Band : High On Fire
Album Title : Snakes For The Divine
Label : Century Media
Distributor : Rough Trade Benelux
Release Date : 2010
Review : CD

High on Fire have been the vehicle for former Sleep vocalist/axe god Matt Pike over the course of five releases now. From the outset, High On Fire rips into a very energetic, frantic pacing that is reminiscient of Celtic Frost/Obituary/Whiplash coupled with acidic raspy vocals that bitterly spit out the words. The majority of the songs here are fast paced and rumbling, very much steeped in the sound of the 80s. So, don’t expect any changes, though, because once a band has found their distinctive style, why should they pee on it?

Songs like “Bastard samurai” and my fave “How dark we pray” prove they can also hang with the more looping, epic sounding numbers. While Snakes For The Divine could occasionally use a little more breathing room in the faster monsters such as “Holy Flames of the Fire Spitter”, ”Ghost neck” and “Fire flood and plague” I  can’t think of many other bands able to come up with such a sizzling piece of extreme metal, especially after so many years around.

93/100

Cosmicmasseur.