Ethereal. That’s the one word I’ve always used to describe Acid Bath frontman, Dax Riggs. From his bluesy voice to his intense lyrics, Riggs has been immortalized as a legend in metal by all familiar with him and his work. (Maybe it’s even just me who holds Dax in such high reverence.) Leading projects throughout the years such as “Golgotha”, “Daisyhead & The Mooncrickets”, “Deadboy & The Elephantmen”, & my personal favorite side gig of his, “Agents of Oblivion” (not to mention an entire solo project) Riggs continued to deliver music to the world, but the band that Riggs is most known for, the most popular and beloved, Acid Bath, was all but a memory left behind in the late 90’s. That is, until an announcement out of nowhere in October of 2024.

The Louisiana born and raised “swamp metal” (or “sludge metal”) band that captured the angst of a generation of metalheads with a dark flavor that embodies the haunting pain of dysfunctional rural southern living has remained a fan favorite despite the band closing up shop in 1997 after the death of their bassist, Audie Pitre. Understandably, continuing after such a tragedy would be difficult on many levels.

To the surprise and allure of fans, on October 15th, 2024, the Sick New World festival which touts bands from “yesteryear” as a way to tap into the nostalgic music market, had announced Acid Bath on their lineup for April 12th, 2025, as a one-off reunion performance. Many were in disbelief. I was in disbelief as well as a longtime fan. The band and Dax himself never left much hope for a reunion since the retirement of the band was largely in part, if not completely, to the death of Audie Pitre, and many fans did not press the issue out of respect. Still, fans and admirers hoped to one day see the band hitting hard on stage with Dax crooning his vocals out to all who are listening, and it looked like the day had finally come. Well, unfortunately the festival was cancelled. About 28 years of waiting, and the fans got one ginormous cocktease.

Luckily, hope was not lost as Acid Bath began showing up on more festival lineups. The Sonic Temple in Columbus, Ohio, and Louder Than Life in Louisville, Kentucky, both added appearances by Acid Bath for their 2025 festivals on May 9th & September 18th, respectively. The band also has gigs lined up in New Orleans, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Chicago, St. Petersburg, Des Moines, Seattle, Portland, and Oakland. The curious question was, who would be in the lineup and will it be all established material?

Band members have said in the past that “there is no Acid Bath without Audie Pitre so there will never be new Acid Bath material.” Fans by and large are just happy that they’re even playing these days, so as far as new material goes, that doesn’t seem like a big issue, but who is in this lineup? Returning to the lineup are original members Dax Riggs, Sammy Duet, and Mike Sanchez. Announced to fill in the remaining spots are Zack Simmons from Goatwhore on drums, and Alex Bergeron, formerly of Agents of Oblivion, on bass.

We’re roughly 2 weeks away from the first festival performance on May 9th, and fans are quite abuzz, myself included. The first performance of Acid Bath in almost 30 years on April 25th at the Fillmore in New Orleans will be quite a monumental moment in metal to behold! Like they’ve all arisen out of hiding like metal gods descending out of brutal and celestial firey clouds of upon the Earth (or at least Louisiana) where they once ruled depsite most of them having their own projects post-Acid Bath. I will say, though… It’s quite a pipe dream to hope that the addition of Simmons and Bergeron will vibe well with the original members enough to inspire any potential new music, but one can dream. At least we should now have the chance to hear “God Machine” live. Hell yeah!

Check your local show listings or visit Acid Bath Official for new dates and show additions.