''Take as Needed for Pain'' is the second studio album by American

sludge metal Sludge metal (also known as sludge or sludge doom) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that originated through combining elements of doom metal and hardcore punk. It is typically harsh and abrasive, often featuring shouted vocals, heavi ...

band

Eyehategod Eyehategod (also abbreviated and referred to as EHG) is an American sludge metal band from New Orleans, Louisiana who formed in 1988. They have become one of the better known bands to emerge from the NOLA metal scene. Their core lineup has re ...

, released on November 22, 1993. It was reissued in 2006 as part of

Century Media A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A centennial or ...

's 20th Anniversary series of reissues, with six bonus tracks, taken from rare

7-inch In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separate ...

records and splits.

Background and recording

After being signed to

in the early 1990s, the band began to self-record and produce their first album for the label, and second album total, in Studio 13. Studio 13 was a small recording studio located on the 13th floor of an abandoned department store located in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, about a few minutes away from where Mike Williams was living.

Reception

''Take as Needed for Pain'' has received praise since its 1993 release, and is considered by many as one of the band's best albums. According to

Mike IX Williams Mike IX Williams (born Michael D. Williams) is an American vocalist and songwriter, best known as the lead singer of New Orleans-based sludge metal band Eyehategod. He is the former associate editor of heavy metal magazine ''Metal Maniacs'' an ...

, it was the favorite album of nearly all band members, and his favorite album title, with the exception of

Poison Idea Poison Idea was an American punk rock band formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1980. History Formation, 1980s, and 1990s Poison Idea was formed in 1980 by vocalist Jerry A. (aka Jerry Lang). The initial lineup consisted of Jerry A., Chris Te ...

's ''

Record Collectors Are Pretentious Assholes ''Record Collectors Are Pretentious Assholes'' is hardcore punk band Poison Idea's second EP. It was released in 1985 through Fatal Erection Records. The back cover of the album contained a picture of Elvis Presley with the words "The King" b ...

'' In 2009, the album was chosen as the number 1 sludge album by ''

Terrorizer Terrorizer is an American grindcore band formed in 1986 in Los Angeles, California. After disbanding, its members gained recognition by playing in influential extreme metal bands, such as Morbid Angel ( David Vincent, Pete Sandoval), Napalm D ...

''. The magazine commented: In 2013, the song "White Nigger" was officially retitled "White Neighbor" during a rehearsal with

Melvins Melvins (sometimes The Melvins) are an American rock band formed in 1983 in Montesano, Washington. Their early work was key to the development of both grunge and sludge metal. Initially, they performed as a trio but later also sometimes appeare ...

drummer

Dale Crover Dale Crover (born October 23, 1967) is an American rock musician. Crover is best known as the drummer for Melvins and has also been the drummer for Men of Porn, Shrinebuilder, Crystal Fairy and, for a brief time, Nirvana. He is also guitarist an ...

. In 2016,

Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...

named the album in their list "The 10 Essential Sludge Albums", stating the album "raised the bar". In 2017,

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

listed the album at No. 92 on its list of The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time.

Track listing

Personnel

;Eyehategod *

– vocals * Brian Patton – lead guitar * Jimmy Bower – rhythm guitar * Mark Schultz – bass * Joey LaCaze – drums ;Production * Robinson Mills – engineer * Perry Cunningham – remastering * Tom Bejgrowicz – additional layout * Charles Elliot – reissue coordination

Release history

References

External links

* {{Authority control Eyehategod albums 1993 albums Century Media Records albums