in terms of mood. "Dixie Whiskey" has a main riff that sounds, reportedly, like a swamp-bred Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
. "Dogs Holy Life" and "Non Conductive Negative Reasoning" both feature inventive and ear-grabbing guitar parts before ending abruptly, according to William York of Allmusic. Songs such as "Peace Thru War (Thru Peace and War)" and "Lack of Almost Everything" alternate up-tempo 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...
sections with slowed-down grooves. Dopesick sounds slightly different from the band's previous records because it was produced to sound denser and heavier; with the drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
more up front in the mix and the guitars
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
sounding especially thick. Michael Williams gives the album his puke-ridden vocals which are, according to critics, what can keep away most listeners.
Critical reception
William York of Allmusic gave the album 4.5 stars of 5, calling it "an exhausting, challenging listen" but "Eyehategod's most musically accomplished and well-rounded statement." He praised the fact that it is varied musically. The extreme tempo alternations in songs, such as "Peace Thru War (Thru Peace and War)" and "Lack of Almost Everything," were very well received.In 2009, the album was chosen as the number 2 sludge record by Terrorizer, which commented that "[v]icious 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...
, crushing metallic comedowns and wave upon merciless wave of feedback serve as both a harrowing soundtrack to their ruined lives and a doomed lovesong to the spirit of the South."
Track listing
Music by Jimmy BowerJimmy Bower
Jimmy Bower is an American sludge/heavy metal guitarist and drummer who has played with six bands, most notably Eyehategod, Crowbar, Down, and Superjoint Ritual....
, Brian Patton, Joey LaCaze and Vince LeBlanc. All lyrics written by Mike Williams
Mike Williams (singer)
Mike IX Williams is the singer for Eyehategod and former associate editor for Metal Maniacs. He has also worked on other projects.-Eyehategod:Mike was invited to join Eyehategod by Jimmy Bower in 1988...
, except tracks six and seven, by Williams and Alicia Morgan.
The original version of "Depress" can be found in In the Name of Suffering
In the Name of Suffering
In the Name of Suffering is Sludge metal band Eyehategod's debut album, released on December 1, 1992. The album was originally released on French label Intellectual Convulsion, but only 1500-2000 copies were pressed of this release before the label disappeared. They were then picked up by Century...
.
Usage in other works
"My Name Is God (I Hate You)," "Dogs Holy Life," "Dixie Whiskey," "Ruptured Heart Theory," "Lack of Almost Everything," "Zero Nowhere," "Methamphetamine," "Broken Down But Not Locked Up" and "Anxiety Hangover" were covered by different bands for For the SickFor the Sick
For the Sick is the title of the various artist tribute album to one of the most influential sludge metal bands, Eyehategod. It was released through Emetic Records on March 20, 2007.-CD 1:...
, a tribute to Eyehategod by various artists released by Emetic Records. "Dixie Whiskey" is also featured in Identity 3...D!, a compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
released by Century Media Records
Century Media Records
Century Media Records is an Independent record label with offices in the United States, Germany, Australia, France, Italy, Sweden, Finland, and the United Kingdom.- Background :...
. Another cover of this track by Intronaut
Intronaut
Intronaut is a progressive metal band from Los Angeles, California.Their style, while rooted in metal, is extremely forward-thinking and psychedelic, complete with complex polyrhythms, intense, haunting melodies, and vocal harmonies, combined with progressive and jazzy instrumental breaks.Their...
was included in Century Media's cover album
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
Century Media Records: Covering 20 Years of Extremes.
Personnel
- Eyehategod
- Mike WilliamsMike Williams (singer)Mike IX Williams is the singer for Eyehategod and former associate editor for Metal Maniacs. He has also worked on other projects.-Eyehategod:Mike was invited to join Eyehategod by Jimmy Bower in 1988...
– Vocals - Jimmy BowerJimmy BowerJimmy Bower is an American sludge/heavy metal guitarist and drummer who has played with six bands, most notably Eyehategod, Crowbar, Down, and Superjoint Ritual....
– GuitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... - Brian Patton – Guitar
- Joey LaCaze – DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Vince LeBlanc – BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Mike Williams
- Billy AndersonBilly Anderson (music)Billy Anderson is a record producer, engineer and musician. He has worked with hundreds of bands over the past 20 years, including Cormorant, Eyehategod, Mr. Bungle, Red House Painters, Fantômas and Sleep...
– ProducerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
, mixerAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may... - Perry Cunningham – RemasterRemasterRemaster is a word marketed mostly in the digital audio age, although the remastering process has existed since recording began...
ing - Tom Bejgrowitz – Additional layout
- Charles Elliott – Reissue coordination
On the album the credits for each member of the band are shown in a different way.