High on Fire
Surrounded By Thieves

THE REVIEW

Matt Pike: first the high-as-a-kite guitarist of the Sleep, then a depressed man desperately searching for musicians to revive Sleep, and finally the frontman of his new creation High On Fire. The latter is the project that has kept Pike most occupied in recent years.

Their creation dates back to 1998, when Matt was fully convinced of the impossibility of reuniting Sleep. From their rib directly derives the style of High On Fire: rough and pounding, a furious and relentless descent into the flames of hell. Pike doesn't shy away from stoner/thrash hammerings with an outdated scent, even as he distances himself from the "ganja" charge of his first love.

In the vertical fall into Lucifer's flames, "Surrounded by Thieves" represents the second major step after "The Art of Self Defense". The 2002 is the year of its birth: a birth that emerges among the screeching pains of the dragged, "dense" guitar of "Eyes and Teeth". Jeff Matz on bass and Des Kensel on drums help create a hard and crushing sound, on which Pike's hoarse and particularly pissed-off voice rises. This is the trend of an album that, even while maintaining a high level of aggression, doesn't avoid crashing against infernal rocks, sometimes leaving its path that ends up feeling stale and worn. Nonetheless, this doesn't limit the presence of hymns to the metal god: power and stoner attitude magnificently combine in the sharp bullet named "Speedwolf".

This cigarette eater (I doubt if he actually eats them) also manages to summon caveman ghosts in the icy "The Yeti", partially epicifying the offering. Axes and swords follow in other bloody examples of Pike's Bible: "Thraft of Caanan" and "Surrounded by Thieves" destroy eardrums and ligaments, leaving us without escape in the battle against hell.

Three members are enough for the band to muster a monstrous amount of riffs and ferocity, unleashing rhythms that guarantee headbanging. It matters little if here and there some passages drag on a bit too long. The important element is nonetheless that of the happy "The Art of Self Defense". A rocky blend of metal, thrash, and stoner rock. Just enough to relive the heat and sand of summer. Rating 3 and a half.

1. "Eyes And Teeth" (5:03)
2. "Hung, Drawn And Quartered" (4:27)
3. "Speedwolf" (4:36)
4. "The Yeti" (7:07)
5. "Nemesis" (3:34)
6. "Thraft Of Caanan" (8:06)
7. "Surrounded By Thieves" (4:19)
8. "Razor Hoof" (3:26)