Video: High On Fire To Premiere New Music Video On Adult Swim


High On Fire The Black Plot still image ghostcultmag

 

High On Fire will début its new music video for the track ‘The Black Plot’, from their album Luminiferous (eOne), on Saturday, September 10th on Adult Swim.Continue reading


High on Fire – Pallbearer – Lucifer – Venomous Maximus: Live at the Royale


High on fire tour

A summer time Monday night found me at a venue that I had never been to before, the Royale in Boston, MA. It was a good size and actually pretty nice inside with a few large couches and suits of armor hanging on the walls. I’ve since been told that it doubles as a (dance) club, but it makes a fine metal venue as well.

 Venomous Maximus, by Evil Robb Photography

Venomous Maximus, by Evil Robb Photography

We kicked things off with a performance by a band new to me called Venomous Maximus based out of Houston. They are yet another one of those bands that deserves to be seen live rather than just compared to their studio recordings. Their studio work is your standard, run of the mill doom-y stoner-y heavy metal. On stage is where the band really starts to come to life. They’re energetic and the music itself is far heavier. A CD or mp3 doesn’t capture that. Next to the masters in High on Fire themselves, Venmous Maximus was the most entertaining band on the bill for me.

Lucifer, by Evil Robb Photography

Lucifer, by Evil Robb Photography

I was not a fan of Lucifer. They had been described to me as a sort of female-fronted Black Sabbath but I found them to be just another generic doom band and lost interest quickly. They did have a projector with some old films running which I’ve always thought can be a nice added touch. To be honest, I probably spent more time watching the movie than I did watching the band’s actual performance.

 Pallbearer, by Evil Robb Photography

Pallbearer, by Evil Robb Photography

I had a similar reaction to Pallbearer. I have plenty of friends that worship them, but they are just not my thing. I need something with a little oomph to keep my attention which I guess kind of defeats the purpose of what they’re trying to do but, hey, I need more fuzz and more grooves.

 High On Fire, by Evil Robb Photography

High On Fire, by Evil Robb Photography

High on Fire opened their set with ‘The Black Plot’ off of Luminiferous (eOne) and with me foolishly thinking that I would simply admire their performance from the back of the crowd in order to protect my injured wrist. By the end of their second song, I knew that I was nothing but a filthy liar as I ran through the pit and began snaking my way through the crowd towards the front row. Injury or not, I was there for a helping of Pike Juice and it wasn’t long before I found myself in front of Matt Pike yet again. As expected, the set was heavy with songs off of the last album including ‘Carcosa’ and ‘The Dark Side of the Compass’ which are two of my favorite tracks. I would have loved to have gotten ‘Bloody Knuckles’ again as it holds a special place in my heart but there’s always next time.

 

 High On Fire, by Evil Robb Photography

High On Fire, by Evil Robb Photography

 

 High On Fire, by Evil Robb Photography

High On Fire, by Evil Robb Photography

 High On Fire, by Evil Robb Photography

High On Fire, by Evil Robb Photography

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WORDS BY ALEIDA LA LLAVE

PHOTOS BY EVIL ROBB PHOTOGRAPHY


High on Fire – Luminiferous


high on fire luminiferous

I don’t know about you, but, I turn into a kid on Christmas morning whenever a band I love announces a new album so I’m sure you can imagine the sheer joy that consumed my being when I finally got my greedy little paws on this gem. Friends, she is a beauty. If I could get away with just transcribing my excited squeals and witch-like cackling as I listened to this album, I would.

In all seriousness, stoner metal masters High on Fire return this summer with the highly anticipated Luminiferous (eOne) and it is worth every penny. Luminiferous is both strange and different and yet fits into the band’s prior body of work very well. ‘The Black Plot’ and “The Sunless Years’ are have been fantastic singles but can we just talk about the gift that is ‘Carcosa’ for a second? This track has been one of my favorites from the beginning. It’s heavy and filled with hypnotic riffs and a beautiful guitar solo that just completely draw you in.

‘Slave the Hive’ is an absolute shredder with its quick tempo and Jeff Matz’s throbbing bass lines. You can just tell that this is going to be one of those songs where you can feel the bass weaving its way through your bones and organs. Yes, please. This track takes the concepts of the hive mind and sheeple created by society and the mass media and puts them to music. The end of the song is almost a bit unnerving as it is punctuated by the faintest laugh just before it ends.

Des Kensel’s pounding drums open ‘The Dark Side of the Compass’ and what seems to be a tribute to the Bermuda Triangle. There are so many bands out there that only write songs about their love lives or childhood that I find it refreshing when someone does something different. Tell me about aliens and weird stuff and the mysteries of the universe. With its lyrics referencing lost ships, portals, and the supernatural as a whole, I know what to listen to the next I find myself flying over the Devil’s Triangle again next year. If I’m going to die, it’s going to be with Matt Pike crooning in my ear.

‘The Cave’ is easily another favorite of mine, even if it is soft and slow compared to the rest of the album but that’s precisely why I find myself drawn to it like a moth to a flame. I’m not usually a fan of ballad-esque songs as they tend to be far too cheesy for my liking but ‘The Cave’ is genuine rather than feeling forced. There is so much emotion contained in this song that it is almost palpable and I really enjoyed seeing this other side of the band. You can keep your ‘Nothing Else Matters’ and its millions of clones, I’ll take ‘The Cave’ any day.

L to R: Des Kensel, Matt Pike, Jeff Matz. Photo Credit: J. Hubbard

L to R: Des Kensel, Matt Pike, Jeff Matz. Photo Credit: J. Hubbard

Luminiferous is, at times, both lighter and heavier than previous albums and the risks that the band took when putting it together have paid off. I’ll leave my personal interpretations out of this but the English major in me just wants to sit around and discuss lyrics, connections, and themes for a few hours. The boys have put out one monster of a record and, if you couldn’t tell by now, I am extremely pleased. Don’t drink the Kool-Aid, get yourself a gallon of Pike Juice instead and keep an eye out for an upcoming tour date near you.

8.5/10

ALEIDA LA LLAVE


Audio: High On Fire Streams Entire New Album, Out Next Week


L to R: Des Kensel, Matt Pike, Jeff Matz. Photo Credit: J. Hubbard

L to R: Des Kensel, Matt Pike, Jeff Matz. Photo Credit: J. Hubbard

Today High on Fire is streaming their entire new album Luminiferous (eOne) via NPR’s “First Listen”. This comes one full week before the album’s release on June 16th. Hear the album at this location:

 

high on fire luminiferous

Luminiferous track listing:

01: The Black Plot
02: Carcosa
03: The Sunless Years
04: Slave the Hive
05: The Falconist
06: Dark Side of the Compass
07: The Cave
08: Luminiferous
09: The Lethal Chamber

 

High on fire tour

High On Fire tour dates:
North American Luminiferous Tour

Jul 30: The Casbah – San Diego, CA
Jul 31: Echoplex – Los Angeles, CA
Aug 01: The Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA
Aug 03: Hawthorne Theater – Portland, OR
Aug 04: Rickshaw – Vancouver, BC
Aug 05: Neumos – Seattle, WA
Aug 07: The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT
Aug 08: The Gothic – Denver, CO
Aug 10: Mill City Nights – Minneapolis, MN
Aug 11: Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL
Aug 12: The Loving Touch – Ferndale, MI
Aug 13: Opera House – Toronto, ON
Aug 14: Lost Horizon – Syracuse, NY
Aug 15: Irving Plaza – New York, NY
Aug 17: Royale – Boston, MA
Aug 18: Music Hall of Williamsburg – Brooklyn, NY
Aug 19: Theatre of the Living Arts – Philadelphia, PA
Aug 20: Baltimore Sound Stage – Baltimore, MD
Aug 21: Ziggy’s – Winston-Salem, NC
Aug 22: Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
Aug 23: One Eyed Jack’s – New Orleans, LA (* Venomous Maximus will not appear)

 

High On Fire on Facebook
High On Fire on Twitter


Audio: High On Fire Debut New Single- The Sunless Years


L to R: Des Kensel, Matt Pike, Jeff Matz. Photo Credit: J. Hubbard

L to R: Des Kensel, Matt Pike, Jeff Matz. Photo Credit: J. Hubbard

High on Fire released another new single today from the upcoming Luminiferous album, due on June 16th from eOne. Stream the new song ‘The Sunless Years’ here:

 

Luminiferous was recorded at the acclaimed Godcity Studios in Salem, MA with producer Kurt Ballou (Converge) and is the follow up to 2012’s De Vermis Mysteriis (also eOne).

 

high on fire luminiferous