HIGH ON FIRE

Stoner Metal • United States
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High On Fire is a stoner/ doom metal act formed in 1998 by lead vocalist/ guitarist Matt Pike.

Matt Pike formed High On Fire six months after his former act "Sleep" disbanded. High On Fire play are dirty stoner/ doom metal style with lots of rock´n´roll attitude and Black Sabbath and Motörhead influences.

( Biography written by UMUR)

Thanks to UMUR for the addition and tupan, Bosh66 for the updates

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HIGH ON FIRE Discography

HIGH ON FIRE albums / top albums

HIGH ON FIRE The Art Of Self Defense album cover 3.60 | 12 ratings
The Art Of Self Defense
Stoner Metal 2000
HIGH ON FIRE Surrounded by Thieves album cover 3.45 | 6 ratings
Surrounded by Thieves
Stoner Metal 2002
HIGH ON FIRE Blessed Black Wings album cover 3.75 | 6 ratings
Blessed Black Wings
Stoner Metal 2005
HIGH ON FIRE Death Is This Communion album cover 4.14 | 14 ratings
Death Is This Communion
Stoner Metal 2007
HIGH ON FIRE Snakes for the Divine album cover 3.94 | 12 ratings
Snakes for the Divine
Stoner Metal 2010
HIGH ON FIRE De Vermis Mysteriis album cover 3.79 | 8 ratings
De Vermis Mysteriis
Stoner Metal 2012
HIGH ON FIRE Luminiferous album cover 3.75 | 2 ratings
Luminiferous
Stoner Metal 2015
HIGH ON FIRE Electric Messiah album cover 3.71 | 3 ratings
Electric Messiah
Stoner Metal 2018
HIGH ON FIRE Cometh the Storm album cover 4.00 | 2 ratings
Cometh the Storm
Stoner Metal 2024

HIGH ON FIRE EPs & splits

HIGH ON FIRE High on Fire album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
High on Fire
Stoner Metal 1999
HIGH ON FIRE Mastodon / High On Fire album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Mastodon / High On Fire
Stoner Metal 2002
HIGH ON FIRE High on Fire / Ruins album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
High on Fire / Ruins
Stoner Metal 2005
HIGH ON FIRE High On Fire / Coliseum / Baroness album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
High On Fire / Coliseum / Baroness
Stoner Metal 2007
HIGH ON FIRE Speak in Toungues / Beast with a Billion Eyes album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Speak in Toungues / Beast with a Billion Eyes
Stoner Metal 2012
HIGH ON FIRE Bat Salad album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Bat Salad
Stoner Metal 2019

HIGH ON FIRE live albums

HIGH ON FIRE Live at Relapse Contamination Festival album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Live at Relapse Contamination Festival
Stoner Metal 2005
HIGH ON FIRE Spitting Fire Live Vol. 1 album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Spitting Fire Live Vol. 1
Stoner Metal 2013
HIGH ON FIRE Spitting Fire Live Vol. 2 album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Spitting Fire Live Vol. 2
Stoner Metal 2013

HIGH ON FIRE demos, promos, fans club and other releases (no bootlegs)

HIGH ON FIRE re-issues & compilations

HIGH ON FIRE singles (2)

.. Album Cover
0.00 | 0 ratings
Frost Hammer
Stoner Metal 2010
.. Album Cover
0.00 | 0 ratings
Fertile Green
Stoner Metal 2012

HIGH ON FIRE movies (DVD, Blu-Ray or VHS)

HIGH ON FIRE Reviews

HIGH ON FIRE Cometh the Storm

Album · 2024 · Stoner Metal
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UMUR
"Cometh the Storm" is the ninth full-length studio album by US, heavy/sludge/stoner metal act High on Fire. The album was released through MNRK Heavy in April 2024. It´s the successor to "Electric Messiah" from October 2018 and there´s been one lineup change since the last album as drummer Des Kensel has been replaced by Coady Willis. The latter is known for his work with artists like Big Business and The Melvins. Kurt Ballou is credited as producer. A role he has also played on the last couple of albums by High on Fire. Actually every High on Fire album from "De Vermis Mysteriis" (2012) until this one have been produced by Ballou.

Personally I haven´t always felt that Ballou´s production style fit High on Fire´s music, but on "Cometh the Storm" he has aimed for a more organic, heavy, and meaty tone, which suits the band´s ultra heavy stoner/sludge metal riffs, heavy organic grooves, and occasional bursts of heavy/thrash metal aggression really well. To my ears the sound production on "Cometh the Storm" is the most well sounding production on a High on Fire album since "Snakes for the Divine" from 2010. This album has the right bite and venom dripping from it.

High on Fire are as well playing as ever and the addition of Willis to the ranks is not a bad decision. If you´re familar with his work with both Big Business and The Melvins you won´t be surprised by his high quality output and creative drumming ideas. He adds a lot to the sound of this album. Frontman/guitarist Matt Pike sounds as raw as ever (and has over the years also built upon his arsenal of vocal styles) and bassist Jeff Matz, who completes the trio lineup, is a solid heavy anchor. High on Fire´s relatively unique combination of stoner metal, sludge metal, heavy metal, and thrash metal riffs and rhythms hasn´t changed drastically over the years, and the material on "Cometh the Storm" follows in a similar style to the many preceding releases.

So it´s the songwriting and the production values which set one High on Fire album apart from the other albums by the band, and to my ears "Cometh the Storm" is in the better end of the High on Fire album releases, both when it comes to the memorability of the compositions and certainly when it comes to the sound production (as mentioned above). A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

HIGH ON FIRE Electric Messiah

Album · 2018 · Stoner Metal
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UMUR
"Electric Messiah" is the 8th full-length studio album by US heavy metal act High on Fire. The album was released through eOne Music in October 2018. It´s the successor to "Luminiferous" from 2015 and features the same trio lineup who recorded the predecessor. Kurt Ballou (Converge) was once again involved in the recording process (like he was on the last couple of albums).

And consistent is probably also the first word which comes to mind while listening to "Electric Messiah", which features a similar heavy metal/stoner metal sound to the sound found on the last couple of releases. The sound production is also relatively similar sounding, and it seems High on Fire have locked into a groove these days, and there isn´t much development of sound or style anymore. This is more or less how they´ve sounded since "Death Is This Communion" from 2007. To my ears the choice of Ballou on this album and the two preceding it, has meant that High on Fire´s music has not shone like it could have (and did on "Death Is This Communion (2007)" and on "Snakes for the Divine (2009)"). He is a skilled producer, but his production style just doesn´t suit High on Fire´s music that well. Why for example place Matt Pike´s vocals so low in the mix or drench them in effects, when you´re dealing with such a raw and powerful vocalist, who can easily hold his own. Put him up front so we can marvel in his caustic aggression and commanding delivery...oh well that was not to be.

The rather flat an undymanic sound production can´t completely hide that there are some quality material featured on "Electric Messiah" and as usual we´re treated to a combination of heavy mid-paced tracks with a stoner metal edge and faster more aggressive tracks. Think of a mix of Black Sabbath, Motörhead, and early Slayer, and you´re not too far off. A few more memorable riffs and hook laden vocal phrases would have been nice, and it becomes even more obvious how much more great the music could have been with a little more melody, when you hear Pike sing just slightly more melodic on a track like album closer "Drowning Dog", and as a result that track becomes an album highlight.

I know I sound a little negative, and probably also a little more negative than intended, but I generally hold High on Fire and especially Pike in high regard, and high expectations warrants high quality delivery, and "Electric Messiah" to me is only a good quality album. It doesn´t reach the sky like I expect when I listen to a High on Fire album. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is still deserved, but I expect the band to make some changes on the next release before rigor mortis begins to set in (yeah that´s probably a bit too dramatic...let´s just use the word stagnation).

HIGH ON FIRE Luminiferous

Album · 2015 · Stoner Metal
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UMUR
"Luminiferous" is the 7th full-length studio album by US sludge/stoner metal act High on Fire. The album was released through eOne Music in June 2015. It´s the successor to "De Vermis Mysteriis" from 2012. Like it´s predecessor "Luminiferous" was also produced by Kurt Ballou (Converge). The three years between albums have been spend touring, but lead vocalist/guitarist Matt Pike also had a break from band activities while he was receiving treatment for alcoholism.

Stylistically the music on "Luminiferous" features few surprises if you´re already familiar with High on Fire´s brand of metal. It´s a combination of stoner doom, sludge, heavy metal, and thrash metal and cannot really be tagged any of those without stepping on some genre elitist toes. What has always been special about High on Fire is not so much their music though, but the way they perform it. They know exactly how to deliver their brick heavy riffs and beats (and occasionally faster ones too) with conviction and burning passion. Matt Pike´s raw voice and rough vocal delivery is also a trademark. And thankfully nothing has changed on "Luminiferous" in that regard.

The material on the 9 track, 53:44 minutes long album is generally well written, although I could have wished for more memorable hooks. Just a bit more melody in the vocal department could have made that happen. When Matt Pike sings a bit more melodic than usual on tracks like "The Falconist" and "The Cave" you can really hear how much that brings to the music. On the other hand it´s also nice to hear him yell and scream his way through faster-paced and aggressive tracks like "The Black Plot", the title track, and "Slave the Hive". The latter is one of the more thrash metal oriented tracks on the album.

"Luminiferous" is well produced, although I personally don´t think Kurt Ballou is the right producer for High on Fire (and that´s nothing personal against Ballou, who is a great producer and has produced other artists with great success). I think their music would prosper from a more organic toned sound production, than the productions which grace both this album and it´s predecessor. That´s of course an aquired taste though, and objectively the sound production is professional and suits the music well.

High on Fire is a remarkably consistent act and they´ve never released a sub par album. That trend continues on "Luminiferous", which is another quality release to the collection. Personally I could have wished for a bit more development of sound between albums, but the band give their fans what they want and it´s hard to argue against that. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

HIGH ON FIRE De Vermis Mysteriis

Album · 2012 · Stoner Metal
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UMUR
"De Vermis Mysteriis" is the 6th full-length studio album by US stoner metal act High on Fire. The album was released through E1 Music in April 2012.

The music on the album continue down the usual aggressive stoner metal path and if you enjoyed albums like "Death Is This Communion (2007)" and "Snakes for the Divine (2010)", you pretty much know what you´re in for here. Aggressive stoner doomy guitar riffing, Matt Pike´s raw vocal delivery and an energetic rythm section that drive the music forward. A track like "King of Days" is a bit different though, as it´s more leaned back, melodic stoner metal with some nice harmony guitar sections. Other than that the album varies between mid-paced heavy tracks and faster paced and more aggressive ones.

The album is produced by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou, who is usually a very skilled producer. I can´t say I´m fully satisfied with the sound production on "De Vermis Mysteriis" though. As such the instrumental part of the album is well produced, but why Matt Pike´s otherwise enjoyable and raw vocals are placed so low in the mix is beyond me. He is almost reduced to mumbling volume at times. An odd production choice if you ask me. With a vocalist this strong, I´d always put him high in the mix.

"De Vermis Mysteriis" is upon conclusion another strong release by High on Fire. Personally I don´t rate it as high as it´s two direct predecessors, which is mostly due to how the vocals are placed in the mix, but it´s probably an aquired taste and I´d still say that a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

HIGH ON FIRE The Art Of Self Defense

Album · 2000 · Stoner Metal
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Time Signature
Master of the sludge...

Genre: stoner / sludge

Heralded by many as the masters of stoner doom metal, High on Fire released The Art of Self Defense back in 2000. Now, the album sees the light of day again, being reissued in a completely remastered format and packed with goodies in the forms of a handful of bonus tracks in addition to the original six tracks and a fat booklet.

The tracks on the album are characterized by heavy beats, sludgy grooves and a bog fat bass which almost dominates the picture completely. Drawing more on the stoner-oriented aspect of the monster that is doom metal as created by Black Sabbath, the album is more darkly psychedelic than truly doom-laden. But there is no mistaking that those grooves and beats are crushingly compelling. From the stomping rhythm of 'Baghdad' over the heavy beats of '10,000 Years' and 'Master of the Fists' and the aggressive drive of of 'Blood from Zion' and 'Last', this album should definitely rock the world of any sludge-head who hasn't hear it yet.

The bonus tracks consist mainly of demo versions of some of the album's songs, but an interesting treat is the inclusion of a cover version of the Celtic Frost classic, 'The Usurper', which – although quite faithful – makes the song sound sludgier than ever.

Heavy and groovy, this album should appeal to fans of stoner metal and sludge metal, and if you have not yet heard this album, then you should strike now that it has been reissued and purchase the enhanced version.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)

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