High On Fire played Royale – 8/17
The dual projects of the inimitable Matt Pike present two very different models for the way a long-running band can function. Defining stoner metal trio Sleep didn’t manage to release a definitive version of their third LP until 5 years after they broke up, and have continued to operate at a glacial pace since reuniting in 2009. They occasionally emerge from a cloud of smoke to play a gig, headline a festival or, most shockingly, release a song, but it’s evident that the group are in no hurry to do much of anything else. High On Fire, Pike’s thrashier project founded in the wake of Sleep’s initial breakup, is an incongruous narrative of workmanlike precision. Ceaseless touring and a clockwork cycle of releasing consistently excellent records have established them as one of our most reliable bands, and they were eager as ever to please at the Boston date supporting their latest LP.
A four-band heavy metal bill at a dance club on a Monday night might seem like a tough sell, but a healthy sized crowd streamed into Royale’s gilded confines to the sounds of openers Venomous Maximus, Lucifer and Pallbearer regardless. I caught only the second half of Maximus’ set, but that felt like enough time to get the gist of the band’s passable brand of stoner rock. Lucifer’s dramatically backlit set fared better, melding vocalist Johanna Sadonis’ theatrically emotive stage presence with funereal retro-doom headed by ex-Cathedral guitarist Gaz Jennings for some satisfying, good old-fashioned odes to the prince of darkness.
Fast-rising Arkansas doom quartet Pallbearer were on next, and delivered a spellbinding set rivaling that of their hosts. We got four of the band’s length songs over a 40 minute set, divided between their excellent 2012 debut Sorrow and Exctinction and last year’s even-better Foundations of Burden; a perfect overview of the band’s strengths. These are dense, intricate songs, and they dug into them with the appropriate attention to detail, bringing their meticulously recorded excursions to life without losing anything in translation. Brett Campbell’s vocals soared over the ground-rattling instrumentals with an ethereal timbre and each element of every song fell together in exactly the right ways. As they land higher and higher profile slots on tours like this one, it’s not difficult to imagine Pallbearer commanding rooms of this size on their own in the near future.
Headed by the unmistakable and perpetually shirtless frame of Matt Pike, High on Fire stormed the stage and wasted no time launching into their ruthlessly efficient headlining set. Insofar as one could tell, Pike seemed to be in a good mood. He was more restlessly mobile than I’ve ever seen him on stage, stomping, shredding and barking lyrics with infectious enthusiasm. It’s strange to say that such an indefatigable veteran seemed revitalized, but perhaps Luminiferous, the band’s excellent new full-length, actually has brought about such an effect. In a string of strong releases, it’s still their hookiest and best in recent memory, and they gleefully ripped through seven of its nine songs over the course of the night.
The set was a barrage of sound in classic High on Fire style, with Jeff Matz and Des Kensel’s airtight rhythm section mowing down everything in its path and Pike unleashing fiery, headspinning solos with a J Mascis air of nonchalance. Years on the road have rendered the trio a deadly, unstoppable live band, and this was yet another evening where they demonstrated that unequivocally.
