Review Summary: Cometh the Storm is ultimately a strong homecoming
One of the most interesting things about High on Fire’s ninth album is the change of drummers. Or rather how it feels like the drumming hasn’t changed all that much despite Melvins/Big Business timekeeper Coady Willis replacing founding member Des Kensel. Willis is the ideal guy for the job and performs as brilliantly as you’d expect, putting in a hefty presence and filling in the space with constant barrages, but I’m not sure I would’ve even noticed the turnover had it not been announced. Is it me? Is this just what comes most naturally when you drum to Matt Pike riffs?
Getting into Cometh The Storm proper, the pacing feels more methodical than the comparably straightforward executions on Luminiferous and Electric Messiah. The rhythms are consistently busy throughout and there are certainly tracks like the appropriately titled “The Beating” and “Tough Guy” that break things up with their bursts of speed. However, they aren’t driven by the shout-along anthemic air of something like “Fury Whip” or “Snakes for the Divine.” It’s not the most dramatic shift when the band largely stays true to their classic stoner-thrash tropes, but the lumbering tendencies end up feeling closer to the post-Sleep rumbles of something like The Art of Self Defense at times.
This does admittedly make the album more of a grower than usual, but there are still plenty of excellent tracks on display. It starts off well as the opening “Lambsbread” runs through several dynamics that get followed up with the building chug on “Burning Down.” Things are at their best with the title track and “Karanlik Yol,” both tracks echoing Death Is This Communion in different ways between the former’s percussive slow burn and the latter’s exotic instrumentation. There’s also something to be said for how the closing “Darker Fleece” fades in from “Hunting Shadows” with drawn out feedback giving way to some epic sludge thunder.
Six years between releases and a major personnel change is a lot to reckon with, but Cometh The Storm is ultimately a strong homecoming. As much as I find myself wanting more overt catchiness or a melodic breather ala “Bastard Samurai,” there’s enough going on to keep from feeling like stock fare and the musicianship still retains that pounding prowess. Whether this is the start of a new chapter or reinforcing a tried and true brand, things are still going strong for High On Fire.
