Album Review: High On Fire's "Luminiferous"

HIGH ON FIRE

*Luminiferous*

(eOne Music)

High On Fire’s seventh album starts where the others left off: “The Black Plot” is driven by galloping drums punctuated by whip crack snare shots behind singer Matt Pike’s gruffly delivered conspiracy theories. At the 3:50 mark, all goes silent, as if the song is over, only to come rushing back all at once with an otherworldly wail from guitar and singer alike. A 90-second face-melting solo commences that eventually fades into the seven-minute “Carcosa,” a slower tempo song that gives the double-bass drum room to pummel.

The nine-song album is full of heavy metal grooves like a post-industrial (or is it prehistoric?) Motorhead. The Oakland band is one of the fiercest three-pieces ever and hasn’t strayed far from its original sound since forming in 2000.

“The Falconist,” with lyrics describing a winged hunter, is the least brutal of the lot, and “Slave The Hive” holds its own among any Bay Area-produced thrash tune. Ending track “The Lethal Charmer” once again displays HOF’s power chord orchestration in long form (pushing nine minutes).

Appearing with Pallbearer at Thalia Hall in Chicago on Aug. 11, 2015. I've got my tickets. See you there?

8/10

-- Jason Scales
Link to published print version in July 2015 issue of Illinois Entertainer magazine: http://www.joomag.com/magazine/illinois-entertainer-july-2015/0925465001435759030?short
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