Search - High on Fire :: Surrounded By Thieves

The most giant sounding album of this year . . . .

W. Perry Aggers | Avon Lake, Ohio USA | 06/04/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Straight bludgeoning. Not a moment's rest. "Eyes and Teeth"'s opening bass rumble is the only serene moment on this disc. From there the album turns the listeners ears and intestines gelatinous, pounding relentlessly with an endless well of riffs, tribal drumming and scorched-earth vocals.Gone are the paens to Sabbath and the Melvins that were found on "Art of Self Defense". In their place is a louder-than-nuclear-war homage to groups such as BoltThrower, Voivod, Neurosis and even "Jerusalem"-era Sleep, taken to atmospheric levels of woofer-destroying volume. Choice cuts are "Speedwolf", the dinosaur riff-maze called "Yeti", the powerfully intensive title track and the blasting "Hung, Drawn and Quartered". Upping the ante is the name of the game, and it's brutally frightening that this group is only on their second album!High on Fire is truly a great band. "Surrounded By Thieves" is going to become one of the biggest underground metal classics this world has ever seen. BELIEVE the hype."

If you don't know what you're talking about, shut the h*ll u

Peter Gozinya | Chicago, IL USA | 02/14/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First of all, if you have even ONE Green Day song in your collection, even by accident, (I'm looking at you "IJ" from Puerto Rico) you are beyond help and have zero credibility when it comes to reviewing a metal album, or any album for that matter. Secondly, if you don't know what a death metal growl sounds like, please don't use the term, mmkay? Are the vocals sludgy? Yes. Is it death metal? No way.

This album will punch you in the face and make you love it. Pop it in, turn it up and watch it suplex you through your coffee table. This album has actually murdered other inferior albums in my collection - it's just that hardcore."

Pure metal thunder

Wheelchair Assassin | The Great Concavity | 12/18/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've heard some sludgy music in my time, but "Surrounded By Thieves" is damn near impenetrable. The songs here are about as fast and lively as a funeral dirge, not to mention as heavy as the Oakland Raiders' offensive line (average listed weight of a Raider offensive lineman: 322 pounds). On this album Matt Pike continues to cement his place among metal's reigning guitar heroes, and the band's epic sound gives him plenty of opportunities to show what he can do. His twisted, mammoth riffing makes for one of the heaviest albums of the year, and he's well accompanied by Des Kensel on drums and George Rice on bass. Despite the obvious skill of the musicians, "Surrounded by Thieves" is far from a wankfest. Heaviness is the objective here, not speed or technicality, and every song thumps along very nicely, with some of the deepest and thickest grooves around. Still, for all the heaviness it's the nuances that make this a great album: Pike's screaming solos, Kensel's occasional drum rolls, and Rice's pummelling bass notes. I'll be the first to admit Pike's vocals are a little odd, and may take some getting used to, but with music this good it's easy to be patient. One of the most epic metal albums around, "Surrounded by Thieves" is sure to please even the most discrimating headbangers."