Blessed Black Wings

So here I'll be reviewing High on Fire's third full-length album, Blessed Black Wings, which is the second album in the band's "Relapse Records trinity". Considered a cornerstone in modern metal, Blessed Black Wings is generally considered to be High on Fire's magnum opus and one of Matt Pike's crowning achievements. Especially considering that High on Fire can be compared to a modern day version of Motörhead. However this album is significantly more influenced by Black Sabbath rather than Motörhead. Therefore, it's arguably the heaviest and most rewarding album within High on Fire's discography.

This is especially noticeable with the main difference between Blessed Black Wings and its predecessor being that bassist George Rice was replaced with Joe Preston, who at the time was probably best known for playing with the Melvins. Because of this, Preston would bring psychedelic rock influences onto Blessed Black Wings, which were uncommon on the two predecessors. The album is also notable for Steve Albini's production. Instead of pulling a Neurosis and making Blessed Black Wings dynamic, frontman Matt Pike wanted Albini to make it loud in order for the density of the music to stone the listener. Pike is from Sleep, so he probably wanted people to feel the heaviness of his guitar play, especially in the doomy title track or the closing instrumental "Sons of Thunder". Des Kensel's drumming is equally thunderous. He's unpredictable, precise, and fast all at once. I'm still sad that he left High on Fire.

At least we still have the many songs that he contributed to. Blessed Black Wings is over fifty minutes worth of stoner sludge and contains some of the best work that High on Fire has ever done. Making "Devilution" the single to promote this album was a very smart move. It introduces first-time listeners to Kensel's roaring drums and Pike's thunderous guitar. One of the more thrash-based numbers on Blessed Black Wings, the song is an instant ear worm and has a nice solo to boot. The other big highlight, "The Face of Oblivion" makes perfect usage of Albini's production and Preston's psychedelic bass playing in order to give the feeling of that if the listener was listening to Sleep's Holy Mountain, never mind Matt Pike's harsh vocals.

As I've said multiple times, Blessed Black Wings is probably the closest thing High on Fire made that's similar to Matt Pike's work with Sleep. Bordering more on stoner sludge rather than thrash metal, Blessed Black Wings is a true testament in modern metal and definitely an album that gives retro vibes. When you know you are working with Steve Albini, a man who's worked with two highly influential bands (Nirvana and Neurosis), you'll probably think this will turn out rather well. In fact, it did. Blessed Black Wings is an outstanding album, both upon release and in retrospect. The strong influence of the Melvins is something Blessed Black Wings owes to. Which makes me believe that this is an album I would show my father if he wants to know what "real metal" sounds like in the 21st century. While I wait for the day that my father listens to this album in full and starts to appreciate it, in the words of Nate Dogg: "Smoke Weed Everyday"!

I honestly wasn’t sure what to make of High on Fire when I first heard Blessed Black Wings back in 2005. The obvious influence from groups like Motorhead and Slayer was certainly palatable, but as a teenager with no familiarity with the then-defunct Sleep, I wasn’t sure why it had so many slow songs on it. But even if I had been exposed to High on Fire’s past works, their third album proved to be a significant changeover. It muddied the waters of an already ambiguous sound and developed many of the tropes that the band still upholds fifteen years later.

High on Fire’s first two efforts had more hustle than your average sludge group, mostly thanks to Des Kensel’s bombastic drums, but this album was where they really upped the ante. The drums here mix some faster tempos in with their already busy rhythms, but guitarist/vocalist Matt Pike also rises to the challenge with some faster chugs and giving into gruff fits of vocal savagery. The opening “Devilution” and “Cometh Down Hessian” crash into thrash territory after their atmospheric introductions, but “Silver Back” has no interest in such formalities with its bookending beatdowns and high-speed verses.

The album also has a noticeably anthemic air compared to other releases. Pike was never a great singer in the traditional sense, but the vocal lines on here have a peculiar catchiness to them; the shouted choruses of “Devilution” and the title track greatly appeal to the primal reptile brain while “Brother in the Wind” offers strong verses that might not have worked so well in the hands of a more trained vocalist. Tracks like “To Cross the Bridge” also hint at the more exotic textures that would develop further on future full-lengths.

But the closing “Sons of Thunder” is where the album reaches its most striking point. The atmosphere is evocative of a Viking funeral, triumphant yet melancholic with a pace that feels breezy despite it being one of the album’s slowest songs. The drums show some hefty momentum despite mostly sticking to building toms, and the guitars sustain the tone with hazy bookends and powerful strums. It shows a different side of the band while playing into their greatest strengths, and I feel no hesitation in hailing it as one of my favorite metal instrumentals ever.

There are a couple of High on Fire albums that I consider superior to Blessed Black Wings, but it deserves credit for being the album where the band truly discovered itself. This was where their thrashier tendencies and more exotic aspirations truly took flight, backed by pummeling musicianship and memorable songwriting. The band may have since developed a reputation for releasing soundalike efforts, but this is a strong reminder of why they came to be such a powerful institution in the first place. At the very least, it’s one of the reasons why I honestly prefer them over Matt Pike’s other band…

Highlights:
“Devilution”
“Brother in the Wind”
“Cometh Down Hessian”
“Silver Back”
“Sons of Thunder”

Originally published at http://indymetalvault.com

To be completely honest, it took me quite a long time to get into High on Fire. Matt Pike's original band, Sleep, are one of the greatest doom metal bands ever and after the creation of Dopesmoker, the band went their separate ways. Al and Chris went on to success as Om and carved a nice niche for themselves in the doom community. Matt, however, went into a faster and more melodic direction with his band High on Fire. Many people have drawn comparisons to black metal legends like Celtic Frost and Venom and I can definitely see their point, High on Fire bring the thrashy riffs in spades, but will also leave you crushed under monolithic heaviness. Blessed Black Wings is the group's third album and first to feature Joe Preston, former bass lord of The Melvins. To me, this album fully embodies Pike's years in Sleep and merging it all together with thrash and black metal riff structures.

To begin, the tone of Pike's guitar has not changed since the Sleep years, and that is perfectly fine with me. As long as I get to hear that sludgy disgusting tone I know and love from Mr. Pike, I'm one happy camper. Pike's style has vastly improved since their debut and signs were beginning to show of his brilliance in faster playing on Surrounded by Thieves. Pike has had no trouble showing off his riffing power and influence from guys like Mantas of Venom and Quorthon of Bathory. It may not go at light speed, but it will surely not be something forgotten once it's been heard. You know it's a High on Fire song as soon as he begins shredding the opening riff of Blessed Black Wings or the sharp as a blade bridge riff on Brother in the Wind. In my opinion, his true mastery of guitar skills on this record really shine on tracks like Cometh Down Hessian and the amazing To Cross the Bridge. Matt Pike is a modern guitar GOD and proves it on this record without even breaking a sweat.

Des Kensel is without a doubt one of doom's most accomplished drummers. I like to think of him almost like John Bonham in the sense that he is very animalistic in his drumming style, but like Bonham, executes with raw precision and skill not easily copied in this genre. Like Pike's guitar, as soon as you hear his drumming, you know it's them. Kensel is a master drummer and his influence on many drummers in metal can be seen in almost any genre that employs rolling fills and double bass heavy enough to disorient C'thulu himself.

Joe Preston is one of the main reasons I adore this release. His style seems quite unorthodox because he doesn't just plod the same three chords each song. He reminds me of Geezer Butler in a way because Geezer always has standout bass presence and that is what Preston does on this record. Don't get me wrong, George Rice was a powerful bassist, but when you are able to recruit a man from one of music's heaviest acts and have him as your bassist, you're pretty much set to make an album heavier than the cosmos itself. Preston weaves his bass magic through EVERY SINGLE TRACK. Not a single song on this record shows a lack of Joe Preston brilliance. He carries a groove unlike most bassists in doom who just merely draw in straight monochrome lines. Joe Preston takes his brush and splatters the musical canvas with bright colors of orange, green, yellow and red. Colors that are fully emotional and interject the man's personal style into a group that has a very unique style in its own right. Joe Preston is the perfect match for Matt Pike and Des Kensel in this group and it is sad to know this would be his only release with High on Fire.

Matt's vocals seem a lot clearer on this record than on the previous records. Even though his singing voice is guttural Lemmy style shouting, he proves once again how versatile he is as a frontman of amazing caliber.

The songwriting on this record fits perfectly with each song's bone crushing riffs and soaring leads. They seem to reflect on more Lovecraftian themes and not just because one song features the word Hessian in it. They are Lovecraftian because they explore the deepest and darkest corners of the mind while bringing a sort of primal warrior like release of energy that is normally felt when reading the novels of Robert E. Howard. Each line is filled with adrenaline and testosterone not felt on most thrash and death metal releases. And I believe that this all reverts back to the Lovecraftian themes in most of the songs. Maybe some of today's death and black metal bands should read some Dunwich Horror just to be able to invoke that type of atmosphere more often.

To many, this album is greatly admired by fans and critics alike. I, however, adore this release. This is High on Fire's crowning moment and I don't think that they will ever make an album as open ranged and free wheeling as this. Great things come from perseverance and hard work, this is a perfect example of hard working masters of heavy music and it's future.

Blessed Black Wings is High On Fire in transition. Recorded by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago, the band sounds cavernous, reaping the rewards of Albini's 'live-in-the-studio' sound. The guitars run hot and vicious, the rhythm section rumbling loose and strong. There's a sort of serrated sheets-of-sound feel, like all the instruments are colliding and rebounding, making for a unique and powerful sound. I know other people dislike the spaciousness Albini created here, feeling it takes away from the band's signature heaviness but I personally disagree, enjoying the throwback feel. But while the record sound great (especially when cranked), the songs themselves only intermittently deliver.

"Devilution" is a sweet opener, starting with some fade-in ominous drum hammerings before tapping a propulsive Motörhead vein. Following hot-on-the-heels is "The Face Of Oblivion," which slows into a dark jam Viking celebration. This track is catchy as fuck and delivers some immense head-nodding riffage and deep-bellied wails. "Brother In The Wind" is another head-nodder with a great solo but it pales in comparison to the next track. "Cometh Down Hessian" is a monster, easily the best track on the album. From it's quiet Orientalist strumming and clean-picking intro through its mammoth roar of cataclysmic riffs and bashing drums, this track delivers vital goods and makes several other tracks seem weak in comparison.

Unfortunately, this high point goes unmaintained as the following title track is a slow dreary slog of repetitive riffs. How many times does Matt Pike have to yell the chorus before we get the point? Way too many! "Silver Back" promises yet somehow fails to deliver the storm. And "Sons Of Thunder" is pleasant enough as an instrumental but doesn't offer any reason why it couldn't have been developed into a fuller song. Instrumentals need to be completely compelling to warrant inclusion and this one doesn't deliver. The only second-half highlight is "To Cross The Bridge," an insane epic with beautiful acoustic guitar passages giving way to another maelstrom of Motörhead-inspired dive-bombs. It sticks out like a sore-thumb among the lifelessly mediocre tunes that clutter this record's second side.

Indicating High On Fire's strengths while highlighting some glaringly obvious weaknesses, Blessed Black Wings sounds incomplete. Clearly the band is trying to break the cage of their stoner-sludge tag with some demonstrable songwriting heft that unfortunately doesn't deliver. It would take another record of exploratory reveling for High On Fire to get past this self-conscious transition phase as Death Is This Communion falls off an even deeper cliff. And while some killer gems remain tucked within, Blessed Black Wings is middling at best when compared to either of its predecessors or the killer records the band has more recently unleashed.

Being a fan of the doom metal genre and its seemingly unrelated children in fuzzed out stoner doom and misanthropic, misery drenched sludge doom, High on Fire is a band I got into. Matt Pike's former band in Sleep was one I always enjoyed listening to, and I'll inject a cliché nod to that band's best work in "Sleep's Holy Mountain." To me, Sleep stood alongside Kyuss as one of those stoner bands of the early 90's (when the style was being pioneered) who managed to maintain focus and didn't cause the audience to lose interest by engaging in overlong atmospheric nonsense.

High on Fire was a band I didn't learn much about until I heard this album, their third overall, called "Blessed Black Wings." Found within its gritty production standards, and Matt Pike's apparent fascination with "what would Lemmy do?" in terms of vocals is a unique listen. "Blessed Black Wings" finds itself in an interesting niche of different styles, ranging from the more noticable stoner/sludge doom to the less obvious thrash tendencies. No one will ever hear Slayer in High on Fire's music, but I can detect a few influences here and there. The majority of this album, however, is still something that the stoner/sludge crowd will find interesting.

Anyone familiar with the stoner metal and sludge metal genres had ought to know that the sound quality isn't going to be crystal clear. For these genres, that is usually the best thing as that dirty and gritty sound is what gives those two their dense quality, often referred to as "a wall of sound." Yet High of Fire don't lose themselves in creating atmosphere, which is something I could say about sludge stalwarts in Eyehategod and the various bands who emulate them. In fact, I feel that this album (produced by Steve Albini,) finds a comfortable niche between the two worlds of more accessible music and the often unsettling vibe those bands often carry. In other words, the music is dense and gritty, but not the point that the listener can't fully immerse themselves in the album.

The songs themselves usually stick to the mid-tempo formula, which is where the majority of stoner and sludge bands reside. The thrash references I made earlier come out in the opener "Devilution." I wouldn't get too comfortable with what you hear on that song, as those speed influences taper off after that song. "The Face of Oblivion" is more akin to what you'll hear for the majority of this album: dirty, fuzzy stoner metal at mid-tempo with vocals that sound like a tribute to Lemmy Kilmister. "Brothers in the Wind" attempts to build an epic quality to it, something High on Fire has tried a few times in their career. They aren't exactly good at making those epic songs, but they aren't nearly as bad as some I've heard. For the most part, songs like "Brothers in the Wind" are good, but not epic.

After the somewhat unimpressive "Cometh Down Hessian" is the title track, and one of my favorites here. This song just seems to work, from the personalized lyrics about addiction struggles to the powerful riffage and thunderous drums. "Blessed Black Wings" is definitely the best song off of this album, and I'd argue one of the best this band has recorded. None of the remaining songs really stood out to me, except maybe "To Cross the Bridge" with its folksy influences or perhaps the well written instrumental closer in "Sons of Thunder." Both of these are fairly memorable, particularly "Sons of Thunder" for its changes between its serene beginning to its more raging sections thereafter.

Unlike some audiences out there who have come across High on Fire, I have found them to be an enjoyable outfit. It shows that Matt Pike is still loyal to the stoner/sludge genre but isn't going to rip-off his old band to make music. Some have criticized the band for "not being like Sleep," but I'd argue you wouldn't want them to be. All good bands find their own niche, regardless of who or who isn't among their line-up. High on Fire seem to found something on this album that is uniquely theirs, even if some of their characteristics also belong to other groups as well. "Blessed Black Wings" isn't a perfect album by any means, but its definitely a good one. It has its flaws, but I have a hard time finding an album that is as loyal to the stoner/sludge hybrid but maintains this level of quality. Definitely something fans of that hybrid, or the individual genres should be looking into.

Remind me not to smoke what the last reviewer was smoking, because I totally disagree with his assessment of this album. This album reminds me of what would maybe happen if Black Sabbath and Motorhead had a baby and Iggy Pop carried it to term, with the mighty Steve Albini overseeing the birth of this ugly, fuzzy hellchild. And a potent wallop to the head it is, too.

If the production had been immaculate, the feel would've been totally destroyed, as this to me sounds perfect for what HOF are doing. The dismal, cavernous sound lends an undeniable feeling of impending doom to the proceedings, very Lovecraftian, almost. The drums sound as though there is a real person playing them, and not just playing them but whaling a ton of shit out of them to boot. No triggers, just a powerful ambient drum sound that has just enough air and oomph to really connect hard with the listener. The bass merges with the guitar into a formidable wall of sound that threatens to forcibly tear your head off and stick it somewhere it really doesn't belong. And alongside the guitars as opposed to flying over them, Matt Pike's ugly, glass-gargling growl a la Lemmy sit in their own little niche in the mix, making it sound like a unit more than anything else.

This is far from the boring drones I associate with doom/stoner bands, musically--HOF are far more exciting and energetic. This is not some bunch of stupid hippies overdoing the bong hits and then trying to play their music, this is the sound of rabid and fierce players taking their art seriously and injecting it with passion and aggression.

For example, opening track, "Devilution", takes off from the starting gate like a throughbred horse being given its head and its fiendish roar is like Motorhead in their prime. Then we are treated to the deliciously dissonant opening riffs of "The Face of Oblivion", a Lovecraft-inspired piece lyrically that conveys the haunted and terrifying feel of that writer's classic fiction set to a tribal/marching beat that will make you move and bang and sweat. Pike's vocals are especially good on this one and he lets out some hair-raising screams. The middle section of that tune is especially powerful and features one of the best solos on the album--Pike is on top of his game here and rips with confidence. "Brother in the Wind" is slower and heavier, but still not crawling or boring yet. Other tunes to look forward to here are the irate "Cometh Down Hessian", the moody "Silver Back", and ending instrumental "Sons of Thunder", which has a vaguely Celtic feel to its rollicking drum beats and ends the album on a relatively upbeat note. The title track has a really dismal feel to it, with a thundering singalong chorus that I'm sure goes down a storm live.

This is a worthy release from HOF, and while I'm sure their other albums are good too, I especially like this one so far. Go ahead and give these guys your money and help them not have to work shitty day jobs!

There’s a phrase I like to use in my reviews. Maybe you’ve noticed it yourself (that’s assuming anyone actually takes time to read my rants). It’s not a phrase I use on a continual basis, but rather it is saved for particular albums that are truly worthy of the tag. That phrase is something I like to call ‘upping the ante’. It is a description that fits a band that, whilst always demonstrating tremendous promise within a flawed blueprint, finally makes good and delivers their ‘piece de-resistance’. Oakland’s ‘High on Fire’ are one such band.

Two and a half years have passed since the excellent ‘Surrounded by Thieves’ and with a shit load of touring under their belt and a natural progression and maturation in their songwriting High On Fire are on the cusp of becoming serious major players. I’ve always had a bit of time for this band but to be quite honest, I wasn’t expecting such a massive step up in quality. With expectations exceeded, ‘Blessed Black Wings’ has simply floored me. You want evidence of a band upping the ante? This is it folks - A molten, hard as nails metal beast that oozes energy and passion from every pore of its sweaty carcass.

So why is BBW the best thing HOF has ever done? Well, aside from the natural maturation mentioned earlier, notwithstanding the inclusion of bassist Joe Preston (The Melvins) to the band (replacing George Rice), the addition of one Steve Albini to the production duties was always going to make this an album worth hearing. The sound of this album is incredible. Oh, it still totally representative of the usual High on Fire ethic, but on a much fuller scale. Everything about this bands music has been amplified and tweaked to another level (or two). The song writing is stronger, the musicianship is more manic, the solos more wicked. If they were dangerous before, ‘BBW’ now gives rise to a band that is just about certifiable such is its impact.

The other (and probably most impressive) aspect about BBW’ is that via Albini’s awesome production, High on Fire have become a more ‘metallic’ sounding band. The sloppy sludgy Motorhead meets Slayer influence is still very much a given - however with a darker and undoubtedly more aggressive, go-for-the-throat pacing throughout, High on Fire are a much heavier proposition. Everything about BBW is just so much more hard-hitting and involved than ever before. Add the raw forceful vocal from Matt Pike (whose resemblance to a pissed off Wino (doom god from The Obsessed) on speed meets Lemmy) and ‘BBW’s’ quite gritty and thunderous appeal is perfectly sealed.

With a clutch of superbly written (and quite diverse) set of tracks, High on Fire has delivered a killer disc. It seriously rips with ferocious abandon. A more powerful and musically captivating album you might not hear again this year. There’s a long way to go, but at this point in time I’m putting this at the top of the pack. Upping the fucking ante indeed, it’ll take on all comers.

Krozza: written for www.pyromusic.net and walls of fire

The mastermind behind the rather controversial Sleep returns with yet another slab of doom-fury with "Blessed Black Wings" that brings the band yet another step closer to it's artistic potential. Producer Steve Albini finally gives the band the heavy mix they've needed. The vocals and guitars are finally mixed correctly, the drums circle and pound like a war party and the overall tone is one of untamed aggression. The band is inching ever so close to greatness...and this is almost (key word) as good as it gets.

The key tracks on "Blessed Black Wings" include the pummeling title track, the moody-as-all-hell "The Face of Oblivion" and the drum-heavy opener "Devilution". The rest of the material isn't as openly memorable as the above listed cuts but it all serves a strong apocalyptic vision that rumbles and quakes like the bowles of hell tearing up from the earth. Unlike most doom...this has balls of iron and DOESN'T sound like a hippy love-in.

High on Fire have a choice to become the kings of the business now or to slide into making records that lock them into a set time and place. Thankfully, the band is cooking up a hell's brew that could lead them to the promised land of metal immortality and hopefully they'll take the next step up the ladder.

Until then...listen to this broiling mess of guitars, screams and drums and party like it's the end of the world...

Buy or die!!!

This release is highly recommended for you stoner enthusiasts out there. A serious step in the right direction for this band. Everything thats good about Surrounded by Thieves is present here, and a lot more as well. This album plays a lot faster than their previous material, in fact sometimes you wont be able to tell its HoF at all... you might think its Slayer. The thrash factor is off the charts on this release, and thats definitely a good thing. The thunder drumming is spot on and Pike's guitar playing shreds the eardrums. This is a sonic assault if I've ever heard one. For fans of Sabbath-inspired sludge, look no further than High on Fire for the saviors of the genre. As a fan of Pike's earlier band, Sleep, I was hoping to hear something similar on this release... but what i got was completely different, and thats the best news yet. HoF is just getting started I think... There should be many more quality releases coming after this. Mastodon might be the big name when it comes to this style, but for my money no one does it better than HoF. And if you think I'm kidding, just listen to the instrumental track at the end of the album... mind blowing!

High on Fire has always brought the heavy and leaves nothing behind. Their new album, 'Blessed Black Wings' is a behemoth of an album. It has the same stuff high on fire always provides, but it's also, much different.
To begin with, we must take note on the albums production. The two previous albums were both pretty low end, and 'Surrounded by Thieves' was simply too muddy. Steve Albini's engineering mastermind allows each instrument to be heard on its own, yet still blends everything together, just much better than past efforts. You still get the low end and plenty of heavy, but the production is a bit cleaner this time around.
The music itself is definitely something I have been waiting for since their last album. Pike's musical ability displays exactly what you'd expect from the last two albums and then introduces newer angles of his musical repertoire, but never call his work mature. The opening track, Devilution, starts off how surrounded by thieves ended, an epic tribal rhythm provided by Des. The song eventually becomes fast and thrashy. The album takes a turn during the second track. When I expected the songs to get heavier, the second song slows down a bit and provides some melody. These two songs exemplify exactly what the entire album has too off. Pike definitely does not change anything about the band, but he does put some new twists. One thing which makes this album more epic is the intensity of the riffs. This album is definitely more metal than anything we've heard from the band thus far. Song's like Anointing of Seer and Cometh Down Hessian definitely exemplify the old school thrash of Motorhead combined with the brand-new school of heavy. The album ends with an instrumental, Sons of Thunder, an apt title for the song. It provides more melody and pounding drums. Overall this album is more melodic, but still just as heavy as anything you'd heard before. High on Fire definitely is the epitome of heavy and this album does a good job proving the disbelievers wrong.