In the Name of Suffering

Eyehategod | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 1, 1992)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Century Media
• ASIN: B000005HLD
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #218,556 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2007 digitally remastered and expanded edition of the American Sludge Metal band's debut album featuring bonus tracks. Originally released in 1992, this reissue features revised artwork and new liner notes written by the band's vocalist Michael Williams. Century Media. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Not knowing if you'll live much longer gives you the freedom to take chances.", September 24, 2006

By 

The Dilettante "Dilly!" - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Name of Suffering (Audio CD)

I am not surprised that the reviews are so polarized. 15 years after its release, this remains one of the most challenging albums ever recorded. Musically simple -even naive- the brilliance of this record is the way it captures the tragic aesthetic of the trailer park. This is a terrifying, agonizing record about poverty, racism, drug addiction, and spousal abuse. Unlike the dungeons and dragons crap that seems to obsess most heavy metal bands, EHG forces the listener to a very real world of toothless methheads, broken veterans, bad acid trips and redneck superstitions.

It's every bit as ugly as punk bands like Man Is The Bastard or Drop Dead, but (unlike those bands) there's also a musicality here that sticks with you. ITNOS crosses the monstrous heaviness of the Melvins with the raw sloppiness of early Black Flag, but under it all is a solid foundation of classic bluesy southern rock. The second album, "Take as Needed for Pain" is better, but just barely.

And, for my money, Mike Williams is the best frontman in the history of punk. Like GG Allin, he was (and is) constantly getting injured, wasted, and incarcerated. But, like Bukowski, his self-destruction is self-conscious and highly literate. Williams grins back at the abyss with a cheerful enthusiasm, as if to say: "you can't hurt me as much as I can."

Through the chaos, EHG has barely been able to put out a record every 5 years, and I think this earliest work is by far their best. So, I am happy that this record has just been remastered and rereleased. The production was always pretty good for a record of this kind, but the remaster totally blows out the low-end.

The reissue also includes the band's 1990 demo, the original versions of four tracks that were rerecorded for this record. These are mostly of historical interest, since they sound like they were recorded from single clock radio speaker. Still, that's sort of this band's style, so diehards will be pleased.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome debut, August 2, 2003

By 

Jackson "God-of-Rock" (york, pa USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Name of Suffering (Audio CD)

Such a tortured debut from a groundbreaking band. Those who give this bad reviews just don't get it. Man, this came out in 1992 and has influenced so many bands. Sure, there is plenty of early melvins influencing them, but they take it in a different direction than did the melvins. Catchy? No. Poppy? No. Angry, brutal, and tortured? Yes. Pick up an album that started a genre. Those who diss just don't know.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars dont start here....., January 21, 2005

By 

T. Hardin (seaside,oregon) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In the Name of Suffering (Audio CD)

this is one of my favorite bands,but this album is NOT where to start for the uninitiated.thankfully this wasnt my first experience with them,or perhaps my high opinion of them would never have developed.
anyway,this album displays them more or less engaging in Melvins worship,not quite developing their own sound or style.the really low end muddy production doesnt help matters,either.
so skip this one and move on to "take as needed for pain".
you will thank me later