UTR Presents
Heavy metal hellraisers HIGH ON FIRE return to New Zealand in February.
High on Fire are one of the best metal bands in the world. Live or on record, few artists are capable producing the same kind of lava geyser of molten riffs and monstrous metal jams with such remarkable consistency. With every passing year, frontman Matt Pike’s mythology as a guitarist, vocalist and iconoclast only grows.
Matt Pike is the walking embodiment of heavy metal, and his band High On Fire — formed in the wake of the seminal 90s doom outfit Sleep — revels in metal tradition. – NPR
But this is no one man band. Though the spotlight is often cast on High on Fire’s bare-chested troubadour at centre stage, Pike is flanked by an illustrious rhythm section in bassist Jeff Matz and drummer Des Kensel. On their latest record, Luminiferous, High on Fire’s volcanic fury is at its best – and most bizarre.
This is the sound of one of the twenty-first century’s best heavy bands, and there are few signs that they are going to be anything less than that for some time to come. – Drowned in Sound
“Lyrically, I think this is the album thats going to basically get secret people to shoot me,” Pike told Rolling Stone in the weeks leading up to Luminiferous’ release. “Dude, I say a lot of fucked-up shit!” It’s hard to top the conceptual bombast of 2012’s De Vermis Mysteriis, where Pike expounded on the story of Jesus’ time-travelling twin brother – but onLuminiferous, Pike takes the headfuckery to a whole new level. Think David Icke meets ancient aliens on an acid trip, narrated by Lemmy’s spiritual successor howling over incinerating riffage and gargantuan solos, and you’re maybe halfway there.
These nine tracks are among the most enthusiastic and bracing of High on Fire’s career, with mammoth riffs and hooks spurred on by a momentous band. Luminiferous feels like a classic compendium of High on Fire’s successes. – Pitchfork
High on Fire have always been a band best consumed in the flesh. Their live show is an invigorating display of three world-class musicians at their creative peak. These songs erupt with unparalleled ferocity on stage. Pike’s mastery of the guitar is a sight to behold – he’s the kind of talent we’ll be talking about in the heavy metal canon for decades to come. Don’t miss your chance to see one of the most powerful live bands on the planet.
Sounds like a Lovecraftian summoning ritual broken up by a monster truck driving through a wall of the temple. – Revolver
See High on Fire crush skulls and melt faces on the following dates:
Auckland – Kings Arms – Tuesday, February 23
Tickets on sale now from UTR and Flying Out.
