High On Fire

Despite a few line-up shifts, High On Fire has gradually become one of America's heavy metal strongholds, blending influences from doom metal, punk, hardcore, even grunge and noise rock. The band formed by Matt Pike (guitar and vocals), Des Kensel (drums) and George Rice (bass) in 1998 in Oakland, California, from the ashes of Sleep, has released seven studio albums and two live ones. From their first album, The Art Of Self Defense, released in 2000, they dug deeper into the traditional heavy metal groove of their predecessor, at odds with the nu metal of the time. George Rice left the band at the end of the tour to promote their second album, Surrounded By Thieves (2002). He was replaced by Joe Preston on the following album, Blessed Black Wings, released three years later. After a new series of three critically acclaimed albums, High On Fire returned in 2015 with Luminiferous, a record dominated by conspiracy themes and musically continuing in the vein to which the band has always remained faithful.