Blessed Black Wings
Massive power trio High on Fire are a supersonic exercise in conquest by volume. Equal parts molten metal and earthquake panic, HoF's Motorhead-meets-Slayer roar is outrageously loud and absolutely punishing. Guitarist/vocalist Matt Pike (ex-Sleep) unleashes a devastating combination of bombastic guitar and howling war cries, weaving fantastical tales of supernatural beasts, forgotten battles and rivers of blood over an unstoppable bass and drum assault.
For some fans, the news that Steve Albini had been tapped to produce High on Fire's third long-player was a matter of great concern for many reasons -- chief among them, the renowned alternative rock producer's notoriety for ultra-compressed guitar sounds, which seemed utterly at odds with the California trio's most deadly weapon: guitarist and frontman Matt Pike's thundering riffage.
Clattering right into the massive "Devilution", a drum-driven barn-burner worthy of MOTÖRHEAD, HIGH ON FIRE up the adrenaline level on third full-length, "Blessed Black Wings". The Steve Albini recording leaves all the rough edges, managing to sound massive and metallic and dirty and grimy all at on...