Feel the return of High on Fire.
Created in 1998 by Matt Pike (guitar/vocals, Sleep, Pike vs the Automaton), the project now counts on Jeff Matz (bass, Mutoid Man) and Coady Willis (drums, Big Business, ex-Melvins) to release Cometh the Storm, its ninth album, on MNRK Heavy.
The album kicks off with the thick, groovy sound of Lambsbread, an energetic track into which Matt‘s screams fit naturally, completing the aggressive mix. A slightly slower passage allows us to breathe before the final wave that leads us straight into the crushing Burning Down, where warm Stoner influences rub shoulders with abrasive saturation, even allowing a few smoky leads to insert themselves into the greasy rhythm. The band continues with Trismegistus, a track whose introduction already sounds more energetic and which later confirms its wilder approach, then eponymous track Cometh The Storm develops a more heady airy sound coupled with driving percussion and sometimes self-effacing vocal parts. Karanl?k Yol offers us an instrumental interlude, revealing danceable oriental influences that fit curiously well with the album’s ethereal atmosphere, but saturation returns as soon as Sol’s Golden Curse begins, returning to that sultry groove barded with sizzling harmonics. Motivating Hardcore influences are found in The Beating, the next short composition, which energizes the American sound, then Tough Guy returns to a slower, more oppressive pace, while retaining those crazy leads that add a touch of madness to its riffs. Lightning Beard is a sort of blend of the two previous compositions, creating a lively, vindictive sound while playing on raw saturation, before calming down again for Hunting Shadows, where the melodies become more soaring again, occasionally allowing themselves a touch of technicality. An inspired solo accompanies us at the end of the track, then it’s with Darker Fleece, the very long final composition, that the band slowly weaves its web of saturation, first with a Drone-influenced guitar, then with all the instruments that build this sonic prison in which powerful vocal parts and cutting harmonics take turns before finally slowing down.
I’ve never been disappointed by Matt Pike‘s projects, so I was eagerly awaiting the new release from High on Fire. Unsurprisingly, Cometh the Storm crushes us to the ground and pummels us mercilessly, while allowing us a few benevolent pauses. A pure marvel.
95/100
