Saint Judas & The Black Hymns emerged from the heavy heat and haunted humidity of Houston, Texas — a place where the air clings like a second skin and the nights hum with the ghosts of Texas blues greats. That same thick atmosphere pulses through the duo’s music: a soul-saturated blend of gospel, blues, and southern grit that feels equal parts revival tent and underground sermon.
Drummer Angel Reyna and guitarist-vocalist Raul “Trey” Alvarez first met in middle school, growing up in the working-class outskirts of Houston. Both come from humble beginnings — raised in tight-knit families where music was a constant presence. They bonded early over a shared hunger to create something bigger than themselves and spent the next ten years jamming, experimenting, and evolving together — laying the foundation for what would eventually become Saint Judas & The Black Hymns.
Officially forming the band in 2023, they began playing live shows in early 2024, quickly gaining a reputation for their intense, immersive performances. The band channels Houston’s swampy spirit into sound. Trey’s blues-soaked slide guitar, often played in open D tuning, moans and growls like a sermon crawling up from the bayou, while Angel’s thunderous, hypnotic rhythms drive it all forward like a freight train in a thunderstorm. At the center of it all is Trey’s voice — raw, commanding, and full of soul — cutting through the haze like a preacher at a tent revival. There’s an outlaw edge to their performance — raw, beautifully unpolished, and defiantly outside the lines.
When they’re not on stage, the duo can be found recharging outdoors or out and about at local bars and venues, showing up for fellow bands across Houston’s thriving music scene. Trey and Angel draw inspiration from nature’s raw, unfiltered energy just as much as they do from the city’s creative pulse. They’re deeply rooted in the scene and never take the support for granted — cherishing the growing number of fans who’ve embraced them from the beginning, and holding deep gratitude for the encouragement, respect, and guidance they’ve received from fellow musicians and mentors along the way.
If you’re drawn to this gritty, intimate, acoustic live performance, stay tuned in for the electric version — more powerful, more expansive, and just as deeply rooted in that swampy, outlaw spirit. The band’s first traditional studio recordings are expected to release this summer. The recordings truly capture the essence that fans have come to love from their live shows, and promise to be a pivotal milestone in their ascent through the Texas music scene.
Whether rattling dive bar walls or stirring shadows in smoky rooms, Saint Judas & The Black Hymns are carving out a sonic space as thick and raw as the city that shaped them — one sweat-soaked set, one soul-shaking note at a time. Their sound doesn’t just echo through the room; it lingers, crawls under your skin, and stays with you long after the amps go silent. This is Houston music in its most unfiltered form — born in the swamp, raised in the fire, and heading straight for the front lines of the southern music revival.
