Search - High on Fire :: Art of Self Defense

Wall of Thunder

mbfthrasher | Renton, Washington United States | 07/20/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Towering wall of heavy distorted riffs from another time and space. Vocals are low volume, but they drift wonderfully over the noise, serving to make the guitar and bass sound that much louder. A rare band that actually jams in the studio, the songs on average are long. Mid tempo on the speed, not a whole lot of lead guitar. Somwhere back there the drummer is lashing the drums and cymbals mercilessly. You don't listen to this music - you experience it. And all this talk about "stoner rock" is silly at best, calling this stoner rock is just another stupid lable. This is spacy, jam oriented heavy rock that is not in a hurry. So that makes it "stoner rock?" Ok, I'll just say it is fantastic. There is no label for this, it kicks your ass, and takes you away at the same time. But it is not a brutal, metal type sound, it's a bit cut back from that. Just listen. Let it take you away."

Matt Pike's legacy continues

W. Perry Aggers | 03/20/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Matt Pike used to be the guitarist in the awesome doom metal band sleep. This release is a little faster paced than sleep but just as heavy. An amazing record. Make sure you see them live if they come within 200 miles of where you live because they are the loudest band you will ever witness."

Matt Pike strikes again!

S. Flask | the Pequod | 04/12/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you don't know already, High on Fire is fronted by Matt Pike of the legendary doom outfit Sleep. And while I enjoyed sleep, I never enjoyed it as much as this stuff.This stuff has groove - really awesome groove. You'll be nodding your head in no time. You get plenty of low, heavy riffs, with wonderfully dirty production. Production's one of the best things about the album - it's dirty as hell, but it never sounds like it was recorded in your mom's closet with a hand held tape recorder. It gives the album a great raw feeling, and helps add to the power of the music. But it's not all search and destroy....these guys take time out to let the music breathe. Spacing out and soloing are a big part of the music.Don't be turned off by the fact that there are only 6 tracks - this is a 43 minute lp. So if you like the crushing riffs of bands like Electric Wizard, Sleep and Kyuss, and enjoy a record that doesn't sound like someone spent 5 million dollars making it sound better than it really is - this is for you. What you hear is what you get. No pretentiousness, no nonsense, head crushing doom! 8.5 out of 10."