Deadboy & the Elephantmen

Dax Riggs has one of those lived-in voices that occasionally makes him sound several decades older than he actually is. The thirtysomething Louisiana native first gained notoriety as the frontman for soot-black cult metal favorites Acid Bath, where Diggs' weathered, world-weary voice added some welcome soul to the band's thrash — they were one of the few death metal-influenced groups that you could actually sing along to. With Acid Bath long defunct, Riggs has returned in the spare, bluesy duo Deadboy & the Elephantmen. He occasionally duets with drummer Tessie Brunet, whose pretty, childlike voice contrasts sharply and sweetly with Riggs' wizened rumble. On their debut, We Are Night Sky, Riggs and Brunet sing together quietly, with only some gently plucked acoustic guitar fanning their flickering voices. But Riggs is also fond of ratcheting up the volume, leading the band through bloodletting blues stompers and Screaming Trees-esque rockers.