High On Fire

Death Is This Communion (Relapse 2007)

Album review

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(First off, sorry about the delay on this album review, we consider this album to be one of the most anticipated metal releases of the year, we're huge fans of the band, and I realize the pointlessness of reviewing an album after it's release, but for some reason we never received a promo, even after repeated requests. We're pretty baffled about that. So, we had to wait until the release date and go buy it, and then give it a few weeks to sink in).

High On Fire have picked up where they left off on "Blessed Black Wings", produced this time around by Jack Endino, "Death Is This Communion" delivers the break-neck thrash tempos, galloping guitars, gravel spitting vocals about various demons and nuclear war, tribal beats that would make most flee back into the forest...but there's a different feel this time around, Pike's vocals have massively improved, and of course there's more amazing melodic guitar work.
"Fury Whip" starts the album off with building drums before exploding into a violent thrashing. The title track builds slowly and trudges along before hitting "Khanrad's Wall", a middle eastern sounding instumental that breaks up the album well. "Turk" begins as a swirling fury of sound before settling into a dragging groove of riffage, the catchiest on the album thus far. "DII" stands out immmediately, it's just fucking epic, although not long, a slower-moving, well-arranged instrumental symphony of guitar with some Mellotron thrown in for good measure. "Cyclopian Scape" is another treasure, followed by "Ethereal" with it's long intro and mid-tempo auditory assualt. Probably the finest, and definately one of the only real thrash albums of the year.

Album Rating:

Reviewed by: Wolfie

©2007 AbsolutMetal