Review Summary: Yeah, Taylor Swift, but what about High on Fire?
After two decades of constant touring and record releasing, High on Fire geared down due to a number of events, which include the departure of founding member, Des Kensel, focusing on other projects (Mutoid Man, Sleep and Pike vs. the Automaton), plus Matt’s issues with diabetes. Thankfully, the band finally returned with a brand new album,
Cometh the Storm. Right from the first note of “Lambsbread”, we can recognize that gnarly sound and the moment Pike’s raucous vocals kick in, it’s good times again. As the trio furiously sail through seas of riffs, we can observe an emphasis on scorching, mid-tempo grooves. Tracks such as “Burning Down”, “Hunting Shadows” and “Lightning Beard” all boast ripping guitars, usually over busy, tom-centered drumming. Newcomer, Coady Willis adds the necessary muscle to the tunes, retaining that thick atmosphere their music shares. There are less Motorhead tempos this time around, “The Beating” ending up the only number going nuts over its 2-minute span. However, discarding that clicking kick drum sound and the off-putting “bucket” toms
Electric Messiah featured all over, automatically makes them feel more organic and pleasant to the ear.
Other highlights include the blistering “Trismegistus”, as well as the slow burning title cut, where both Jeff and Matt play smooth licks before the punishing chorus riff tears the house down. Meanwhile, the Turkish bağlama inclusion on the psychedelic instrumental “Karanlık Yol” makes for a nice break, yet it would have been interesting to hear it in a more expansive role, not just a few bars on the opener too. Also, the 10-minute closing epic, “Darker Fleece” builds up tension through fiery progressions, aided by solos and Pike screaming his lungs out. The final minutes, though, turn into a pounding, Sleep-like coda, which is welcomed. As expected,
Cometh the Storm is another consistent High on Fire LP, quite an achievement for a band on its 25th anniversary. Still, more diversity overall could have improved its dynamics or had it been trimmed a bit, it would have maintained its momentum better. Nevertheless, this is nitpicking on an otherwise brilliant discography.
