Review: High on Fire Revive the Sludge on Cometh the Storm
For the last 25 years, the mighty High on Fire have been at the forefront of stoner and sludge metal, carving a path for themselves that remains no small feat in the metal world. Now, roughly five years after winning a GRAMMY for their last album Electric Messiah, they’re back with another batch of tunes that continues to go hard despite the band’s many cycles around the sun.
Out April 19 via MNRK Heavy, Cometh the Storm feels like a return to their roots of sludgy, riff-laden goodness that sounds like it would be more at home in a dingy bar instead of a huge arena or massive theater. Project mastermind Matt Pike clearly felt a bit nostalgic coming inta sense that each would work well as a single. “Burning Down” is essentially a banger of riffs that comes in hard as the record’s second track, bringing the sort of strong and powerful finesse that they’ve honed over the years.
My favorite from the entire album is by far “Trismegistdsus,” which I feel is the heaviest song on Cometh The Storm. It definitely packs that sleazy old rock and metal sound while remaining firmly in the vein of Electric Wizard. There’s lots of Satan present on this one. The title track is another major gem on this record with its trippy vibes and all the guitar licks that almost walk you through a history of the band’s discography.
There really isn’t a dull moment on this album, as it almost acts as a retrospective of what the band has done so far and takes you through a lot of different crucial eras of their development. Even the instrumental track “Karanlik Yol” pulls in some Eastern sounding influence to tie things together. It’s a showcase of the range the band have and all the variations of what they can bring.
Another solid moment worth mentioning is “Sol’s Golden Curse,” complete with shredding that seemingly comes from some other page of existence. Really, none of the songs on this record are sleepers, but there are certain moments where they really shine.
Whether you’re a new fan or a dyed-in-the-wool High On Fire fan, this is a record you need to hear. It perfectly encapsulates their journey so far and shows they still have plenty of business making music in 2024.
High On Fire’s Cometh The Storm will be released on April 19 via MNRK Heavy. You can preorder your copy today.
