High On Fire

I am eternally grateful to High On Fire. Why? Because when I went to see them in the small venue of 013 in Tilburg I truly got blown away. That was due to their support act Mastodon, who in the meantime has become the best band in the world for me. So the fact that High On Fire didn’t get my vote that night had nothing to do with them, but that is something I always have stated. Because I have been following these guys ever since then.

As a genre I have said that this is Stoner Metal, but that doesn’t do this trio justice. They have one leg as far into the extreme metal field as the other one is in the stoner one. But as we are requested to put a genre down this one does suit this band best.

Opener and title song Snakes For The Divine has a pure AC/DC intro. I can’t help but think Thunderstruck. After a while it goes away, as the band rocks as hard as they really can, but then the relay is taken over by a touch of Motörhead. This has always been an integral part of their sound and it does suit their heaviness. Although I must say that I do find that they have left the uncontrollable parts off this new album, maybe due to the fact that they aren’t getting any younger either?

I wouldn’t look for any meanings behind this, though, as this really is High On Fire as they should be; heavy hitting and dirty & mean. And they really give the music some pace whenever it is needed. Not in a thrash way, but definitely a lot faster than usual for most stoner bands. That’s where the extreme metal connotation pops up again, making High On Fire a one of a kind.

I also can’t complain too much about the music on offer on Snakes For The Divine. These guys have never reinvented the wheel, but this time haven’t improved on themselves. I just don’t know if I should call this a standstill, as it usually means a regression. I just feel that they could have developed themselves just a bit more, made some more progress. This is my opinion and as far as I’m concerned you can stick it where the sun doesn’t shine if you feel like it....

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