High on Fire

If you are a committed old-school metal fan and you don’t like High on Fire, well . . . how shall I put this politely? What the fuck is your problem? This brutal Bay Area trio cooks with the raw ingredients that made early (emphasis on EARLY) Metallica so powerful and bands like Celtic Frost and Motörhead so timeless. Smarter than Mastadon and more limber than some of the glacially paced sludge that qualifies as stoner rock these days, HOF make metal that matters without getting mired in masturbatory mathiness or dumb-ass sorcery screeds. Wisely poaching former Zeke bassist Jeff Matz and recruiting standard-bearing producer Jack Endino are just two factors that make their latest, Death Is This Communion, so strong; to discover their other strengths, you’re just going to have to stick that comb in your back pocket and get your ass down to the Crocodile. With Mono and Panthers Coliseum.

Listen to a sample of High on Fire's "Rumors of War."