As pioneers of the New Orleans alternative metal scene, Eyehategod are certainly prophets in their own land, or at least their home state of Louisiana, but have rarely been celebrated in a manner commensurate with their talent elsewhere in the world. While their heavy, serious sludgery may appeal to the kind of fans who rock Melvins, Down, Black Sabbath and Corrosion of Conformity t-shirts, Eyehategod maintain their cult status despite themselves, fighting for survival in a life that has never spared them from hurt. Despite the tragic demise of drummer Joey LaCaze in 2013, the group remained standing, releasing an incredible record in 2014, the final one recorded with him. Since then, they lost a guitarist in 2018, after almost losing their singer in 2016, saved by a miraculous liver transplant thanks to an appeal for donors. Tried-and-true survivors with a warrior soul, Eyehategod had planned to hit the stage across several continents in 2020. Trapped at home due to the global pandemic, they had no choice but to record a new album after almost seven long years away from the studio. A History of Nomadic Behavior may have some devoted longtime fans grinding their teeth due to some of the production choices: Eyehategod has never sounded so… clean. Still, the band’s DNA remains immersed in the dirty, grimy side that has helped forge their legendary sludge-metal sound, with a shot of visceral hardcore – because A History of Nomadic Behavior is utterly steeped in both. A kind of metaphorical logbook on the band’s recent life experiences, from the worst hellish struggles to life on the road, this album goes the distance thanks to the riff wizardry of Jimmy Bower and the voice of Mike IX Williams, who may be less guttural than in the past but remains expressive enough to wear his emotional heart on his sleeve and scream out every word the world needs to hear. You can hear the heavy, elephantine and destructive side in tracks like The Outer Banks and Fake What’s Yours. The strident, barely controlled feedback may be lacking, until they hit the redline to the listener’s exhilaration in Circles of Nerves, as though a spike of the old chaos injected itself into the unusually surgical production. No, Eyehategod haven’t lost any of their firepower or bite, as they will amply prove once live performance and touring opens up again. A History of Nomadic Behavior is, above all, the testament of a group that fate cannot destroy, standing strong and ready for battle, guitars locked and loaded, advancing slowly but surely on the target. © Chief Brody/Qobuz