Oakland’s thundering trio pens a punishing new opus
High on Fire have a new album as of April 2024 entitled Cometh the Storm, their first full-length since 2018’s Electric Messiah. This is their ninth studio album, and by now, fans know what to expect. On the other hand, the intervening years saw the replacement of original drummer Dens Kensel with Coady Willis, as well as frontman Matt Pike’s marriage and solo project Pike vs. The Automaton. So the question arises: does the band sound radically different on this record? The answer is a solid no; Cometh the Storm is every bit as heavy as anything else in the band’s catalog and will surely add some new setlist staples.
The Storm is here
Album openers Lambsbread and Burning Down kick things off with percussive grooves that would be at home on any High on Fire album. Third track Trismegistus has some very catchy riffs and changes that keep it interesting. The title track’s first half alternates between a mellower guitar-and-toms verse and the massively heavy chorus section, then a guitar solo segues into the main riff for the pummeling remainder of the song. Doubtless this song will be on the live set; it’s too good not to play live. We next get some middle eastern flavor with the instrumental track Karanlık Yol, and I’m a big fan of interlude pieces like this in the middle of an album, much like their track Samsara on 2012’s De Vermis Mysteriis. It’s a strong track on its own and helps punctuate the song order. Sol’s Golden Curse follows with another percussive riff. Whereas many bands have a weaker second half on an album, Cometh the Storm continues to shine. The Beating omits the rhythmic gallop we heard earlier on the record and instead delivers up-tempo riffing that dovetails into the ultra-groovy Tough Guy, a definite standout on the album with a killer riff. Lightning Beard keeps up the tempo with what sounds like lyrics alluding to Mad Max-style road clashes. Hunting Shadows backs off the pedal a bit, but delivers a beautifully catchy and accessible hook, a quality you’ll find on several High on Fire songs, e.g. The Falconist. Fundamentally, Matt Pike is a metalhead who writes metal songs, but a track like this shows he’s got the ability to write music with even broader appeal. Lastly, the album closes with the ten minute track Darker Fleece. An ominous intro leads into a riff moved along by Willis’s staccato drumming. At the three quarters mark, the song shifts into its finale, which could easily be mistaken for a Sleep song.
Overall this is a solid release from High on Fire; no great departure from earlier records and some top notch songwriting and arrangements. Coady Willis delivers the goods on the drums and demonstrates that he’s a great addition to the band. Once again, Converge’s Kurt Ballou produced the album, and the sound itself is improved over that of its predecessor. Let’s hope this isn’t the last 2020s album from High on Fire, but I already know this one’s going to get a lot of repeat listens.