De Vermis Mysteriis, sits triumphant upon the sludge firmament gazing down upon High on Fire’s back catalogue and contemporaries alike
At this point in its 14-year existence, though, High On Fire feels trapped by its own consistency.
That's the major difference here from what we got a couple of years ago: The band seems to be taking their time and letting things open up and go wherever they may want to go.
It even crosses paths with their younger graduates at times – but in a way, they remain untouchable, iconic statuettes
De Vermis Mysteriis gets up in your face, and it never really steps back until it’s over.
A strong improvement over the last project. Great riffs badass vocals, and a really eccentric concept about time traveling Jesus twin. Love it.
In the scope of their discography, "De Vermis Mysteriis" is one of the more blander, and less inspired projects from sludge giants High on Fire, but in the scope of metal in general this is a fierce and measured collection of sludge tracks from the legendary Matt Pike. The production is noticeably larger then the previous High on Fire record, with a lot less melodic songwriting in favor of really abrasive ideas, a track like "Madness of an Architect" shows off extremely ... read more
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