DAX RIGGS Opens Up About ACID BATH Reunion: 'It's A Beautiful Thing To Be A Part Of'

By David E. Gehlke

One of the ultimate "what if?" bands in the annals of underground metal, New Orleans sludge metal pioneers ACID BATH dissolved in 1997 following the death of bassist Audie Pitre from a car accident. The band's split came months after the release of their second studio album, "Paegan Terrorism Tactics", a brooding, dark, soulful effort that should have fast-tracked them to broader exposure and potentially a long, fruitful career. Instead, its remaining members splintered off into new endeavors: Vocalist Dax Riggs and guitarist Mike Sanchez formed the short-lived AGENTS OF OBLIVION, before Riggs started DEADBOY & THE ELEPHANTMEN, then a solo career, while guitarist Sammy Duet turned his attention to GOATWHORE. As the years ticked by, ACID BATH, for all intents and purposes, felt like it was going to remain untouched.

As it turns out, the band's lore grew in subsequent years to the point where Riggs, Duet and Sanchez could no longer ignore calls for a reunion. (Note: Drummer Jimmy Kyle is not taking part in the reformation.) The process of putting ACID BATH back together started in 2024 and truly came to fruition this April, in front of a sold-out crowd in their hometown. From there, a handful of domestic festival dates have only increased the excitement around the band's reunion, which will take ACID BATH into 2026 for additional dates where they will continue to air cuts from "Paegan" as their 1994 debut, "When The Kite String Pops". Among those enjoying the comeback is the soft-spoken Riggs, who, in a rare interview, provided BLABBERMOUTH.NET some insight into one of metal's most feel-good stories of 2025.

Blabbermouth: What was the first step in all of this? Was it getting back into the room with Sammy and Mike?

Dax: "I guess Mike and I got back together a little bit before, just to start the process. We had another friend, as well as a couple of friends, sit in with us to help us play the songs at first. At first, it was a complete, 'Wow, that sounded like the song!' When Sammy came in and the other players came in, it came together. It seemed pretty cool…there was no weirdness. We were all trying to do it and trying to remember, at least for me, I think them as well, because it is different for everybody involved, so it was kind of natural."

Blabbermouth: You, Sammy and Mike remained friends since the breakup, right?

Dax: "Totally. I mean, they are some of my oldest friends that I still keep in touch with. You know how life goes — they are like your 'ancient friends' who knew you when you were a baby. They are like my brothers."

Blabbermouth: Do you want to go into that first show this past April in New Orleans? What did it feel like for you?

Dax: "It felt really good, but there was a lot of weight on it, like I wanted to make sure that I got it as correct as I could. I guess there was a lot of weight to it. It felt like I had a job to do, and that was my main intention, but I was certainly nervous that first time. Probably for the soundcheck, I was even more nervous. I was probably shaking during soundcheck. By the time we did the show, I kind of zen'd out to the whole thing."

Blabbermouth: There is such a tremendous amount of buzz and excitement about ACID BATH's return. How are you dealing with it?

Dax: "It's taken my head off. It was lurking there in the dark. It was always there; there were always people interested, but I really had no idea of the monster it was until it came out of the dark. Then, all the people were looking at us. Then we realized something had happened over time; the shows are very intense and involve a lot of singing along. It feels very joyous, on a psychic level, as if there's a release. As you would expect, it's a beautiful thing to be a part of."

Blabbermouth: Do you think it's a beautiful thing because of how the band ended and what it has now turned into?

Dax: "Yes. Having that light put on my friend, who was such an important part of the band, Audie Petrie. That makes me have a secret joy about the whole thing."

Blabbermouth: I saw you are dedicating "Scream Of The Butterfly" to him.

Dax: "Yeah, but it changes. There are several in the set that are more his kind of songs, his musical creations in that way."

Blabbermouth: You have "Bleed Me An Ocean" and "Graveflower" in the set, which require a lot of singing. Have they become easier to do over time?

Dax: "They are easy now. It was always too much for me. There was too much sorrow attached to it. It was close, too close to the surface for a long time. Now, that some of the wounds have healed in a way... I don't know. I feel like I'm opening up to how I sing naturally and just applying it to our songs as if we had been together all this time. I try just to let it be a natural thing. There has to be some progression in it for me to be interested in it. I'm happy with our set."

Blabbermouth: Do you think the inclusion of the songs that you are using mainly your clean vocals instead of screaming makes sense, because of where you are with your solo career?

Dax: "The songs are more cohesive than I thought they would be when we first started putting everything together, like the new set. It seemed like it fit perfectly with other things I've been doing over the past few years. It wasn't night and day; it's a strange branch of my tree, I guess, the beginning, the trunk of it. But I feel like it's a natural progression that I'm happy with. Artistically, I'm moving toward my place. Sonically and stylistically, it all aligns with me. I can't disconnect myself from where I am, but I feel like we all have a good rapport. We talk a lot about songs and the ones we play in ACID BATH. We're all pretty open to ideas, which is good. We've been friends for a long time, and it should be that way."

Blabbermouth: You have Zack and Shane filling out the lineup. How are they working out?

Dax: "Incredibly. Like I said, we had other friends helping Mike and me get our heads together with it in the beginning. When we got them, it was completely different. It was like we were in an ACID BATH again with them. I can't recommend them both enough. Their ability and determination to do it correctly and deal with us, too."

Blabbermouth: We touched on some of the songs you're currently playing. Is there anything else from those two records that you'd like to try on?

Dax: "We're looking into it. I can't say for sure what will happen. We're definitely considering some other songs and covers that would be interesting if we could commit to them. There are options out there that we're exploring, but nothing is set in stone at this point. Some songs are more challenging and require a vocal style that I'm not yet ready for. Those are just realistic considerations. That's kind of what kept me from ever doing it, thinking that I had to be able to do everything. Then I was told in a different way, like, 'What could we do?' Then we started making a list. I hate to commit to anything."

Blabbermouth: Well, some of these songs may be harder to sing than others, given the variety of vocal styles and the sheer amount of lyrics.

Dax: "It's something that I had worked up for several years of my life, doing it to that degree. And that's not the case for this. This was like, 'What can we do now, the way we are? And how would it be? And would that be cool?' It turns out, it is. [Laughs] It's all good. It immediately felt like, 'Man, there are moments where we're executing things that we hadn't in the past. We've all been playing on some level. It seems like we have our craft together on a certain level, which I feel like we do."

Blabbermouth: Was there also a feeling of upholding a certain standard?

Dax: "Yeah, it's something we didn't want to fuck with, almost. It has its own life. I always felt like it was alive and never stopped. It just existed outside of me, like all music does once you let it out. It moves underground and it does its own thing. You don't control it in any way."

Blabbermouth: And maybe there's another element at play: Few were expecting ACID BATH to reform.

Dax: "As far as why, you have to talk to the satanic children of TikTok. I don't know. [Laughs]"

Blabbermouth: Surely you'll be asked this a lot: What's the consensus behind doing new material? Or will you continue to just focus on the two albums?

Dax: "The thought is that it should be left where it is. If we're going to do stuff, it should be under our own thing, or we do something together under another name. I think that's the overall thought. It wouldn't be called ACID BATH, even if it was the remaining members of ACID BATH. That's all a 'what if?' Right now, we're so busy with this. We each have our own projects. There's that too."

Blabbermouth: Could you get back into that mindset to write ACID BATH material?

Dax: "I don't think so, although I'm always there to a certain degree. I found that doing the songs again, they're not a million miles away from things I still do [as a solo artist]. Of course, some of it is. I suppose it couldn't have been me from that year. [Laughs] It would be now, who has some crossover with that person. We, ourselves, have changed many times over the years. I'm practically a different person."