US rockers HIGH ON FIRE will release their new album, “Cometh The Storm”on April 19 via MNRK Heavy. The Grammy Award-winning group, celebrating its 25th anniversary, recorded the LP at God City Studio in Salem, Massachusetts with producer Kurt Ballou. The 11-song effort — the band’s ninth studio album — marks the release of the first new HIGH ON FIRE music since 2018’s “Electric Messiah” and the first to feature drummer Coady Willis (BIG BUSINESS, MURDER CITY DEVILS),alongside bassist Jeff Matz and guitarist/vocalist Matt Pike.
“Cometh The Storm” is advanced by the lead track “Burning Down” and a haunting, fever dream video, directed by Lars Kristoffer Hormander. Check it out below.
“‘Burning Down’ kicks off with a classic Pike riff,” says Jeff Matz. “I think this song harkens back to the early HIGH ON FIRE sound, but infused with fresh, new elements. It has a killer groove that you can really sink into. The body of the song took shape in our PNW rehearsal space, and we came up with the bridge/solo section and finalized the arrangement while we were at GodCity. Kurt Ballou‘s input as a producer was also hugely helpful. His keen ears and fresh perspective were invaluable in making this album.”
“I think this band’s always had a really good drive,” states Pike. “It’s a different entity. It’s its own thing. Which, I think, makes all of us very proud to be a part of it. It’s not an average band.”
“Being a fan of each other’s bands for a long time, it feels like all bets are off and anything goes which is a liberating feeling,” shares Willis. “That feeling of making something out of all of these imperfect parts and it becomes this magical, strange, new idea that none of us ever anticipated. Against all odds. That’s the joy of it.”
“It’s interesting, whenever there’s a lineup change in a band,” he offers Ballou. “It can take a little while to rebuild. But it’s also an opportunity to reinvigorate the band and I think that’s what’s happened here.”
“Cometh The Storm” track listing:
01. Lambsbread
02. Burning Down
03. Trismegistus
04. Cometh The Storm
05. Karanlık Yol
06. Sol’s Golden Curse
07. The Beating
08. Tough Guy
09. Lightning Beard
10. Hunting Shadows
eleven. Darker Fleece
Universally recognized as one of the most powerful acts in music today, HIGH ON FIRE creates dynamic metal that merges primal fury and aggression, hesher bombardment and hall of fame heaviness. Described as “a supersonic exercise in conquer by volume,” HIGH ON FIRE you have rewritten the hard rock rule book since its formation in 1998, forging a style and sound that is both critically celebrated and unique. The group features vocalist and cult guitar hero Matt Pike (also a founding member of the famous underground band SLEEP) singular bassist Jeff Matz and powerhouse drummer Coady Willis.
HIGH ON FIRE‘s most recent studio album, “Electric Messiah”was released on October 9, 2018, and won a Grammy for “Best Metal Performance”, placing HIGH ON FIRE among the ranks of groups such as BLACK SABBATH, MOTÖRHEAD and METALLICA as winners of the prestigious award, presented by The Recording Academy to recognize achievements in the music industry.
Photo credit: James Rexroad
