High on Fire
is a heavy metal band from Oakland, California that formed in 1998. Matt Pike, the band's frontman and founder, previously played guitar for the influential stoner metal band Sleep. High on Fire is more aggressive with fewer slow passages and is part of the musical style referred to as southern sludge, which developed mainly around the metal scene in Louisiana (also known as the NOLA scene for New Orleans, Louisiana) from the late eighties with bands such as Down, Eyehategod and Crowbar as some of its main exponents.
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HIGH ON FIRE TICKETS
EVENT | DATE | AVAILABILITY |
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High On Fire Tickets 5/5 | May 05, 2024 Sun, 7:00 PM | | High On Fire Tickets 5/7 | May 07, 2024 Tue, 7:00 PM | | High On Fire Tickets 5/8 | May 08, 2024 Wed, 7:00 PM | | High On Fire Tickets 5/10 | May 10, 2024 Fri, 7:00 PM | | High On Fire Tickets 5/11 | May 11, 2024 Sat, 7:00 PM | |
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History
Matt Pike founded the band in 1998 with drummer
Des Kensel and bassist George Rice (from Dear Deceased, who originally auditioned to be the band's vocalist). The band's first recordings were released on 12th Records, with a full-length entitled
The Art of Self Defense
released later on
Man's Ruin Records. (That album would later be re-released by
Tee Pee Records as Man's Ruin Records had become defunct.) The band then signed a deal with
Relapse Records and recorded the album
Surrounded by Thieves
, released in 2002. After a vigorous touring cycle promoting that album, bassist George Rice left the band. The band's next album, 2005's
Blessed Black Wings
, was largely written by Pike and Kensel before recording took place, and ex-
Melvins/
Thrones bassist
Joe Preston joined them later in the studio. After about a year of touring to promote their latest release, the band again lost their bassist.
Zeke bassist Jeff Matz joined up to help the band finish touring, later becoming a full-time member and contributing to the recording of their next album with famed producer,
Jack Endino (
Nirvana/
Mudhoney). The new record entitled
Death Is This Communion was released in September 2007 after a small string of Northwest shows to promote new material on the album. The band did a headline tour of North America in September and October 2007, with support from the Japanese
post-rock band
Mono, along with
Panthers and Coliseum. In August 2009, the band went into post-production of it's follow-up to "Death Is This Communion" in
Los Angeles with producer
Greg Fidelman (
Metallica,
Slayer,
Johnny Cash). The album is expected to be released in early 2010.
Members
Current members
- Matt Pike - guitars, vocals
- Jeff Matz - bass
- Des Kensel - drums
Former members
- Joe Preston - bass
- George Rice - bass
- Karl Larson - guitar
- Ron Crockett - bass
Discography
EPs
- 1999: Early Recordings Promo
- 2005: Split 7" with Ruins
LPs
- 2000: The Art of Self Defense
- 2002: Surrounded by Thieves
- 2005: Blessed Black Wings
- 2007: Death Is This Communion
- 2009: Live from the Relapse Contamination Festival
(Limited to 2000 copies at its release in 2005 by Relapse Records; later re-released in 2009)
- *contains cover of Venom's "Witching Hour". The entire album was recorded live at the Trocadero in Philadelphia, PA.
- 2010: TBA
Press
- Revolver Magazine October 2006
Matt Pike interviewed rock legend Lemmy of Motörhead
References