Eyehategod - "A History of Nomadic Behavior", 2021

By reading some comments and reviews about the album on release, I noticed a few folks online suggesting that the band was selling out - or getting more accessible - due to this album being "the first via Century Media" and other criticism along those lines; I'm compelled to point out that EHG always released its records through Century Media, except for a small batch of copies of the debut album, "In The Name of Suffering", on Intellectual Convulsion (that was also re-released on CM shortly afterwards, by the way). Additionally, the band simply licensed its last two albums to the label; it means that it retains the ownership of the masters, since the albums were recorded independently, without any interference by the label executives. To imply that a band like EHG might get manipulated by a label to sell more records is ridiculous per se, though, and this recent offering is all but an easy-listening one.

It's the first album without long-time member Brian Patton on second guitar; therefore, the bulk of the songwriting probably fell on Jimmy Bower's shoulders. The difference in style can be noticed if you compare this album with, for instance, 2008's "Dragging Down the Enforcer" by Outlaw Order, a side project that was basically Eyehategod minus Bower. That record was mostly written by Patton, and while the southern-tinged, sludge metal style was obviously similar to his main band, it relied more on faster hardcore sections and aggressive riffs; "A History of Nomadic Behavior", instead, shows the bluesier side of the EHG sound, one of Bower's distinctive traits, together with a penchant for old-school punk such as Black Flag and the twisted heaviness of early Melvins. The ghosts of these two bands seem to linger around most of the record, with songs that are more structured than usual and often showing convulsive changes in tempo, stop & go moments, and other typical elements that characterized Greg Ginn's and King Buzzo's songwriting, as evident from cuts such as the opener "Built Beneath the Lies", "Fake What's Yours", or "Three Black Eyes". 

This approach, while not entirely new to the EHG's canon, is refreshing, and it shows that Bower finally found his own dimension as the only guitar player in the band, after some years getting acquainted with the role by playing several tours as a 4-piece. The album also marks the studio debut of drummer Aaron Hill, who has played with the band since the demise of Joey LaCaze in 2013; he's a solid player, and he works well within the band's sound, although the mix favors the guitars on the record, pushing the drums slightly in the back and therefore not coming off as punchy as LaCaze's on the previous, self-titled 2014 record. The production, in general, is very good, though, with fat, huge guitars and bass, and more decipherable vocals than usual by Mike Williams. The singer seems to be in fine form, and he puts some more effort into the lyrics than on the band's classic records, crafting an interesting and cinematic imagery of social unrest and southern discomfort. 

"The Trial of Johnny Cancer" is one of the bluesiest tracks, and it's proof that the band's songwriting isn't stagnating; so is the jazzy "Smoker's Piece", a short instrumental that resembles some stuff Bower wrote years ago for some of his other projects, such as "Doobinterlude" on Down's second album or the Mystic Krewe of Clearlight release. 

The album isn't devoid of songs that closely resemble the band's classic material, though. "The Outer Banks" alternates chugging riffs and a sudden, faster hardcore outburst, while the middle section of the album features songs that are as crushingly heavy and doomy as anything the band has ever done; "High Risk Trigger" is an instant classic, and "Every Thing, Every Day" closes the record with a devastatingly obsessive, asphyxiating attack that harks back to the "Dopesick" times.

"A History of Nomadic Behavior" is a solid record from a band that has been around for a long time and never compromised its vision. It shows a slight evolution towards less simplistic structures and more well-crafted songs, with more attention to the vocal lines and the details in general and a rounder, smoother production that emphasizes the 4-piece approach, revolving around Bower's guitar with a chunkier sound. It might not be as abrasive and immediate as the band's classics, but considering the boundaries of the band's own style, it wasn't easy to offer something that didn't sound clichéd or predictable, and I'd say EHG did remarkably well with this record. This relatively more mature version of EHG might not suit well all those still expecting the raw aggression and drug-fueled nihilism of yesteryear, but I appreciated the effort, and it seems like there's still plenty of piss and vinegar left in the tank. 

The band seems to be in a good spot, touring incessantly and apparently keeping it together after a few years of uncertainty, so one can only hope that the positive trend continues and that we can expect a few more good records out of these New Orleans legends.