Acid Bath were the Houma, Louisiana sludge metal band active from 1991 to 1997, reunited for live shows in 2024. Their two Rotten Records albums — When the Kite String Pops (1994) and Paegan Terrorism Tactics (1996) — are foundational sludge, with Dax Riggs's vocals and a genuinely dark Southern streak. Find Acid Bath vinyl pressings and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Acid Bath formed in Houma, Louisiana in 1991, combining members of earlier local bands Dark Karnival (Audie Pitre, Sammy Duet) and Golgotha (Dax Riggs, Mike Sanchez). The classic lineup featured Dax Riggs on vocals, Sammy Duet and Mike Sanchez on guitars, Audie Pitre on bass, and Jimmy Kyle on drums. The band signed with Rotten Records and recorded two studio albums between 1994 and 1996. Following the death of Audie Pitre and his parents in a car accident on January 23, 1997, the band disbanded. They reunited for live performances in 2024.
Acid Bath's sound is a defining example of southern Louisiana sludge metal, combining doom metal with elements of death metal, gothic rock, blues, and folk. Lyrical content draws on imagery of death, mental illness, and rural Southern darkness. Both studio albums feature cover artwork by notorious figures - When the Kite String Pops uses a John Wayne Gacy painting; Paegan Terrorism Tactics uses art by Jack Kevorkian.
Original Rotten Records pressings of both albums remain among the most sought-after items in sludge metal collecting. Multiple reissue pressings and color variants have been released, with renewed activity surrounding the 2024 reunion.
Listeners new to Acid Bath typically start with When the Kite String Pops (1994), the band's debut. Paegan Terrorism Tactics (1996) is a common second entry point.
