If there’s one thing the music world probably doesn’t need any more of, it’s balls-to-the-walls, devil-worshipping stoner metal. The unholy equation for this kind of metal never changes: Get angry, chug away at a boring ham-fisted guitar riff, drink beer, repeat.
While most bands in the genre are stuck repeating themselves endlessly in the ninth circle of hell, California band High on Fire continues its steady evolution on its sixth album, De Vermis Mysteriis, incorporating different playing styles, wacky lyrical concepts and, above all else, riffs worth headbanging to.
The record’s consistent quality is easily its most endearing aspect. Track after track, De Vermis Mysteriis makes repeated tonal shifts, each as inspired as the last without losing the sense of the album as one coherent whole.
While opener “Serums of Liao” pummels listeners with a thunderous drum riff and several memorable vocal melodies, “Madness of an Architect” finds the band sinking into the a slow, thick sludge of doom-metal riffs, topped off by a guitar solo best described as the sound of an army of bats descending on a terrified village.
Amidst all the aggressive noise, High on Fire still finds time for the twisting, Mastodon-esque instrumental “Samsara” in the first half of the record, a song replete with groove-oriented basslines and several awesome guitar harmonies.
Notorious for switching producers between each record, fans will be glad to hear that De Vermis Mysteriis also has some of the best production of any High on Fire record. Teaming up with Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou in the recording booth, De Vermis Mysteriis has incredibly clean production but with a biting edge that feels more organic than the sterile sounds of 2010’s Snakes for the Divine.
In a few spots, such as the overlong “King of Days,” the riffs and melodies fail to captivate the entire song. For the most part, however, the songs on De Vermis Mysteriis are more condensed than those from Snakes for the Divine, which gives the 50-minute album a refreshingly brisk pace.
Easily one of the best metal albums of the year so far, High on Fire’s strong songwriting and multiple tonalities are perfect for anyone seeking an escape from the metal scene’s more uninspiring bands.
VERDICT: High on Fire’s De Vermis Mysteriis is how metal should be done – brutal, loud and thoughtful.
berman@umdbk.com
