Recently revisited this since it's the last High On Fire record in my collection I have yet to get and honestly it holds up decently well. Matt Pike should already be heralded as one of the GOATS of metal and especially stoner metal, plenty of timeless classics under his belt, and an extremely unique style on both the vocals and guitar, it's amazing what he's done since this album, that being said I don't think this stands up to most of the works after it and especially ... read more
The post "Kill" era of corpse grinder and friends was definitely a weird turn where we saw one of the most unmarketable bands ever become slightly more palatable with stuff like "Evisceration Plague". Despite it all, we still received a project in 2012 that sought to mimic the brutality and technicality of OG cannibal corpse. While "Red Before Black" fails to meet the bar that "Torture" set, it still feels like an attempt at that technical savagery that ... read more
In the scope of this underground rap scene that orbits MIKE, Earl, and Al, this is undeniably a top-tier project. However, in the scope of MUSIC as a whole, this doesn't hold up as significant in comparison to earlier backwoodz albums; I'm not convinced.
Starting with what this record does right, Elucid remains the creative force that continues to push the backwoodz sound further and further. His amorphous cadence and ear for song structure make him an undeniable high point ... read more