High On Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis review
| Band: | High On Fire |
| Album: | De Vermis Mysteriis |
| Style: | Sludge metal, Stoner metal |
| Release date: | April 2012 |
01. Serums Of Liao
02. Bloody Knuckles
03. Fertile Green
04. Madness Of An Architect
05. Samsara [feat. Kurt Ballou]
06. Spiritual Rites [feat. Ashley Redshaw]
07. King Of Days
08. De Vermis Mysteriis
09. Romulus And Remus
10. Warhorn [feat. Kurt Ballou]
11. Speak In Tongues [Japanese bonus]
Here's something not many bands can pull off; 6 albums, none of which suck. While there's not too much re-imagining going on here, it definitely seems like High On Fire have found a nice little crossroads of all their best aspects. In fact, De Vermis Mysteriis makes a lot of their previous recordings almost sound like beta testing.
You all remember Snakes For The Divine? Of course you do. It was a pounding, blistering sludge clinic, cram packed with varying tempos exploring both sides of the sludge coin; fast and noisy, or slow and crushing. De Vermis Mysteriis takes the variation found in Snakes..., but uses the more fitting sludgier production from their earlier works (albeit a little clearer), and ties it all together with some slightly more consistent song writing. To boot, Matt Pike's voice isn't nearly as irritatingly strained and shrill this time around, revisiting his smoky, gravelly side we'd all missed.
This basically sounds like a whole lot of nit-picking what is essentially another High On Fire release, not too different from the rest, right? In a sense, it is true...Yet somehow they've managed to create something here that should come to surprise even the long-time fans without abandoning their signature sound. The greatest example of this lies in "King Of Days", possibly the most melodic of their career, so butt-clenchingly epic it seems like it belongs in one of those slow-mo montage trailers for a Zack Snyder movie.
What does this all add up to for all the folks who haven't been keeping tabs on this bands career? Well, for once showing up to the party late might have actually paid off, because this is arguably their best album yet. It's just a fantastic display of gritty, heavy sludge metal that covers both the massively crushing, plodding monolithic speed and some frantic, break-neck paced stuff...and everything in between. There's not really many other ways to describe it. It's just ugly, dirty ass metal.
This is High On Fire balancing all their best features perfectly, while some long-time fans (this reviewer included), may not place it above previous albums due to sentimental reasons, most people tuning in now should find very little reason to not put this at #1.
Comments
Comments: 70
Visited by: 293 users
| R'Vannith ghedengi Posts: 3099 From: Australia  |
This isn't normally my sort of metal but I really enjoyed this. Especially tracks like 'King of Days', mindblowingly awesome. I think it must be for the reason you've mentioned there that its highly melodic, catchy stuff indeed.
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Posts: 21306 From: Canada  |
Awesome album. I don't enjoy sludge that much these days especially but you can never really go wrong with High on Fire. They bring it every time and you know what to expect. I'd probably personally throw out an 8.3 or so just because my tastes aren't really in line with the genre so I don't feel comfortable giving out such a high score, but your 9 is definitely well-argued and more than justified.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5934 From: USA  |
Absolutely agreed, the consistency these guys manage through their albums is pretty impressive.
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| BitterCOld The Ancient One Posts: 15250  |
I find it amusing that i deferred the opportunity of reviewing this as a kneejerk reaction to thinking this quite possibly their best... and you state nearly the same thing. good to see at least you mirror my thoughts. they might have individual tracks on other albums I like more (Fury Whip, Rumors of War, Devilution) i think this is their best top to bottom. Snakes was strong despite oddball production, this album seems the total package.
---- get the fuck off my lawn. Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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| Doc G. Full Grown Hoser Posts: 9718 From: Canada  |
Written by BitterCOld on 17.04.2012 at 20:37 Exactly. It strikes me as a "same parts - better build" type of album. Like I said, the only reason Death Is This Communion still sits above this in my books is completely based on sentimental attachment...I've had 5 years of bliss listening to that album. If I just checked them out today, and compared those 2 albums side-by-side, I'd probably rank this one higher.
---- "I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck." - George Carlin
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| Red_Travis Posts: 63 From: USA  |
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| strade Posts: 677 From: USA  |
I really have no idea why I haven't listened to this yet.
---- My lo-fi synth project: http://luciddreamer.bandcamp.com
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| Daniell _爱情_ Posts: 6059 From: Poland  |
High on Fire are great, and they prove it again. At first I thought to ask to be allowed to review this, but I thought you'd do it better Craig, so I just said nothing. And I was right to do so 
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| Doc G. Full Grown Hoser Posts: 9718 From: Canada |
Written by Daniell on 18.04.2012 at 09:39 I'm not Craig.
---- "I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck." - George Carlin
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| Daniell _爱情_ Posts: 6059 From: Poland |
Damn, I must be secretly in love with Craig to have used his name like that. Sorry Doc
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| Merchant of Doom Posts: 702 From: UK  |
Well played and executed, crushing songs, but a big 0 for originality...
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| R'Vannith ghedengi Posts: 3099 From: Australia |
Written by Merchant of Doom on 18.04.2012 at 11:44 Somehow I find that hard to believe. They'd have to be exactly identical with whatever bands influence them for their originality to be at 0. Which would mean they copy note for note what someone else has done in exactly the same way.
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| Merchant of Doom Posts: 702 From: UK |
Written by R'Vannith on 18.04.2012 at 12:01 I think you are taking my comment too literally... it's stuff heard a million times before. It's a good crushing sludgy album, but they add nothing new. Of course, there's nothing wrong with that, because it's still an enjoyable album, but there is no attempt whatsoever to create a new vibe and that bores me to death, especially in sludge. Hence my 0.
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| R'Vannith ghedengi Posts: 3099 From: Australia |
Written by Merchant of Doom on 18.04.2012 at 12:12 Yeah I tend to do that.  As for why you'd give it a 0 for originality I see what you mean now. Though if I were of the same opinion as you I would have said a 1, because by the very merits of a band producing their own music they are adding something different to whatever genre they play in. No two bands play exactly alike, even those cover bands which try to sound like other bands don't achieve it. I suppose I just see a 0 as impossibly low, fair enough that you don't though as you seem to judge that sort of thing differently to how I would.
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| Merchant of Doom Posts: 702 From: UK |
Written by R'Vannith on 18.04.2012 at 12:22 well, I can give it a 1 if that makes you happy... 
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Posts: 40071 From: The Netherlands  |
Written by Guest on 18.04.2012 at 06:24 I think the band is okay but really nothing more. I really don't understand all the praise they are getting all across the board.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| Merchant of Doom Posts: 702 From: UK |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 18.04.2012 at 12:50 I think they are more than just ok... it's a well executed album, heavy, a real punch in the stomach, but, but... they follow the usual boring scheme, without adding anything new, so I can't get very excited about them, nor they deserve such a high rating. A 7 would have sufficed.
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Posts: 40071 From: The Netherlands |
Written by Merchant of Doom on 18.04.2012 at 13:11 and yet you go totally apeshit over generic funeral doom
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Merchant of Doom Posts: 702 From: UK |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 18.04.2012 at 13:13 There's nothing generic about funeral doom...
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Posts: 40071 From: The Netherlands |
Written by Merchant of Doom on 18.04.2012 at 13:25 almost all the bands copy eacht other there, especially the Russian ones
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Merchant of Doom Posts: 702 From: UK |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 18.04.2012 at 13:31 then, you are listening to the wrong ones...  Seriously, what generic funeral doom bands I go "apeshit" about? That's surely possible, but FD is much more limited in scope than sludge... also, I never said that liking unoriginal bands is a crime, just boring... 
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Posts: 18274 From: Sweden  |
Written by Merchant of Doom on 18.04.2012 at 13:38 Only the ones I've seen you recommend from time to time, just like Marcel I found your comment quite hilarious because some of those bands are way worse in the originality department. Being unoriginal isn't bad at all as long as the band is doing a great performance which seems to be the case with High On Fire.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Merchant of Doom Posts: 702 From: UK |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 18.04.2012 at 14:11 well, that's your opinion... so, because I listen to bands you deem to be un-original, I shouldn't comment on bands which I find un-original? I appreciate you find it hilarious, but at the end of the day, it's down to the concept of originality we all have. The difference is that I don't usually take the piss on other people's tastes, like you are doing right now, I just comment on the band.
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| Daniell _爱情_ Posts: 6059 From: Poland |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 18.04.2012 at 12:50 They're not innovators, originators, instigators, inventors or revolutionists. They're simply cool to listen to. That's enough to praise them if you ask me.
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Posts: 40071 From: The Netherlands |
Written by Daniell on 18.04.2012 at 14:29 I don't care for them not being innovators, originators, instigators, inventors or revolutionists. Hell, most of my favourite music isn't innovative, original, revolutionary etc etc. I just find their execution not cool enough. It's okay, but that's it.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Merchant of Doom Posts: 702 From: UK |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 18.04.2012 at 14:32
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