Cometh the Storm Archives

High on Fire Announce Spring US Touring

Posted in Whathaveyou on March 20th, 2024 by JJ Koczan

Please, try to contain your shock at High on Fire announcing a tour to support their upcoming ninth LP, Cometh the Storm, which is set to arrive April 19 through MNRK Heavy. Perhaps you thought that, following years of road-dogging and a Grammy win, the heretofore-unstoppable trio led by Matt Pike with the now-long-tenured Jeff Matz (Zeke, Camarosmith) on bass (also various Turkish folk instruments) and, for the first time on record, Coady Willis (Big Business, Melvins) on drums would… what? Stop? Rest on laurels and wait for the world to come to them to buy the t-shirt?

Not likely for a band who count ‘charge’ so prevalent among their defining elements. These shows — a manageable-seeming two weeks spent mostly on the Eastern Seaboard that wrap by hitting Dark Lord Day in Chicago — are the beginning of the cycle, not the sum total. If the plan is to carve up the North American part of the tour into runs like this, one might look forward to corresponding West Coast dates, but already the band are confirmed for Bear Stone Festival in Croatia and SonicBlast Fest in Portugal this summer, so at least one European stint is in the offing as well. That’s who High on Fire are at this point. Put out the record and get to work.

I guess there was a Dudes Having Opinions On The Internet™ kerfuffle about the AI video they did for “Burning Down” from Cometh the Storm. Would it be too honest if I said I didn’t care? There’s one with studio footage too that’s below. If the other one made you mad, I might ask you to wonder how many times in human history those who’ve decried new art forms as they’ve come up have been proven right by that same history. I could go on. Here I am, choosing not to.

Dates and such from the PR wire:

High on Fire Announces U.S. Headlining Tour Dates

Grammy-Winning Group Releases First New LP in Five Years, ‘Cometh the Storm’, April 19

Iconic U.S. rock band, High on Fire, will release its new LP, ‘Cometh the Storm’, on April 19 via MNRK Heavy. The GRAMMY Award-winning group, celebrating its 25th anniversary, recorded ‘Cometh the Storm’ at GodCity 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’ boasts runic art and design by longtime High on Fire collaborator Arik Moonhawk Roper. Pre-order/save High on Fire’s ‘Cometh the Storm’ at this location: https://highonfire.ffm.to/comeththestorm

Today, High on Fire announces U.S. headlining tour dates in support of ‘Cometh the Storm’. The spring slate will launch on May 4 in Orlando, FL and feature support from Venezuelan post rock outfit, Zeta, and Massachusetts crossover crew High Command. The just-announced tour dates are as follows:

High on Fire ‘Cometh the Storm’ spring U.S. tour
(w/ Zeta, High Command)

May 4 Orlando, FL Conduit
May 5 Columbia, SC The Senate
May 7 Greensboro, NC Hanger 1819
May 8 Richmond, VA The Broadberry
May 10 Baltimore, MD Baltimore Soundstage
May 11 New Haven, CT Toad’s Place
May 12 Jersey City, NJ White Eagle Hall
May 13 Cambridge, MA The Middle East
May 15 Albany, NY Empire Live
May 16 Cleveland Heights, OH Grog Shop
May 17 Detroit, MI The Magic Stick
May 18 Chicago, IL 3 Floyd’s Brewing (Dark Lord Day feat. High on Fire, Abbath, Fugitive, 1349, Spiritworld)

“High on Fire legion! We are stoked to take the stage in a city near you as we bring ‘Cometh the Storm’ to life,” offers the group. “Looking forward to a triumphant run of shows and reuniting with friends. See you soon!”

High on Fire are:
Matt Pike – Guitar/vocals
Jeff Matz – Bass/backing vocals/saz
Coady Willis – Drums

https://www.facebook.com/highonfire
https://www.instagram.com/highonfireband/
http://www.highonfire.net

http://www.mnrkheavy.com
http://www.facebook.com/MNRKHeavy
http://www.twitter.com/MNRKHeavy
http://www.instagram.com/MNRK_heavy

High on Fire, Cometh the Storm (2024)

<a href="https://highonfire.bandcamp.com/album/cometh-the-storm">Cometh The Storm by High On Fire</a>

High on Fire, “Burning Down” official video

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High on Fire to Release Cometh the Storm April 19; “Burning Down” Posted

Posted in Whathaveyou on February 16th, 2024 by JJ Koczan

High on Fire weren’t trying to keep it secret when they were in the studio last year with Kurt Ballou — who’s now done four records with them — to follow-up 2018’s Electric Messiah (review here), and today they unveil the first song and album details ahead of an April 19 release through MNRK Heavy (formerly E1), their label home for the last 14 years. And while in many cases a given band’s ninth LP and fourth with the same producer might seem like ‘business as usual,’ the trio of Matt Pike, Jeff Matz and Coady Willis represent a new incarnation of High on Fire, as Cometh the Storm marks Willis‘ studio debut after a couple years of on-stage destruction for the back catalog.

No question this will be one of the biggest underground heavy releases of the year — can you still be underground if you won a Grammy? we’ll find out I guess — as anything High on Fire put out is going to draw attention and they’re big enough that that means both internet salivating and the inevitable naysay component, not much of which matters, as High on Fire will persist regardless. They’ve already announced summer plans for Europe and in addition to what’s on the poster below, they’re newly confirmed for Dark Lord Day this May in Indiana, as well as SonicBlast Fest 2024 in Portugal and Bear Stone in Croatia this August, so expect more to come.

In the meantime, the song. “Burning Down” finds High on Fire very much in their element with an intense chug and overlaid groove. Throaty conjurations from Pike, a satisfying roll to its verse, and whatever-your-quota’s worth of crash and bash, tucked into a convenient six-minute package. I’m not in the business of telling anyone how to live their life, but it seems to me that if you’re listening to music today, this might be what you want to hear. While I doubt it’s representative of the scope of the whole album, it does reassure you they didn’t somehow break their sound after 25-plus years bashing away at it.

PR just came through:

High on Fire to Release New LP, ‘Cometh the Storm’, April 19

Grammy-Winning Group Drops Video for Gargantuan New Track “Burning Down”

Iconic U.S. rock band, High on Fire, will release its new LP, ‘Cometh the Storm’, on April 19 via MNRK Heavy. The GRAMMY Award-winning group, celebrating its 25th anniversary, recorded ‘Cometh the Storm’ at GodCity 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. Pre-order/save High on Fire’s ‘Cometh the Storm’ at this location: https://highonfire.bandcamp.com/album/cometh-the-storm

‘Cometh the Storm’ is advanced by the lead track, “Burning Down”, and a haunting, fever dream video, directed by Lars Kristoffer Hormander. Experience High on Fire’s “Burning Down” at this location.

“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 Matt 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, weird, 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,” offers producer Kurt 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.”

Tracklisting:
TRACKLIST
1. Lambsbread
2. Burning Down
3. Trismegistus
4. Cometh the Storm
5. Karanlık Yol (instrumental)
6. Sol’s Golden Curse
7. The Beating
8. Tough Guy
9. Lighting Beard
10. Hunting Shadows
11. Darker Fleece