Acid Bath's Long Awaited Return to the Alamo City

I like to think of San Antonio as a rock city. It seems like every major Rock-adjacent tour has to have a stop here due to the overwhelming support that San Antonio gives to the genre so it made sense that Acid Bath would have a stop here for their reunion tour after nearly 30 years of not playing a show here.

The night kicked off with Chicago-based sludge metal band, The Atlas Moth.  The band has a gift at crafting atmospheric songs that sound grandiose while mixing in a little psychedelic influence.  They are a unique band in that they feature two singers in their songs. Each bringing their own dynamic to the music.

Next up, Kylesa took the stage. They had a great blend of various genres within their music. I heard punk, trash, sludge, and psychedelic within their sound. The group, hailing from Georgia, has been around since 2001. Though the band went on hiatus in 2016 founding members, Laura Pleasants, and guitarist, Phillip Cope, decided to reunite in 2025 with a new lineup.

South Texas-based dark wave duo, Twin Tribes, was up next and put on an electric performance. The duo, who is from my home region known as the Rio Grande Valley, may’ve brought a different sound to the night but that did not disappoint the crowd. The band performed fan favorites, “Fantasma”, “Shadows”, and my personal favorite, “Monolith”.  Dark wave has a sweet spot in my heart. I love the punk driven baselines coupled with the harmonizing synth sounds it’s known for.  I couldn’t help but feel like one of the South Park goths while I was moving side to side and bobbing my head throughout the set. 

In between sets, you could feel the excitement in the air as this was Acid Bath's first show in San Antonio since disbanding in 1997 following the death of their bassist, Audie Pitre, in an automobile accident. The band, which formed in 1991, had a 6-year run during which they became known for their chaotic live shows. At one point in time, the band was being courted by Roadrunner Records until an unruly performance that was observed by a Roadrunner Records representative resulted in a bartender breaking their leg and the bar being destroyed. Due to this, Roadrunner records decided not to sign the band despite them having a cult following in the underground metal scene.

Throughout the years the band chose not to reunite until, suddenly, their albums were made available on streaming services in the early 2020's. That event opened the floodgates as the younger generation of metal fans started discovering the sludge metal pioneers. This success gave the band new life, and they decided it was time to regroup and bless their new and older fans with a reunion tour.

Fans waited no time getting rowdy as soon as Acid Bath took the stage. Mosh pits formed throughout the crowd and crowd surfers started trickling over the barrier. The band performed crowd favorites, "Tranquilized", "The Mortician's Flame", and ended the night with my favorite "The Blue".

As the crowd was trickling out of the Boeing Center I really started to see just how diverse they were. All age ranges and subcultures seemed to be represented, a somewhat unique sight at a metal show, especially a Sludge metal band that has not released a new record in 30+ years. It's a testament not only to San Antonio's unwavering support to rock music but also to Acid Bath's prominence in the metal scene. It's insane to me that such a great band was relatively unknown until their albums were released on streaming. I for one, cannot wait to experience my next Acid Bath performance.