Eyehategod @ Ivory Blacks, 5 Apr

Prior to kicking off their downtuned set of dejected anthems, band members wholeheartedly encourage the crowd to both “smoke drugs now” and “beat each other up”. Thanks to some misdirected testosterone, violence promptly ensues but quickly dissipates behind a thick fog of slow-motion musical misanthropy. After 20 years plus, these New Orleans natives are still the reigning despots of sludge, continually upholding an original sound which effectively drags and dredges the low-end of metal and hardcore, pushing and pulling their listeners deeper and deeper into a wasted spiral of self-inflicted aural cruelty. As the lengthy performance ends, everyone’s gotten their money’s worth and then some, considering the inclusion of unexpected oldies like Depress, Sisterfucker and Dixie Whiskey from way back when. This is only their second time in Scotland (apparently), and they assure us they’ll definitely be back. If they don’t all end up in prison. Again. [Eric Ledford]