And Mutoid Man’s New Bassist is… High on Fire’s Jeff Matz!
Mutoid Man have now made official what fans have suspected for the past month or so: Jeff Matz of High on Fire is the band’s new bassist!
When Mutoid Man and now-ex-bassist Nick Cageao announced they’d parted ways amicably earlier this year, the band’s label Sargent House, teased their new, as-of-yet unannounced low-end maker as someone fans would already know and respect. A couple of months later a very brief video clip including a person resembling Matz appeared on the label’s Instagram stories, but still the band remained quiet… until now.
Vocalist/guitarist Stephen Brodsky (also of Cave In) offered:
“Countless times we’ve asked ourselves ‘What would High On Fire do?’ while writing music over the years — now we can go straight to the source! Getting to know Jeff has been a real treat, and his devotion to music is nothing short of astounding. We’re pumped for the next chapter of Mutoid Man now having Jeff on board with his unparalleled 4-stringed Thunderclapping fury!”
Drummer Ben Koller (also of Converge) added:
“Jeff was at the top of our list for new bass mutants, and after playing with him the first day it became obvious that he was the only choice. He is so dedicated to his craft and we are thrilled to be creating new mutations with him.”
And Matz himself chimed in:
“I’m thrilled and honored that the Mutoid dudes have entrusted me to handle bass duties. From the first time we jammed together it felt great, and it just continues to get better. Steve and Ben are two of the most ripping and creative musicians I’ve had the pleasure of playing with, and all-around awesome human beings to boot. Major props are due to Nick as well, he set the bar high with his great musicianship and writing. I’m looking forward to hitting the stage with these fine mutants, and can’t wait to unleash the new music we’ve been working on.”
The new lineup will make their live premiere at the Psycho Las Vegas festival this weekend.
High on Fire fans, don’t worry; Matz performed with the band as recently as June, so it doesn’t seem like he’s vacating his post there. (The band just added Coady Willis of Big Business on drums replacing longtime skinsman Des Kensel.)
