It is finally here, Electric Messiah, High on Fire‘s latest album. It has everything you’d expect from a High on Fire album, from long heavy songs to some of the most energetic tunes that will ever penetrate you eardrums. And if you ever thought their music would suffer by the fact Matt Pike recently abstained from alcohol and meat, you couldn’t be more wrong, the dude has been busier than ever. Releasing a Sleep album and this masterpiece in the same year, without it having any negative influence on their sound whatsoever. Let us not forget the drums that brings you in a rhino rodeo, the bass that goes deeper than the Mariana trench and the riffs that will tear the flesh from your bones.

We embark this cascade of primordial sludge with Spewn from the Earth, which sets the heavy rampant tone of the rest of the album. As we ascend the Steps of the Ziggurat/House of Enlil, we take our time in this almost 10 minute long pilgrimage of doom to reach the top and meet our Electric Messiah. The raw energy coming from Electric Messiah is unparalleled, as an avalanche of liquid electricity slams in your face. This title song, and the whole album for that matter, is truly a worthy homage to late Lemmy Killmister:

All give praise as the ace hits the stage
All are amazed at the cards that he played
My homage paid to the king in his grave
He’s playing bass & he’s melting your face

We are now ready, ready to go a quest to distribute the Sanctioned Annihilation of any who oppose us. This, yet again, 10 minute long song has the perfect balance between unwinding riffs and primal rigidness. As we pick up The Pallid Mask we enter a saga told with brawny fervor, as the vocals reaches herds across mountain ranges. Now the one and only God of the Godless approaches with another energetic barrage of molten steel. None of this will hold the Freebooter back, as it’s raging drums loosen the foundations of fortresses and the like, which he tramples its ruins with a more then 90 second long hall of fame worthy guitar solo.
Which leads us to an audience with The Witch and the Christ as they prepare us for the end of this odyssey. As this album concludes we are left behind as a Drowning Dog. This being, next to the tittle song, my favorite on the album with it’s dazzling intro, laid back feel and somehow catchy groove and lyrics, “GOD DAMN YOU!”, as we can light our blunt again without breaking it.

All in all another delightful monument by High on Fire, sticking true to their sound and still be refreshing with this journey of energy and raw power. These kings of sludge have my utmost adoration and I have yet to see the day they would disappoint me with even one note in their songs. The artwork gives the ideal vibe of gargantuan power which fits perfectly.

Release date: October 5th, 2018
Label: eOne music
Tracklist:
1. Spewn from the earth
2. Steps of the Ziggurat/House of Enlil
3. Electric messiah
4. Sanctioned annihilation
5. The pallid mask
6. God of the godless
7. Freebooter
8. The witch and the Christ
9. Drowning dog