Dax Riggs is a bit of a cult hero to fans of rock and metal. He made his initial mark as vocalist of legendary New Orleans metal outfit Acid Bath, but shifted toward a more subdued and melodic sound on his later records with Agents of Oblivion and Deadboy and the Elephantmen, and finally published music under his own name. His distinctively soulful crooning and psychedelic blues rock have exalted him among a subset of music fans, but his infrequent public appearances and social media absence have kept him off-radar for most. His last record, Say Goodnight to the World, was released way back in 2010. Since then, his core fan base has been waiting and hoping for any sign that Dax would sing again.
It’s 2025, and Dax has emerged with his latest album, 7 Songs for Spiders, a collection of songs steeped in an amalgamation of blues, fuzz rock, and shoegaze that delivers a uniquely comforting kind of melancholy that fits right alongside preceding albums. Noticeable on this record are a shift away from more traditional rock music elements, as well as the consistently slower, almost meditative, tempo of the songs, which accentuates the overall atmosphere. On Sunshine Felt the Darkness Smile, we really feel the weight of descent in the line Oh, I’m gonna fall until I fly. And they are quite catchy – perhaps not immediately – but a couple listens will get them pretty well lodged in. Blues for You Know Who and Pagan Moon are perfect examples of the signature Riggs vocal hook that burrows inside your brain.
The subject matter is what we’re accustomed to from Riggs’s morose poetry, although the overall tenor of this album seems quite a bit darker than on earlier recordings. Consider a song like Living Is Suicide from 2007’s We Sing of Only Blood or Love. It’s not a happy-go-lucky title, of course, but the song has an energetic, rhythmic pulse. In contrast, here we’ve got quite a bit of rumination on death, with lines like, “You know every man got to lay down and die.” But Riggs knows the role of artist as vessel: “Ain’t that darkness? Spilling across my guitar.”
Whatever you get out of this album, you’ll realize it, too: Riggs is a gem of an artist. Let’s hope it’s not fifteen years until the next one.