The first time I ever saw these guys, they were a five-piece act. I made acquaintance with their bassist in the lounge area of the old Club Clearview (R.I.P.) late in December, 2006 during a D.E.E.P.-sponsored metal / industrial show. They had the misfortune of playing last on the bill on a Thursday night, by which time the venue was deserted except for the sound guy, myself and a friend, and two band girlfriends. Ever the consummate professionals, however, they soldiered on undaunted.

That was my first Meat Goat experience. As I began attending more and more shows in the Deep Ellum area, I began running into these guys on a regular basis at The Galaxy Club, Curtain, Reno's, and elsewhere. As I began to get better acquainted with them, I also became better acquainted with their pulse pounding, hard-hitting sound, which at that time was something of a heavy metal-infused industrial with strong, commanding vocals complemented by Six's arrestingly ambitious keyboards. After a few months' worth of shows, their guitarist decided to go his own way, so they played their subsequent show at Tomcats as a four-piece band with Rezwok covering for the missing guitar. After that show, the drummer was out, too, but even that did not stop or slow them one bit. They pressed on, continuing to power out their bone-crunching industrial sound as a three-piece (!) act, with Six taking over on live drums and Rezwok alternating between live bass and electric guitar, most of the rest of their sound being programmed into the keyboard. The result was a new, even harder-hitting Meat Goat sound that is undeniably unique and unlike anything else you've ever heard before. With the subsequent addition of guitarist Joey D is for Dead, Meat Goat came back even better than ever. A full-length album, Republik, was completed in early 2008.

"This is what it was always supposed to sound like."
-- Six, commenting on the new live sound after a Meat Goat show at Reno's