Acid Bath’s cult following gathers at sold-out Starland Ballroom
Sometimes wandering is all it takes to realize you’re right where you’re meant to be.
Making the trip to Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey on Saturday felt exactly like that. Leaving the Parkway, the drive turned into dimly lit backroads before arriving at the legendary venue, one of the true pillars of New Jersey’s live music scene.
By the time I pulled into the parking lot, it was obvious the show was already sold out, with fans gathered well before doors opened. Everyone there had come for the same reason: Acid Bath.
The Louisiana sludge-metal band formed in the early ’90s and released two cult-classic records — When the Kite String Pops (1994) and Paegan Terrorism Tactics (1996). Their sound didn’t quite fit the heavy music trends of the time. It weaved together a complex, shadowy blend of metal that stood apart from the grunge and thrash that dominated that decade. After the tragic death of bassist Audie Pitre in 1997, the band dissolved, with members moving on to other projects. Most notably, frontman Dax Riggs, continued with Agents of Oblivion, Deadboy & the Elephantmen, and his solo work.
Nearly thirty years later, the band returned in 2025 for a small run of reunion shows, almost testing the waters after all that time away. Turns out the cult following never left. The momentum carried straight into 2026 with another handful of headline dates and festival appearances.
See… I’m doing it again. Wandering. But the history matters. Because for the fans gathered at Starland — many of whom had traveled from surrounding states — this wasn’t just another show. It was a rare chance to finally see a band they never thought they’d get to experience live. Myself included.
BLOOD VULTURE
Opening the evening was Blood Vulture, a relatively new gothic metal project out of New York. Being first on a four-band bill is a precarious spot. There’s not not much time to make an impression. But frontman Jordan Olds kept the crowd locked in with an intense stage presence, balancing it with light crowd work between songs, jokingly introducing each one as “a song about sucking blood.”
THE SKULL
Following next on the card was The Skull, a Chicago-based doom metal band made up of longtime veterans of the scene. With an older, experienced lineup, they delivered a heavier set that pushed the room closer to the atmosphere needed to fully take in Acid Bath. Thick riffs and a weightier sound pulled the rest of the crowd from outside into the venue, the room filled to capacity.
BARONESS
Philly-based Baroness easily could have carried the night as the headliner themselves. They stepped on stage and immediately grabbed hold of the room’s energy. While frontman John Baizley’s commanding presence and stature drew plenty of attention, guitarist Gina Gleason ultimately stole the spotlight, her relentless headbanging and blistering solo work drawing huge reactions from the crowd. By the end of their set, the room was exactly where it needed to be before Acid Bath took the stage.
This was a well-crafted lineup. All three opening acts contributed in their own way, layering darker imagery, atmosphere, and impressive musicianship that steadily built toward the night’s headlining moment.
ACID BATH
Before taking the stage, Acid Bath let the anticipation build just a little longer. Smoke slowly filled the stage, backlit by a swampy green, as Black Sabbath blasted through the house speakers.
One by one, the band members stepped onto the stage, with Dax Riggs front and center in a simple black graphic tee and jeans, dark sunglasses that remained in place the entire set. From the first downbeat, he barely moved. He didn’t need to. His unmistakable voice was all that was needed to haunt the room, pulling the crowd into his world.
As the set unfolded, what stood out most was just how tight the band sounded. The tempo changes and those slower, almost hypnotic stretches transported the crowd into another world. Looking around the room, if you weren’t crowd surfing or caught in the pit, the rest of the crowd stood transfixed, taking it in like some kind of fever dream.
Fans had come in from all directions for one of the only shows in the area this year, and in that shared space it felt like all that wandering had led us exactly where we were meant to be: witnessing a historic moment in metal history, decades in the making.
ACID BATH SETLIST
Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, New Jersey (3/7/2026)
Tranquilized
Bleed Me an Ocean
Venus Blue
Bones of Baby Dolls
Dead Girl
New Death Sensation
Graveflower
Scream of the Butterfly
Paegan Love Song
Dr. Suess is Dead
