High On Fire – Snakes For The Divine

You want the good news or the bad news first? Well ok, let’s start it with the good ones, for the bad news prevail on this review, something that makes me really sorry, as I love High On Fire very much. The good news is that the band released its fifth full length, three years after their previous and best for me album ”Death Is This Communion”. So the wait is over and ”Snakes For The Divine” is on sale. Also, some good news is that most people tend to like the new stuff. Something which of course is very good for both the band and its followers, a win/win situation.

But here’s where the bad news start to me, as I consider this not only HOF’s worst album to date, but I can’t even find something positive, despite many listenings to it. And to make matters worse, each time I listen to it I catch myself wondering ”What the fuck are you trying to prove to yourself? You ain’t gonna like it even if you listen to this 100 times in a row”. And yes, it is very sad God damn it, because even if they are a very special and sometimes hard to listen to group, they were always standing in front, delivering the goods for more than a decade since they released their self titled EP.

Matt Pike especially is one of the most epic figures of all times in music. Having been a member of the colossus named Sleep, alongside the other mountains called Al Cisneros and Chris Hakius, he has been nothing less than a respectful person and a man who lives what he does 100%, not giving a flying fuck about trends, media or music industry. He always did things his own way, only this time I believe that the result is a far cry from what he is used in offering not only to me but all of us. Some could agree, or disagree, but it’s all about expectations we have from some bands.

High On Fire means expectations, means great albums, with certain incidents on each one and in general, means tribal rhythm drums accompanying the full of heaviness and filth riffs that blow your mind and make your head bang with the groove. This time I can find nothing that reminds the glorious past, this doesn’t mean that I am the right one, it’s just that I want them more up tempo in terms and with more energy. This albums is mostly mid tempo to slow, with the vocals also not like the past, the drums playing just to fill and not drive the songs to other further aspects.

So, it’s all in all a disappointment for me. It lacks the past energy, it lacks the groove I personally wanted and it lacks power and filth. It sounds creepier and crawling, it is non-commercial and not the album that could get every five minutes in MTV, that’s good for sure. Well, there is mostly always a white and black side to all things in life, and I just guess this was not their high inspiration time. I want to believe this will remain on this album only and it will not be the future direction of the band. With all good intention I had, I surely ain’t gonna listen to it for a long long time. I feel so sorry but can’t be a liar.