Mike IX Williams | |
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![]() Williams in 2019 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Michael D. Williams [1] [2] |
Also known as |
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Born | High Point, North Carolina, U.S. |
Origin | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Years active | 1982–present |
Member of |
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Formerly of | Arson Anthem |
Michael D. Williams, known professionally as Mike IX Williams (pronounced "Mike 'Nine' Williams"), [3] is an American vocalist and songwriter, best known as the lead singer of New Orleans-based sludge metal band Eyehategod. He is the former associate editor of heavy metal magazine Metal Maniacs and has also worked on other projects.
Williams was born in High Point, North Carolina. [4] His parents died when he was a child. [5] At the age of 15, he left home. [6] During most part of his life he has lived in New Orleans, Louisiana but he also lived some time in New York City. [7] [6]
Williams was invited to join Eyehategod by Jimmy Bower in 1988. [8] Since then, all of the band's albums [9] [10] [11] have featured his vocals which have been described as "tortured laryngitis screams", [9] an "indecipherable ranting", [10] and "the utmost sickening, puke-ridden audio atrocities that could actually prove deadly if taken in large doses". [12]
For the recording of Dopesick , Eyehategod's third album, Williams went through several issues. At the time, he was living in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn in New York City so he had to travel between there and New Orleans, Louisiana frequently for the recording sessions, [7] which took place at Side One Studios. [11] He attempted to record the sound of smashing glass for the introduction to the album, by smashing a bottle on the floor of the studio. In the process, Williams slashed his hand open badly and bled all over the studio floor. One of the band members then apparently smeared the words "Hell" and "Death to Pigs" in his blood. [7] The studio owner reportedly called Century Media to ask if the band were insane, and threatened to kick them out because of this. [7]
The band's lyrics and themes are completely conceived by Williams. He always has lyrics written by him ready so when the other members of the band send him songs he just decides which lyrics he wants for each song. His lyrics never try to portray anything, they never have a story attached to them. Sometimes he works with the musical atmosphere created by his partners in Eyehategod. [8]
During his first years as an Eyehategod member, Williams was in two other bands: Drip, [13] a sludge metal band, which also featured fellow Eyehategod band members Jimmy Bower and Brian Patton, [14] and Crawlspace. [13]
In 2006, he began a hardcore punk band along with Phil Anselmo named Arson Anthem, [15] in which he is the vocalist. [16] Williams stated in 2008 that his desire with this band is to make people explore early hardcore punk. [17]
Along with all Eyehategod members except Jimmy Bower, Williams formed Outlaw Order, another sludge metal band, [18] where he provides vocals for the band. [19]
In 2005, Williams' first book, Cancer as a Social Activity, was released. [6] The book includes old lyrics and portions of collages that Williams assembled for Eyehategod which date back as far as 1988 as well as unreleased stuff, written during the period of two or three years before the release of the book. The book also shows Eyehategod's history. It was mostly written in New Orleans and New York City but there are also part which were written while he was traveling. [6] [4]
Early 2013 saw the emergence of Corrections House, an industrial project involving Williams plus members of Neurosis, Nachtmystium, and Yakuza. [20]
In 2004, Williams and longtime friend Seth Putnam of the band Anal Cunt had plans to start a band and write a record consisting of all anti-cop songs. It is currently unknown if any material was written or recorded. [21]
Williams used to be the associate editor of Metal Maniacs . [4]
Williams suffers from chronic asthma. [4]
When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans on August 29, 2005, Williams was at his home in the Lower Garden District with his then-girlfriend. About eight hours after the beginning of the storm, the power went out. By listening to battery powered radio announcements they were able to find out that the situation in New Orleans was quite bad. After the hurricane passed, the water in Williams' neighborhood subsided. At this time, violence and crime in the area became rampant and the police were not in a position to help the residents. [22]
In the 2020 book Raising Hell: Backstage Tales from the Lives of Metal Legends, Williams stated he looted a pharmacy after the hurricane and "didn't get busted until three days later". [23]
Inside the house they could hear gunshots and at one time, upon leaving the apartment, Williams' partner was confronted by a person who attempted to rob her. Williams intervened on her behalf. In order to escape the violence, Williams and his partner slept at the apartment of a friend. The following morning they borrowed a car and traveled to Morgan City, Louisiana, where Williams received word that his house had burned down. [22]
They booked a hotel room in Morgan City. Apparently, the person who attended them could see they were from New Orleans because they had to show their identity document; for unknown reasons this person contacted the police. Members of the police entered Williams's room and arrested him. [22]
Williams was convicted of drug possession [5] and jailed. Bail was set at $150,000; an amount Williams was unable to afford. With help from his lawyer, Williams filed for a bond reduction which was rejected by the court on the grounds that Williams was a threat to society. Williams was anxious at this time as his friends and associates were unaware that he was in jail. [22] A fund to help to free Williams was created and his bandmates encouraged fans to send letters to him while he was in jail. [24] Later, Phil Anselmo paid the bail money to have Williams released. [22] Upon his release, Williams spent several months staying at Anselmo's home. [13]
Williams struggled with drug addiction before Hurricane Katrina. [4] By the time the hurricane hit, he had stopped using heroin [6] and was in a methadone program. During his stay in jail he did not receive the substance so he couldn't sleep for about seven days. He hardly ate for six days; he just soaked the bread from lunch in water and swallowed it because he knew he needed to keep something down. After this, he was able to break his addiction to opiates. [22] Jimmy Bower stated in an interview that Williams inspired him to also kick opiates. [24]
Although he no longer uses opiates, he has a long history of alcoholism that still persists to this day–his excess drinking eventually led to health problems which resulted in him requiring a liver transplant. In 2016 Williams' wife set up a crowdfund so fans could help pay for the transplant expenses. [25] In late 2016 the funding goal was reached and Williams successfully underwent the surgery in December. [26]
Down is an American heavy metal supergroup that formed in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1991. The current lineup consists of vocalist Phil Anselmo, drummer Jimmy Bower, guitarists Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein (Crowbar), and bassist Pat Bruders (Goatwhore).
Philip Hansen Anselmo is an American heavy metal musician best known as the lead singer for Pantera, Down, and Superjoint, amongst other musical projects. He is the owner of Housecore Records.
Shelton Hank Williams, known as Hank Williams III, is an American musician, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known for his fusion of traditional and honky-tonk country music with rockabilly and punk rock. He was the drummer of hardcore punk band Arson Anthem, and bassist of Phil Anselmo's band Superjoint Ritual. He has released eleven studio albums, including five for Curb Records.
Superjoint, formerly known as Superjoint Ritual, was an American metal/hardcore band formed in the 1990s and fronted by Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo.
Sludge metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that combines elements of doom metal and hardcore punk. The genre generally includes slow tempos, tuned down guitars and nihilistic lyrics discussing poverty, drug addiction and pollution.
Crowbar is an American sludge metal band formed in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1990. The band is fronted by vocalist/guitarist Kirk Windstein, Crowbar's sole constant member. Through infusing a slow, low-keyed, brooding doom metal sound with the aggression of hardcore punk, they pioneered a style known as sludge metal – albeit Windstein admitted a mild dislike to the term – alongside other bands of the New Orleans heavy metal scene such as Eyehategod, Soilent Green, Acid Bath, and Down.
Use Once and Destroy is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Superjoint Ritual, released on May 21, 2002. The guitar and bass work was done by Phil Anselmo and Eyehategod's Jimmy Bower. Drumming was performed by Joe Fazzio. For touring bass duties, the band recruited Hank Williams III. Anselmo did not want to play bass live because he wanted to focus mainly on singing.
Eyehategod is an American sludge metal band from New Orleans, Louisiana who formed in 1988. They have become one of the better known bands to emerge from the NOLA metal scene. Their core lineup has remained consistent since the band's inception, with the exception of the bassist, until the death of drummer Joey LaCaze in 2013. As of 2021, the band has released six studio albums.
Pepper J. Keenan is an American guitarist and vocalist, best known for his work with heavy metal bands Corrosion of Conformity and Down. He joined Corrosion of Conformity in 1989, but did not become the lead singer until the recording of Deliverance in 1994. In 1991, Keenan formed Down with Phil Anselmo of Pantera, Jimmy Bower of Eyehategod, and Kirk Windstein and Todd Strange of Crowbar.
Dopesick is the third studio album by American sludge metal band Eyehategod, released on April 2, 1996. It was reissued in 2006 as part of Century Media's 10th Anniversary series with three bonus tracks that were recorded during the original Dopesick recording sessions.
In the Name of Suffering is the debut album by American sludge metal band Eyehategod. It was initially released in 1990 through French independent label Intellectual Convulsion and reissued in 1992 by Century Media.
Take as Needed for Pain is the second studio album by American sludge metal band Eyehategod, released on November 22, 1993. It was reissued in 2006 as part of Century Media's 20th Anniversary series of reissues, with six bonus tracks, taken from rare 7-inch records and splits.
Southern Discomfort is a collection of rarities by sludge metal band Eyehategod, released on January 25, 2000. The title is a reference to the alcoholic drink Southern Comfort. Tracks 1-6 are demos from the Take as Needed for Pain era that ended up on splits and singles. Tracks 7-9 are outtakes from the original Dopesick sessions. These tracks later appeared on the 2006 Century Media reissues of each album. Certain editions of this album feature a red skull on the cover instead of a white one.
Confederacy of Ruined Lives is the fourth studio album by sludge metal band Eyehategod, released on September 19, 2000. The track "Jack Ass in the Will of God" is a reworking of the title track to Southern Discomfort.
Arson Anthem was an American hardcore punk band formed in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2006. The lineup comprised singer Mike Williams of Eyehategod, guitarist Phil Anselmo, country musician, punk rocker and Assjack frontman Hank Williams III on drums, and bassist Collin Yeo.
For the Sick is the title of the various artist tribute album to one of the most influential sludge metal bands, Eyehategod. It was released through Emetic Records on March 20, 2007.
The music of New Orleans assumes various styles of music which have often borrowed from earlier traditions. New Orleans, Louisiana, is especially known for its strong association with jazz music, universally considered to be the birthplace of the genre. The earliest form was dixieland, which has sometimes been called traditional jazz, 'New Orleans', and 'New Orleans jazz'. However, the tradition of jazz in New Orleans has taken on various forms that have either branched out from original dixieland or taken entirely different paths altogether. New Orleans has also been a prominent center of funk, home to some of the earliest funk bands such as The Meters.
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Eyehategod is the fifth studio album by American sludge metal band Eyehategod. It was released on May 26, 2014 in North America through Housecore Records and on May 27, 2014 in Europe through Century Media Records.
A History of Nomadic Behavior is the sixth studio album by American sludge metal band Eyehategod. It was released on March 12, 2021, by Century Media.
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