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High on Fire
HOF live in 2008
Background information
Origin	Oakland, California, U.S.
Genres	Sludge metal[1] Stoner metal Heavy metal
Years active	1998 – present
Labels	Relapse Man's Ruin Koch
Associated acts	Sleep Thrones The Melvins Zeke Asbestos Death Kalas
Website	www.highonfire.net
Members
Matt Pike Jeff Matz Des Kensel
Former members
Joe Preston George Rice

High on Fire is a heavy metal band from Oakland, California that formed in 1998. Matt Pike, the band's frontman and founder, previously played guitar for the influential stoner metal band Sleep.

History

Matt Pike founded the band in 1998 with drummer Des Kensel and bassist George Rice (from Dear Deceased, who originally auditioned to be the band's vocalist). The band's first recordings were released on 12th Records, with a full-length entitled The Art of Self Defense released later on Man's Ruin Records. (That album would later be re-released by Tee Pee Records as Man's Ruin Records had become defunct.) The band then signed a deal with Relapse Records and recorded the album Surrounded by Thieves, released in 2002. After a vigorous touring cycle promoting that album, bassist George Rice left the band. The band's next album, 2005's Blessed Black Wings, was largely written by Pike and Kensel before recording took place, and ex-Melvins/Thrones bassist Joe Preston joined them later in the studio. After about a year of touring to promote their latest release, the band again lost their bassist. Zeke bassist Jeff Matz joined up to help the band finish touring, later becoming a full-time member and contributing to the recording of their next album with famed producer, Jack Endino (Nirvana/Mudhoney). The new record entitled Death Is This Communion was released in September 2007 after a small string of Northwest shows to promote new material on the album. The band did a headline tour of North America in September and October 2007, with support from the Japanese post-rock band Mono, along with Panthers and Coliseum. [1] In August 2009, the band went into post-production of it's follow-up to "Death Is This Communion" in Los Angeles with producer Greg Fidelman (Metallica, Slayer, Johnny Cash). The band finished tracking the album at The Pass studios in L.A. The album, tentatively entitled "Snakes For The Divine," is expected to be released in February or March 2010. They are currently on the Adult Swim Presents tour with Converge, Mastodon, and Dethklok.

Members

Current members

• Matt Pike - guitars, vocals
• Jeff Matz - bass
• Des Kensel - drums

Former members

• Joe Preston - bass
• George Rice - bass
• Karl Larson - guitar
• Ron Crockett - bass

Discography

EPs

• 1999: Early Recordings Promo
• 2005: Split 7" with Ruins

LPs

• 2000: The Art of Self Defense
• 2002: Surrounded by Thieves
• 2005: Blessed Black Wings
• 2007: Death Is This Communion
• 2009: Live from the Relapse Contamination Festival (Limited to 2000 copies at its release in 2005 by Relapse Records; later re-released in 2009)
  • contains cover of Venom's "Witching Hour". The entire album was recorded live at the Trocadero in Philadelphia, PA.
• 2010: Snakes for the Divine^[2]

Press

• Revolver Magazine October 2006 Matt Pike interviewed rock legend Lemmy of Motörhead

References

1. ^ MusicMight: High on Fire biography
2. ^ High On Fire Reveals New Album Title

External links

• Live Performance from Amoeba S.F
• Official website
• High on Fire at MySpace
• http://www.lastplanetojakarta.com/2008/02/we_hold_these_truths_to_be_sel.html High on Fire praised by John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats
• High On Fire interview on Rockmidgets.com
• Late Night Wallflower Interview with Des Kensel
• Interview with High on Fire on Swigged.net