Vol #188: Acid Bath Reunion at Sonic Temple

Rustbelt Rock Review

By: Z.M. Delgado

Rustbeltrockreview.com

Volume #188: Acid Bath Reunion at Sonic Temple

May 9th 2025

Historic Crew Stadium, One Black and Gold Blvd, Columbus, OH 43211

Now that I have had time to process, and I have recovered some portion of my strength, I have a tale to tell. It all began some months ago when we received an unbelievable announcement. I remember the day when the news first broke: Acid Bath was reuniting. I was at work and the words hit me like a runaway truck. I was speechless. In shock. I think, utter disbelief would be a fitting description of my mental state. Of course, that initial show was the Sick New World Festival, which was doomed to never happen. That was just the beginning of this story. After that the shows began to be added. A city at a time. One sell out after another, the dates have popped up. Now I don’t remember what order they were announced, and it doesn't really matter, because ultimately this story is about one show: Sonic Temple. This massive festival is loaded with talent and tens of thousands of fans. When Acid Bath’s name was added to this bill, I never hesitated. I knew it was time to keep a promise to myself I had made a long time ago. If Acid Bath was ever to perform again, I would be there. So I pulled the trigger. I bought my ticket to Sonic Temple. Since that day many months have passed and I have waited in agony for the chosen hour to finally arrive.

Jump ahead to the day of the event: Friday, May 9th. Sonic Temple was a lot. Honestly, it was a mixed bag of a day. There was a lot that transpired and it’s simply too big of a story for me to approach like I normally would. We arrived early and had quite a day. I won’t bore you with the minutia because ultimately, this trip, was about one thing and one thing only: Acid Bath. So let’s fast forward to around 4:30pm. It was some time around then, when we approached the Cathedral Stage and took in an electrifying performance by Suicidal Tendencies. S.T. killed it for sure, but watching Suicidal was only part of our plan. We had a strategy to enact. We had previously decided that we would have to make a hard choice. Once Suicidal finished, while the vast majority of the crowd headed toward the Temple Stage to watch Alice Cooper, we would stay behind. Making a mad dash for the Cathedral Stage we rushed forward and got as close to the barrier as possible. We managed to wrestle our way into a very nice spot, as the early crowd packed in tight. Then it was a waiting game. For an hour we stood and… waited. Time crept past at an abysmally slow rate. Luckily the day was mild, yet still the sun beamed down like the flashlight of a cruel god. With every passing moment the crowd swelled, slowly filling the field behind us. And still we waited. Though the time wasn’t all bad. We got to meet some cool people and talk about our personal Acid Bath journeys. Also, Sonic Temple was kind enough to broadcast Alice Cooper’s set up on the screens of our stage, so we had some entertainment as we hung on in limbo. (From what I could tell, Alice put on a very impressive set.) Things began to get exciting during soundcheck as band members began to emerge. We caught sight of the boys, one by one as they hung about on the side of the stage. Mike Sanchez wandered out a few times and raised his glass to the ever expanding crowd. Every now and then I would turn around and try to gauge the number of fans there, but it was impossible to estimate a count. It was a mammoth sea of people, that expanded in all directions. The clock ticked down. I compulsively checked my watch, trying to somehow will the final minutes away. And then, after an eternity... after nearly 30 years... it was time. 5:30 struck and right on schedule the show began.

The “Bonus Poem” began to play over the PA, and Acid Bath took to the stage. The cheers erupted immediately as the boys filed out one by one. They strapped on their instruments and faced us. There was an almost awkward moment were we all stared at each other; a brief but impossibly long period where time seemed to stop. Then without warning the opening riffs of “Tranquilized” began and the world became a blur. The fans surged forward in a rush, pressing us from behind. Moshpits erupted all around, and crowd surfers by the dozens took flight. It was a mad scene. I clung to my backpack, for fear it would be stripped away from me in the crush. Bodies swirled and squeezed together, as we all struggled to keep our feet beneath us. “Tranquilized” played out in a wild explosion, driving fans into a passionate frenzy. When the song ended the crowd absolutely roared. It was like a great wave of sound suddenly broke across the field. In the seconds that followed I would have a dream come true, a bucket list moment, a life changing event… Acid Bath began to play my most beloved notes. What is undoubtedly one of my all time favorite songs, the masterpiece: “Bleed me an Ocean.” I cannot even begin to describe what this song means to me personally, but suffice to say, when the opening notes rang out, I lost my proverbial shit. Dax sang beautifully. His voice was smooth and his performance was nuanced. There were flourishes and embellishments and he brought the lyrics to life in a way I never thought possible. With tears in my eyes, we all raised our voices as one. Singing along with about ten thousand of my brothers and sisters was something that I will not soon forget. It was amazing.

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In the fall out from this track, Sammy announced that this was the biggest crowd they’d ever performed before. Up next, with a dedication to fallen Bassist Audie Pitre, was “Graveflower.” Dax led us in another singalong, as the crowd couldn’t help but join in. I must say hearing him whisper “like murder” was a fantastic and demented feeling. They slowed things down further with “Bones of Baby Dolls.” This was something very special. Dark and haunting, it drifted over and through us. Dax’s voice floated and soared; hypnotizing all within range of the speakers. What was really unique was the way the track built and grew when performed live. From it’s soft beginnings to a surprisingly heavy conclusion, this song truly came to life for us in a way that it never did in the studio. “Dead Girl” was next, performed in the style closely resembling the Agents of Oblivion version of the song. This was a killer jam, that had the crowd screaming. With a continuous stream of crowd surfers dropping out of the sky, I was assailed from all sides in a mass of shifting bodies. The crowd began to chant “Acid Bath! Acid Bath!” over and over again filling the space between songs leading up to “Paegan Love Song.” This piece played out much like it’s predecessors. The bodies collided and crushed against each other. Horns were held high in the air and crowd voices rose to rival Dax’s in volume. Again the crowd began to chant the bands name, louder and louder. I’m not 100% certain what happened here but it appeared as if there was some sort of guitar confusion or perhaps some technical difficulties. There was a delay, Sammy began to play the opening notes of “Venus Blue,” but then stopped. For whatever reason they didn’t continue with it and instead jumped into the terrifying and devastatingly heavy “Dr. Seuss is Dead.” This Sludge Metal monster bludgeoned the crowd, driving the moshpits to levels of untold violence. The Bass thundered and rumbled vibrating the air around us. With demonic shrieks, screams and wails Sammy and Dax combined their voices to create a horrifying tapestry of sound. Acid Bath and the fans along with them threw down one final time and they did so with fury. Down in front it was a mass of psychotic chaos. The crushing forces pressed in as the full weight of the moment came to a climactic finale.

And then sadly, it ended. With a final “We love you.” from Dax, it was all over. The crowd roared one last time and Acid Bath exited the stage. The fans dispersed, and I sifted through the mass of people, reassembling my crew. We found a shady spot and sat down to digest, reflect and thoroughly examine what had just transpired. In a state of unreality we laughed saying, “We just saw Acid Bath!” What a wild sentence to speak out loud, am I right? I smoked a joint and let the gravity of the set wash over me. Wow! I don’t know what to say. I don’t even know how to feel. I have never wanted to see a band perform as badly as I have desired to see Acid Bath. I love Dax’s solo work, I love Goatwhore and Agents of Oblivion. I love every note of music that has fallen from the Acid Bath tree over the years, but none of it had been Acid Bath. Simply put there is no other band like Acid Bath. The are so singularly unique, so terrifyingly special… there time in existence so brief, the shadow the cast so very long. Acid Bath has made an undeniable impact and become a thing of legend. But that’s the thing about legends… is that once their gone, lost to time, they rarely come back. Yet look at us now! Seemingly the most fortunate fan base in history! Our most beloved, our most cherished, our long lost brothers are back and they are amazing. Now don’t get me wrong, the set wasn’t flawless. Like I mentioned Mike had some technical difficulties and it did seem like a song got cut, but honestly… I don’t give a shit. The performance we got was fantastic. The songs they played, the way they played them, the way it felt to hear them live; none of that can be diminished. The sense of pure elation that I felt when Dax stepped on to stage. The power of the riffs as they crushed in devastation. The way the voices of the crowd rose to meet those of Mr. Riggs was pure Heavy Metal magic. Days later my very soul is still vibrating. Videos have begun to emerge of the performance. These precious time capsules are amazing, but they are nothing but a shell of what it was to be there. To stand before them and feel every note in the depths of your soul. That is something that a video can never reproduce. I don’t know what else to say. I have had a dream come true. I have had an experience that I never thought possible. I saw Acid Bath live and I will never be the same! On that note I will bring this installment to a close. Thank you for reading. Hoist your horns, bang your heads and let the blackness roll on….

Until next time, Rock on, Rustbelt,

-Z.M. Delgado

Rustbelt Rock Review

Rustbeltrockreview.com

5/10-5/11/2025

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