High on Fire is a three piece from Oakland California consisting of Matt Pike (Guitars/Vocals) who was previously the guitarist for the legendary stoner/doom band Sleep, Des Kensel (Drums) and Jeff Matz (Bass).
When it comes to the faster spectrum of sludge, stoner and doom metal, High on Fire has always been my favorite band. I find their music fast paced and straight forward without any “technical” wankery, like a big fat punch in the guts that just doesn’t let up until the end. I doubted that I could equal with words what High on Fire creates with sound (a doubt I harbor still). Then I thought of all the insipid metalcore, redundant thrash and infuriating post-whatever bullshit I have reviewed from last few years, and I asked myself: If you have spent countless hours trying (and likely failing) to pull literary magic out of your ass in the face of stifling musical mediocrity, only to balk at the chance of reviewing the one band you esteem above all others, just what the fuck are you doing this for?
And so here we are…
High on Fire has released their sixth album titled De Vermis Mysteriis. It is produced by Kurt Ballou, guitarist of Mathcore/Metallic Hardcore titans Converge and also a prolific name when it comes to producing Grindcore/Hardcore/Metallic Hardcore (Nails, Trap Them, Kvelertak and Genghis Tron to name a few), which somehow does wonders for them as Kurt brings out the raw, almost bestial side of the band. Sadly this was missing in High on Fire’s last album Snakes for the Divine, it was very watered down and didn’t retain the grittiness of their previous albums, but when I heard about Kurt Ballou taking the production duties of De Vermis Mysteriis, I knew this band was in good hands, and boy was I right.
In thirteen years of recording, High on Fire has not released an album I would count as less than 100% pure, skull-crushing metal of the highest order. For those who would like to save some reading, I will state, plainly, that with De Vermis Mysteris, High on Fire’s tradition of excellence continues.
The two very important things you will notice about the album are:
- The return of the gritty guitar sound that is raw, edgy and has character, not depending at all on “Pro Tools” and “Studio Magic” to sound heavy.
- Matt Pike’s most majestic and melodic lead work to date.
Des Kensel’s drums sound massive as every sound on the toms and the kick drums seems like a nuclear explosion not far away from my living room, which is another High on Fire signature that I am glad has returned with this album. But it’s not all about the production, High on fire display some very different shades on this album. From songs like “Serum of Liao”, “Bloody Knuckles” and “De Vermis Mysteris” which maintain a balance between fast paced bone crushing heaviness with more thoughtful, emotive songwriting which is not very technical but is definitely very powerful.
“Spiritual Rites” and “Fertile Green” is pure, no bullshit sludge stoner madness that is fast, aggressive and takes no prisoners, perfect for the moshpit. There are some surprises in this album which I never knew High on Fire could bring up like the bands ode to sleep, “Madness of an Architect”, or a very sludgy ballad of sorts called “King of Days”, which could have sounded cheesy if it was any other band but these guys know how to do it right. Everything snaps into one final explosion during “Warhorn”, which is essentially a sludge/doom song but Matt’s husky vocal’s gives it a bluesy feel.
So…I guess if you haven’t noticed already, I have to say that I really, really dig this album. High on Fire has proved once again that they are the masters of their game. Music at its best is a transcendent experience, helping us, if only for a moment, to slip the bonds of ordinary life, and when I listen to De Vermis Mysteris, I become a ten foot tall Viking on a mountain of skulls, hurling boulders, breathing fire and shooting lightning bolts from my eyes. This is metal at its finest. Buy it.
Rating: 9.5/10