On the heels of ZEKE’s collaboration with Endino and MASTODON’s gigantic multi-vocalist opus, we find a version of HIGH ON FIRE resuscitated on many fronts. Evidently, the pull of constant touring has separated original HOF bass rumbler George Rice from the band, and he’s been replaced by drone king Joe Preston (whose list of projects is beginning to make him the Bob Daisley of the doom scene). It’s kind of a shame because I liked George’s warm finger plunkin’ style. He had that denim jacket with the giant VENOM patch on the back and played that “V” Matamp bass, but I do like some of THE THRONES stuff, so what the hell. This whole shootin’ match has been forged under the scrutiny of Albini, whom I’ve been rather concerned about since I heard clunkers like that HAYMARKET RIOT thing he engineered last year.

With all of the above changes, some of the stoner crowd may be a tad nervous about the output of their favorite bongsmoke gladiators, but there’s no need. If you’ve ever seen a HOF live show, you know that a blackened, crusty heart of old-school metal fanaticism drives this band, along with an aching desire to liquefy eardrums and break all noise ordinances across the nation with those bloody Orange Matamps. The music of HOF is too genuine and pure to be ruined by subtle changes like these. It’s like a big, lumbering shark, seemingly graceful, plotting, and sinister but in reality just hungry and powerful. Lyrically, the band doesn’t redefine any standards, dwelling on done-to-death themes of slaves, masters, warriors, chains, and savage beasts. The faces of spectators at their live shows greatly resemble those of cattle staring curiously at an oncoming train moments before impact.

The good news: this one is much better than 2002’s “Surrounded by Thieves”. If you take the vibe from that disc’s stronger tracks (like the last couple of minutes of “Razor Hoof”) and kicked up the drum sound a few notches, that’s a pretty good description of what you have here. Albini’s taken the HIGH ON FIRE sound and put it through the $9.95 car wash, complete with hot wax, towel dry, and undercarriage scrub. Of particular note is the pillaging percussive victory he achieves in working with Des Kensel’s mammoth talent. Let tracks like “Silver Back” and “Sons of Thunder” kick you in the teeth for awhile so you can experience this miracle of pounding and miking first hand. Pike’s vocals are also beefed up considerably, taking him even further down the road to Lemmy-land than the last release suggested. I particularly enjoyed some of the guitar intros and cleaner electric passages as featured in “To Cross The Bridge”, as it reminded me a little of Hank Shermann’s Blackmore-isms on those MERCYFUL FATE albums. But nothing on this disc really jabbed the screwdriver into my forehead like the leads in “Last” or “10,000 Years” from the debut disc. Even with Albini squeezing out every drop of power and splashing it in front of you in calculated bursts, this album does not topple the complete, incapacitating brawn of “The Art of Self Defense”. I don’t think any band in this style, including HOF themselves, will be able to create another swirling, semi-confused, elephant-on-acid triumph like that record. But similarly, “Blessed Black Wings” crashes through its share of boundaries and is bound to cause some auditory contortions among even discerning metal fans. Recommended.

- Marchman

OFFICIAL SITE: www.highonfire.net

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