| Hollow (7") | 1993 | Kichigai |
Being one of the first sludge/doom bands, their sound is unique compared to their contemporaries. The music is simple, raw and crushingly slow. Still it has this way to sound grooving at the same time. Music that is best enjoyed while hanging your head and headbanging at a slow pace.
The vocalist, or vokiller as the core vocalists are often called, is a lady with the name Alicia Morgan. It's hard to imagine without actually hearing this, but she does just as good a job as any of her male counterparts. The grim vocals are truly a good addition to this filthy music.
Despite having a close relationship with Eyehategod, 13 has a sound that lies much closer to bands like Grief and Noothgrush. As they have also played a role in the creation of sludge/doom as we know it, it is almost a must for a sludge fan to get hold of at least one 13 release.
1. Hollow
2. Bound
Approx. 8 minutes
| Grief / 13 Split (7") | 1993/
1999/ 2005 |
Grievance, Gametwo/Riotous Assembly/Menace To Sobriety, Parasitic |
This early 13 release is far more thrash influenced than their later ones. This doesn't in any way mean that this is not a sludge/doom release. Just expect more thrash riffing than usual. Other than that you can still expect to hear Alicia Morgan sodomizing her own throat until she bleeds, making sure that the vocals of Eric Harrison, the Grief vocalist, grows pale in comparison. No one spits venom like these girls do.
After reading my praises to 13 you must be thinking that I didn't enjoy Grief's half of the split. On the contrary this is one of the best Grief tracks ever. Slow, sick, raw, tortured and unforgiving in the way that one would expect from them. In fact I think it's a surprise that all the bandmembers are still alive today as self-hate isn't exactly an element they have too little of.
This is the only 13 release that I would expect anyone to find nowadays. It's definately the least rare of them all, and because of the recent re-release, it's actually not hard to get hold of. If you want one of the older releases then you might have to look harder, though. For those who just want the Grief song; it was re-released on 'Turbulent Times', a compilation of their rare tracks. Sadly it doesn't seem that there will ever be a compilation that will make 13s tracks generally available, but we can always hope.
Grief:
1. Falling Apart
13:
2. Wither
3. Plague
Approx. 15 minutes
| 13 / Eyehategod Split (7") | 1994 | Ax/ction Records |
Except for their bassist, 13 has always been an all girl band. Their vocalist, Alicia Morgan, must be one of the most extreme female vo-killers ever. She easily matches the vocalist of Eyehategod when it comes to harsh and brutal screaming. The rest of their music could probably best be described as slow, vomiting sludge, with slight stoner elements. The interresting thing about the stoner elements is that they weight down the track with heavyness, but just enough to create the edge that makes the final touch of illness.
Eyehategod is far more famous than 13, although the bands had a pretty close relationship at one point [Ed note: judging from the music both bands are playing, it must have been a very romantic one]. This probably explains why they decided to do two splits together. In many ways the sound of the music isn't that different, but there are certain things that do set the bands clearly apart from each other as well. Eyehategod lies much heavier on the stoner side. IN their case the music seems to bounce slightly up again due to these stoner elements. They are also nowhere near the tormented slowness of 13.
No, Eyehategod relies more on the hardcore anger to carry their music through. Their music is intense and filled with plenty of sped up sections that fill the songs with rage. In many ways I guess you could say that one of the main differences between the bands is that Eyehategod lies much closer to hardcore in general. Thus, although the bands are so similar, they still do take on two different sides of sludge.
Not many copies of this split have been released and it is impossible to track them down in a store. It is however a must have for fans of Grief, Noothgrush and similar harsh sludge bands, so it might just be worth the while to do the tour around town to check out all the used vinyl stores.
13:
1. Whore
Eyehategod:
2. Serving Time In The Middle Of Nowhere
3. Lack Of Almost Everything
Approx. 12 minutes
| Eyehategod / 13 Split (7") | 1994 | Slap A Ham |
The quote is taken from the text on 13s side of the inlay. Here they have copied a fair portion of the chapter 'Question VI: Concerning Witches who copulate with Devils. Why is it that Women are chiefly addicted to Evil superstitions?' in 'Malleus Maleficarum', also known as 'The Witchhammer' (the text can be found here: http://www.malleusmaleficarum.org. The book discusses a lot of other matters concerning witchcraft and the ways of the stars and fallen angels. However, the quoted part in the inlay basically describes the inhumanity that (the authors believes) lies naturally within women. Carnal lusts is their nature and it would drive them all to sexual intercourse with demons unless the men watch over them. The title of the track, 'Wrong', clearly illustrates what the three ladies in 13 think of this.
Of course, with such a background for a track you can also expect something really ugly. And those expectations won't be put to shame. This is perhaps filthier, more fucked up and grimmer than any of their other works. Once again Alicia Morgan does a great job on the vocals, making growls so dark that few men can stand comparison. This is one of the most extreme sludge/doom tracks ever made.
'Southern Discomfort' is one of Eyehategod's rarest tracks. It's slow, heavy and definitely some of their fouler stuff. I cannot imagine any Eyehategod fans that would be dissapointed by this.
This split is somewhat hard to get hold of and it is usually not sold very cheaply either. However, should you ever be in the possition to get this, then do so. Anyone who likes underground sludge/doom cannot go wrong with this. A classic in dire need of reprinting.
"And blessed be the Highest Who has so far preserved the male sex from such a crime: for since He was willing to be born and suffer for us, therefore He has granted to men this privelege."
Eyehategod:
1. Southern Discomfort
13:
2. Wrong
Approx. 11 minutes