Check Out a New Excerpt from Matt Pike’s (High on Fire, SLEEP) Book “Head on A Pike”


Events Center, Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV 8/16/19

Spanning the entire career of a metal icon, Head On A Pike:The Illustrated Lyrics of Matt Pike, but the iconic Stoner doom legend Matt Pike of bands such as High on Fire and Sleep is releasing on November 9th, 2021, via Rare Bird Books. Beginning with the 1998 album ‘The Art Of Self Defense’, and through to 2018’s ‘Electric Messiah’, each chapter of Head on A Pike features Matt’s distinctive lyrics flanked by one-of-a-kind artistic interpretations — specifically inspired by each album — straight from the minds and hearts of an incredible cast of illustrators, tattooers, print makers and painters that Pike has trusted since the beginning to depict his unique musical vision. Head On A Pike: The Illustrated Lyrics of Matt Pike is scheduled for worldwide release in hardcover and e-book, and the trade edition will retail for $20. Signed hardcovers and signed limited edition bundles are available at the link below.

New excerpt via Brooklyn Vegan:

https://www.brooklynvegan.com/see-the-blessed-black-wings-chapter-from-matt-pikes-high-on-fire-illustrated-lyric-book/

https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2021/10/04/read-an-exclusive-excerpt-from-head-on-a-pike-the-illustrated-lyrics-of-matt-pike/

 

“My illustrated lyric book, ‘Head on A Pike’, is exactly what it says it is!,” comments Pike. “It’s perfectly titled: the head on the body I live in.”

 

Artists that contributed to ‘Head on A Pike’ include Arik Roper, David V. D’Andrea, Santos, Brian Mercer, Skinner, Jondix, Stash, Tim Lehi, Jordan Barlow and Derrick Snodgrass, each of whom created one large illustration to define a chapter and two additional vignettes directly inspired by that album’s songs.

 

“Matt Pike’s lyrics are just as important and powerful as his riffs, and his words deserve to be celebrated alongside the fantastic imagery that the artists have put together in this book,” says Rare Bird publisher Tyson Cornell. “These prolific artists transport the reader further into a far-away landscape of ominous Lovecraftian entities, shrouded in wondrous and esoteric darkness. Together, they have redefined the way we perceive underground doom metal these past twenty years, and it is our honor to showcase them together along with the incredible written word of Pike, who has influenced and inspired an entire genre of music. ‘Head On A Pike’ is a natural for any Sleep, High on Fire or Matt Pike fan, but the work is also relevant to greater conversations around lyrical poetry, formal and free verse, and tattoo inspirations for years to come.”

 

Pre-order the book at this link:

https://rarebirdlit.com/head-on-a-pike-the-illustrated-lyrics-of-matt-pike-book-only-signed-by-matt-pike/

 

Follow Rare Bird and Matt Pike at:

https://www.instagram.com/rarebirdlit

https://www.rarebirdlit.com

https://www.instagram.com/mattpike1972