High on Fire, Glorior Belli, Inked in Blood, etc.
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When I saw High on Fire recently, I was astounded by the number of females in the crowd. Only Enslaved in Berlin had more girls – go figure. Actually, I kind of get that. Europeans invented metal, so it’s in their blood. There, black metallers actually have Norwegian names, and girls go to the local Saturn (the German equivalent of Best Buy) in full metal gear, spikes and all, and shop in the “Hard ‘n’ Heavy” section like it ain’t a thang. I think I just gave myself a boner.
High on Fire – Rumors of WarGlorior Belli – Sinister ResonanceInked in Blood – Somewhere FamiliarSebastian Bach – Back in the Saddle (feat. Axl Rose)
In American record stores, though, the only long hair in the metal section is male (admit it, guys – you’ve checked out fit longhairs before, only to have them turn around and be male – oof). I’d basically resigned my American metal life to “bro’ing down” until I saw High on Fire. There were so many women, it felt almost wrong. It was seriously disconcerting. And they were totally getting down. The sight of a girl throwing the goat is a mighty aphrodisiac indeed.
Here’s my theory: girls like 3-over-2 accents. You’d see them raise their fists, as one is wont to do at High on Fire. But Matt Pike’s guitar playing is mostly strumming, so there’s actually not much to pump your fist to. Drummer Des Kensel is a fucking force of nature, and he’s cranking out thrash and d-beats like his singer’s named Lindberg. So it’s a tug-of-war, this percussive onslaught with mushy strumming and the molten river of distorted bass. Thus during the verses, fists are raised but not pumping. They’re just drifting.
But when the 3-over-2 accents come, it’s indeed like coming, a simultaneously orgasmic vice grip of synchronicity. Fists pump involuntarily – then go back to drifting. High on Fire probably know this, as they dish out 3-over-2 accents with much greater frequency than any other band. The 3-over-2 accent is normally reserved for punctuation at the end of phrases (e.g., “time for primal concrete sledge”). High on Fire practically write entire songs around 3-over-2 accents. And this is why girls love ’em.
At Metal Injection, I’ve reviewed High on Fire, as well as French black metallers Glorior Belli and Deathspell Omega, Dutch death metallers Severe Torture, hair metal pinup Sebastian Bach, and the mammoth new live DVD set from AC/DC. At Decibel, I’ve reviewed ancient thrashers Overkill and Christian metalcore outfit Inked in Blood. The latter surprised me – extremely clichéd good cop/bad cop elements, but arranged with creativity, skill, and passion. It’s the most uplifting record I’ve heard this year, and I find myself returning to it often.
