Bring on the 'Blessed' beast

If their previous two releases, Art of Self Defense and Surrounded by Thieves, didn't catch listener's ears, then High on Fire's newest stoner rock opus Blessed Black Wings will definitely put them on the map. With a sound reminiscent of an Ace of Spades-era Motörhead mixed with the sludge of classic Black Sabbath and Slayer thrash masterpieces, High on Fire belt out nine tracks of old school rock fury in under an hour.\nThe album's opener "Devilution" fades in with Des Kensel's rhythmic war drum hammering before giving the listener a quick sucker punch to face with Matt Pike's thick riffing and Lemmy-esque vocals. Just as quickly as you're still trying to recover from the unexpected blow, the next track "The Face of Oblivion" roars in with inverted chords and drunken howls, knocking the listener back down before the screeching solo comes into the speakers. \nGranted the album offers some recovery time during tracks such as "Brother in the Wind" and "Anointing of Seer," the thrashy rage of "Cometh Down Hessian" and title-track "Blessed Black Wings" quickly thrust the listener back in for another bout with madness. "To Cross the Bridge," easily one of the stand-out tracks on the album, escalates from interweaving acoustic notes and pulsating rhythmic patterns into an end solo which to be summed up in mere words is a psychedelic acid trip conveyed through guitar strings. Rather than continuing to howl throughout the entire album, Pike steps away from the mic in the album's closer, "Sons of Thunder," choosing instead to focus entirely on his ability to create an atmospheric instrumental track which still contains the band's signature crust riffage and thundering drum patterns. \nWhat makes Blessed Black Wings stand out from High on Fire's previous efforts was the choice to team up with a new sound engineer, in Steve Albini. Albini, famous for working with over a thousand bands including grunge legends Nirvana and sonic pioneers Neurosis, allowed for High on Fire to eliminate the muddy sound that haunted previous albums and instead create an album that is clear and audible, all while keeping the sludge-laden riffs, precision drumming and Pike's anguished vocals intact.\nHigh on Fire's latest release is definitely not for the average, mall-educated music-listener. Their sound pays homage to all the doom and gloom found in stoner rock and old school metal. Blessed Black Wings isn't the kind of album you just sit down and take in; it's the disc that kicks on in the jukebox right before a raging brawl breaks out inside the bar. So duck the flying chairs, watch out for broken beer bottles and get ready to take on the roaring beast that is High on Fire.