High On Fire

Equalling the brazen aggression and haunting visions that encompassed 2005’s Blessed Black Wings could have been a daunting task for doom metallers High On Fire. However, singer/guitarist Matt Pike and crew clearly weren’t through with the nightmare, as latest effort Death Is This Communion indicates. The chaotic nature of tracks such as "Waste Of Tiamat,” "Cyclopian Scape” and "Fury Whip” find Pike’s apocalyptic themes matched by stunning, hypnotic rhythms. On that lyrical note, Pike maintains his preferred Lovecraft-ian imagery. Brimstone and hellfire reign supreme, only serving to escalate the anxiety and foreboding atmosphere. Quite possibly what’s most impressive though is the barbed, raspy production values of Jack Endino (Nirvana, Supersuckers), which create a creepy ambiance akin to sitting inside the basement of an Evil Dead film. Propelled by the masterwork of this otherwise raw rock’n’roll producer, Death Is This Communion is a slice of thrash, gloom and morbid curiosity that’s meaner, more intimidating and raucous than its demonic predecessor.