The Pitch: Massive sludge group High On Fire pay tribute to Lemmy and rock out as hard as ever in his name with a new album via Entertainment One. FFO: Mastodon, Crowbar, Motörhead.
What I Like: Says frontman Matt Pike, "I had this dream where [Lemmy] got pissed at me. He gave me a bunch of shit, basically, and was hazing me... The song is me telling the world that I could never fill Lemmy’s shoes because Lemmy’s Lemmy. I wanted to pay homage to him in a great way. And it turned out to be such a good title that the guys said we should call the album Electric Messiah." After listening to it myself, I am sure that Lemmy would approve. I can think of no better tribute to the patron saint of rock and roll than this high octane, no bullshit set of tunes. This is High On Fire doing what they do best: slinging massive riffs and shouting their brains out. Even as someone who was never been a huge follower of the band, Electric Messiah is as good an entry point as any; showcasing their usual strengths and demonstrating an exemplary level of consistency from beginning to end. There's seriously not a dud in the bunch.
Critiques: The longer tracks get a little tedious for me at times, but these guys know how to keep the energy high regardless.
The Verdict: Whether you're a newcomer or longtime fan, Elecrtic Messiah should be a real treat if you enjoy rock-tinged sludge filled with raucous D-beats and massive distortion. Referencing Lemmy is risky business when writing new material, but I think that High On Fire have done the name justice when it comes to the final product. "Who'd win in a wrestling match, Lemmy or God?" "Trick question... Lemmy IS God."
Flight's Fav's: Spewn From The Earth, Electric Messiah, Freebooter
- Review by FlightOfIcarus
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