Never at a loss for truly epic and demonic dirges, Oakland, California's High on Fire has become a mainstay of apocalyptic doom metal. Still, even definitive efforts such as 2005's Blessed Black Wings and 2007's Death Is This Communion fail to wring as much power, grace, dynamic prowess and cryptic imposition out of each second as the band’s fifth full-length, Snakes for the Divine does Throwing on these eight tracks is the aural equivalent of taking a seat in the lead car at some decrepit carnival's haunted house ride: eerie, potentially unsafe and wonderfully driving.
Each song ranges in delivery from vicious, uncompromising gallops to “Black Sabbath”-esque (the song, not the band) bouts of patient build-up that establish a mood, enforce it and then destroy everything before one is able to comprehend all that has happened. Furthermore, the trio embellishes its already stunningly loose technicality to create some swirling rhythmic vortexes, propelling the overall sense of embittered abandon that makes High on Fire so engrossing. Loud regardless of volume and mighty irrespective of force applied, Snakes for the Divine establishes a new apex for this ominous band and genre alike.
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