Truly heartbreaking news viewing the latest update on Lambgoat. This was a band that had it all. The grooves, the riffs, the beats, and the ultimate vocalist. I'd like to think that there'd never be a Corey Taylor if there was never a Matt Holt. I'll never forget going into Musicland and getting pointed in their direction and getting exposed to An Audio Guide To Everyday Atrocity in 1998 when the all knowledgeable shopkeep said to me "these dudes are literally Deftones meets Slipknot," when Slipknot wouldn't even come out until June of 1999 with their self-titled debut and no one had ever even heard of them yet. I wonder what that wizard is listening to now.
The Nothingface debut was a little weak, but certainly exploited Holt's talent. Their second release was an absolute gem. Each track was simply brilliant with each member of the band carrying their weight. I remember trying to go to their show with Amen at The Social in Orlando back in 1999, but I was only 13 at the time and didn't have an excuse to just not show up at home after school and even though my brother just got his license, I had no business hanging out in that club at that age, even though the show was all ages. We went out to eat at the Subway next to the venue and saw the bands walking around downtown but didn't stick around to lose car privileges a week after getting the car, and take a ruthless beating from dad when we would finally show up late at night. So we eventually left and went home.
We'd catch the band later in 2000 on the Pantera tour with Soulfly and Morbid Angel at Hard Rock Live, and were so impressed with the act and the fact that they played all the best tracks that we loved and learned to play ourselves: "Grinning," "Breathe Out," "For All The Sin," "Blue Skin," and "Bleeder." Skeletons wasn't even an idea then and the band were more so in support of themselves than their latest album Violence. Songs like "Filthy," "American Violence," and "Sleeper" were the ultimate lurkers and it was obvious those two sandwiched albums were going to be almost impossible to topple. The show was amazing, and writing about their set now takes me right back to that night in April almost twenty years ago.
What's more frustrating is that throughout the years there'd be teasers of a resurgence, and now the guys are all over the place, with the most notable entry being Tom Maxwell, who's currently the main guitarist in Hellyeah, living the dream.
"Dead Like Me" is a prime example of Holt's genius and how to layer a simple strum and fill it full of lush melodies. "Everlasting Gobbstopper" was also incredible and the heartbreaking "Beneath" on the band's final album showed no signs of stopping any time soon. But eventually, the band just went away.
This band makes me miss the camaraderie of the chemistry in the room when jamming with family and friends and I hope anyone reading this takes the time to reflect and indulge themselves in the moment to truly live their life and cease the moment. Matt Holt unfortunately, was only 39 years young.
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