High on Fire hot sauce

by Cosmo Lee

How about that new High on Fire song?

You can hear it here. (See artwork for the new album, out February 23, here. Up until the release date, pre-orders are available at Relapse for $9 here.) Debate is already raging over whether Greg Fidelman, who did the most recent albums by Metallica and Slayer, was the right choice for producer.

I think it’s hot. It’s great to hear Matt Pike palm-muting. I’ve always wished that he would strum less and machine-gun more. The machine gun is a staple of metal. (Cue Ride the Lightning tabs with open strings marching across the pages with “P.M.” above them.) Take that, black metal strummers!

High on Fire hot sauce is less hot. It’s good, don’t get me wrong. It’s sweet yet tangy; the ingredients include habanero peppers (natch), Saint Arnold Lawnmower beer, vinegar, brown sugar, and lime juice. I’ve been slathering it on eggs and veggie burgers. But the fact that I can slather it on food means that it’s not that hot. “Hot” to me is “one drop = pain,” like Mega Death Sauce, which I wrote about here. High on Fire sauce brings no pain, only pleasure.

You can order it below from Houston’s Big Daddy’s Hot Sauces (who made it), and from Austin’s Tears of Joy. I’ve had a good experience ordering from Tears of Joy; hopefully I can visit it someday. Thanks to Liz from Earsplit PR for hepping me to this fine shop.