| Luminiferous | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Studio album by High on Fire | ||
| Released | June 23 2015 | |
| Recorded | January - February 2015 at Godcity Recording Studio in Salem, Massachusetts, USA | |
| Genre | Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal | |
| Length | 53:45 | |
| Label | E1 Music | |
| Producer | Kurt Ballou | |
| High on Fire chronology | ||
| Spitting Fire (2013) |
Luminiferous (2015) |
Electric Messiah (2018) |
Luminiferous is the seventh studio album by American metal band High on Fire, released on 23 June 2015 through Entertainment One Music. The album was produced by Kurt Ballou who handled production on the band's previous release, 2012's De Vermis Mysteriis.
Background[]
Prior to the recording of Luminiferous, High on Fire would release a single in Slave The Hive via Scion A/V on 15 October 2013 for streaming, download and as a 7" Single.[1] A music video would also be produced for the song and published via Scion A/V.
The band announced that writing was in progress for their seventh album in 2014,[2] eventually touring the East Coast in January and arriving at Godcity Studios in Salem with producer Kurt Ballou.[3][4] Details would surface by April[5] with "The Black Plot" being unveiled as the first single.[6] An animated music video for "The Black Plot" would also be released the next year, presented by adult swim and co-produced by Hey Beautiful Jerk and Oakland-based artist Skinner.[7][8]
Luminiferous would be released on 23 June 2015, peaking at #110 on the Billboard 200, among other charts.[9] Luminiferous attained further critical acclaim for the band. The album received an average score of 82/100 from 13 reviews on Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim".[10] Thom Jurek of AllMusic praised the album, writing, "One reason that High on Fire don't get accused of resting on their laurels is that they always come out hungry, anxious to refine their sound and remove anything that is not absolutely essential to their purposes. Luminiferous accomplishes that as well."[11] Writing for Pitchfork, Grayson Haver Currin called the album "masterful" and said, "Featuring mammoth riffs and hooks, it feels like a classic compendium of High on Fire’s successes."[12] Denise Falzon of Exclaim! wrote, "Heavy metal at its finest, Luminiferous is a brilliant, dynamic release, showcasing High on Fire's penchant for diverse, thoughtful songwriting and impeccable musicianship."[13] In his review of the album, Richard Giraldi of PopMatters considered Luminiferous nothing new, but still extremely refined and "some of the finest metal on the planet".[14]
Luminiferous would appear at several year-end lists:
- The Obelisk - The Top 30 Albums of 2015 (#30)[15]
- Pitchfork - The Best Metal Albums of 2015 (#18)[16]
- PopMatters - The Best of Metal in 2015 (#9)[17]
- Revolver Magazine - The Top 20 Albums of 2015 (#8)[18]
- Decibel Magazine - The Top 40 Albums of 2015 (#4)[19]
- The Obelisk - The Top 20 Albums of 2015 Reader's Poll (#3)[20]
Tracklist[]
All songs written by High on Fire.
- 1. The Black Plot (5:31)
- 2. Carcosa (7:11)
- 3. The Sunless Years (5:06)
- 4. Slave The Hive (3:50)
- 5. The Falconist (6:06)
- 6. Dark Side of The Compass (5:30)
- 7. The Cave (7:40)
- 8. Luminiferous (4:03)
- 9. The Lethal Chamber (8:49)
Personnel[]
- Matt Pike - Guitar, Vocals
- Des Kensel - Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals
- Jeff Matz - Bass, Backing Vocals; Baglama (7)
- Jason Zucco - Additional Vocals (4)
- Scott Evans - Additional Vocals (4)
- Kurt Ballou - Engineer, Mixing, Producer; Additional Vocals (4)
- Robert Cheeseman - Assistant Engineer; Additional Vocals (4)
- Andrew Kelley - Art Direction, Design
- Jordan Barlow - Illustration
- Paul Grosso - Creative Director
External Links[]
- Slave The Hive Music Video via Wayback Machine
- The Black Plot Music Video
- Luminiferous on Discogs
- Luminiferous on Bandcamp
References[]
| V·T·E High on Fire | |
|---|---|
| Current Members | Matt Pike • Jeff Matz • Coady Willis |
| Past Members | George Rice • Joe Preston • Des Kensel • Nick Parks • Christopher Maggio |
| Studio Albums | The Art of Self Defense • Surrounded By Thieves • Blessed Black Wings • Death Is This Communion • Snakes For The Divine • De Vermis Mysteriis • Luminiferous • Electric Messiah |
| Extended Plays | High on Fire • Speak In Tongues • Bat Salad |
| Live Albums | Live From The Relapse Contamination Festival • Spitting Fire |
| Associated Bands, Artists, Etc. | Sleep • Kalas • Dear Deceased • Earth • Melvins • Harvey Milk • Zeke • Mutoid Man |