I've reposted blog entries a few times before, but seldom so soon after originally publishing them. This version is publishing on September 1, 2026, and the original version published on August 27, 2026. I could have just added my thoughts on Who Loves the Sun on the original version, but I've added a few additional thoughts throughout based on how the release of the new album added additional content to what came before. With that in mind, I decided I wanted to preserve both the "before and after" versions. 

Unlike previous entries in this column, I'll be covering the band's entire discography, not just studio albums. The only exception is the band's live album - while it's a good live recording, there's no new material on it to cover. But everything else is making the cut this time, including a few very oddball releases. As always, I listened to everything in chronological order to the best of my ability - if two releases came out in the same year I tried to get the order correct, but I can't completely guarantee it. 

This Dungeon Earth: The band's first EP sees Chat Pile earning their designation as a sludge metal band. This Dungeon Earth is swampy and grinding, and established the band's reputation for politically motivated, horrifying, and often absurdist songs. "Rainbow Meat," with its terrifying refrain of "Send my body to Arby's," is the prime example. 

Updated thought: There is little of this absurdist gallows humor on Who Loves the Sun. I kind of miss it, but I assume the band's live show still retains their humorous edge. I'll find out when they're in Minneapolis in a couple weeks. 

Remove Your Skin Please: Opening track "Dallas Beltway" features vocalist Raygun Busch delivering his talk-singing vocals over Godflesh-inspired guitars, again pontificating about the horrors of modern life. This EP also features the song "Mask," the first in a series of similarly named tracks from the band. While Remove Your Skin Please has a sound that aligns closely with that on the first album God's Country, other than "Dallas Beltway" these tracks mostly sound like ideas the band would explore more successfully later. That's not to say any of them are bad, they just get better at this formula. 

Portrayal of Guilt/Chat Pile: A brief split from these two bands with one track from each, this is certainly a "completists only" release. The Portrayal of Guilt song is great, but the Chat Pile song "Brutal Truth" is actually pretty forgettable and a little sloppy, although it still gets performed live from time to time. A vinyl copy of this EP will set you back $30-40 and you'll get about seven minutes of music. No thanks. 

Roots Bloody Roots: At this point, you might think that I don't like Chat Pile that much, because I also think this Sepultura cover is pretty uninspired. I actually like the guitar tone on this track, but the tribal drumming of the original track is completely missing here. Again, this track is for completists only. 

Updated thought: I realized after putting this together that the band has also released a cover of Rage Against the Machine's "Bulls on Parade" on a limited edition flexi-disc. As far as I've seen, this track isn't available digitally anywhere, except for a live fan-recorded video.

God's Country: This is where the Chat Pile formula really starts to come together. God's Country is a truly exceptional debut album, one that establishes the band's reputation and sound, yet is clearly only a launching pad for the band to continue to explore their many ideas. Opening track "Slaughterhouse" paints a harrowing picture of the mental disintegration of a meat processing employee. "Why" may be the defining Chat Pile song to date - it established the band as simultaneously angry and empathetic, animated by rage that we humans aren't taking better care of the most vulnerable in our society. And then there's "Pamela," which highlights Raygun's love of movies by retelling Friday the 13th from the perspective of the killer, Pamela Vorhees. God's Country is an album without a bad track, but when compared to their later music it is far less expansive in sound, never straying far from a core of grinding, industrial-metal sludge. It's a testament to the strength of this album that so many tracks still show up regularly in the band's live sets - "Why," "Pamela," "Tropical Beachs, Inc.," and "grimace_smoking_weed.jpg" are all live staples. God's Country is an absolutely phenomenal debut and was easily my top album of 2022.

Updated thought: As mentioned in my Who Loves the Sun review, I now consider "PEN I S MALL" to be the defining Chat Pile song.

Tenkiller Motion Picture Soundtrack: For most Chat Pile fans, the Tenkiller Motion Picture Soundtrack was the first real indication that the band was inclined to make choices most other bands wouldn't. The soundtrack to a little-seen indie movie, the music is mostly noise rock and experimental noise, but also includes the catchy, country-tinged tune "Lake Time (Mr. Rodan)." It also has the track "Punishment Box," which foretells some of the band's later forays into death metal-influenced territory. Despite the lack of vocal tracks, there's a lot of Godflesh-inspired instrumentals on this release to enjoy. 

Brothers in Christ: Brothers in Christ is another split EP, this time with Kansas City's criminally underappreciated noise rock band Nerver. Each band gets two tracks this time, and both of Nerver's tracks absolutely crush. The two Chat Pile tracks feel like they've been somewhat forgotten to the sands of time, despite the fact that they're both pretty strong. "King" especially feels like it would have fit neatly on Cool World.

Cool World: Is Cool World Chat Pile's masterpiece? Very possibly. I'll admit that it took a while to grow on me when it first came out, but ultimately it dug its hooks in deep. The first four tracks, "I Am Dog Now," "Shame," "Frownland," and "Funny Man" are among the strongest the band has released to date, and late-album track "Masc" is one of the best songs ever written about how toxic masculinity harms men. But the other tracks that weren't released as singles or haven't made the jump to the live sets are still unskippable. Listening back for the first time in a while I'm reminded why I named Cool World the best album of 2024. It shows real evolution from God's Country, with a wider range of sounds and vocal styles, while covering a variety of social issues and being both crushingly heavy and catchy as hell. Cool World is a perfect album. 

Updated thought: Like Cool World, some of the tracks on Who Loves the Sun needed time to grow on me. I've seen some people who've received their physical copies of the new album already state that they made need more time with it to fully absorb it. 

In the Earth Again: I've been writing best of the year lists for about a decade now, but 2025 was the first year to appear on the V1 version of this site. In the Earth Again topped that list, and of this album I wrote:

"Chat Pile is a band with a lot of rage, but that rage is driven by genuine empathy for those this ugly world has fucked over. In the Earth Again shows the band exploring new ways to express these complex emotions. The fact that they delivered a curveball album so soon after breaking out with their last album Cool World shows that they're a band that's going to continue to grow and take risks. That's a big part of why they're such an exciting band, and completely deserving of the title of Best Album of 2025."

In the months since then, In the Earth Again has featured less frequently in my listening habits, but that has far more to do with my constant thirst for new music rather than changing my mind on this album. This is still one of the most fascinating parts of Chat Pile's catalog - it has some truly heavy tracks alongside the prettiest music they've released to date. "A Tear for Lucas" is the most moving song in the band's repertoire, and one I listened to a lot while processing the loss of my best friend earlier this year. 

Blood at Night/Blood at Night II: And here we have what is undoubtedly the weirdest entry in the Chat Pile catalog. Blood at Night and Blood at Night II are collections of tape loops and experimental recordings created during the Cool World sessions. These were technically released under the name "Chat Pile (+-)," so they're easy to miss. Created by bass player Stin from cassettes found at Oklahoma City thrift stores, sections of these recordings are subtly woven into Cool World. For example, I'm pretty sure the second track on Blood at Night, "North Park Mall," is used in the intro to Cool World's "I am Dog Now." I would be fascinated to watch a dissection of how this material works into that album, but they're not something I'm going to listen to often. 

Updated thought: Maybe I'm just in full Chat Pile mode right now, but I actually feel a lot more compelled to listen to these again now. 

Masks: A two-song single released on Sub Pop, the title track "Masks" is a ferocious banger, and the second track is a cover of Nirvana's "Sifting." What I find so interesting about this release and Chat Pile's other EPs is that these tracks could easily be folded into their albums, but they seem completely content for them to be standalone curios. 

Who Loves the Sun: In my review, I wrote "Who Loves the Sun is an excellent but challenging record from a challenging band." I think there are several track on the album, especially in the back half, that require repeated listens to full grasp. Some listeners may not have the patience for that. Those who do will be rewarded with some of the most interesting music Chat Pile have released to date. I'll be really curious to see where the band goes from here - Who Loves the Sun points at some very interesting potential directions for the future. Should they continue down any of those paths, Who Loves the Sun will likely be remembered as the pivotal Chat Pile album. Read my full review here.