Matt Pike

Matt Pike
Photo by Jen Rosenstein.
Background information
Birth Name	Matthew Pike
Born	3 June 1972, Southfield, Michigan
Occupation	Musician; Bartender
Genres	Doom Metal, Stoner Metal, Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal
Instrument(s)	Guitar, Vocals
Years active	1989 - Present
Labels	Man's Ruin Records, Tee Pee Records, Southern Lord Records, Tupelo, Earache, London, Relapse, E1, Third Man Records, MNRK Heavy
Associated acts	Asbestosdeath, Sleep, High on Fire, Kalas, Pike vs. The Automaton
Website	Matt Pike Instagram

Matthew Pike, better known as Matt Pike, is an American musician best known as the guitarist of the stoner band Sleep and the frontman of the heavy metal band High on Fire. Considered a key figure in the development of stoner metal, Pike's guitar style would harbor a distinctive style between both bands, with his Sabbath-inspired style complimented by a plethora of amps playing in Sleep and heavier, thrashier style in High on Fire inspired by the likes of Celtic Frost and Motörhead, utilizing very few pedals and an incredibly heavy tone, along with his own brand of "Dirty Heshers" lace pickups. Pike would also be notable for almost never wearing a shirt when performing live, which became something of a running joke.

Among a side project in Kalas and a solo album entitled Pike vs. The Automaton in early 2022, Pike would contribute four studio albums with Sleep and eight with High on Fire, all the while touring all over the world with both bands. In regards to the latter band their 2018 album Electric Messiah would win the band a Grammy Award.

Biography

Sleep

• For more details, feel free to view the Riffipedia page on Sleep.

Sleep evolved in the early 1990s from the band Asbestosdeath, which was established by vocalist/bassist Al Cisneros, drummer Chris Hakius, and guitarist Tom Choi. Asbestosdeath expanded to a quartet with the introduction of Matt Pike on guitar, and recorded two singles - Dejection for Profane Existence and the self released Unclean. Choi departed in December 1990 and would later found Operator Generator, It Is I, Noothgrush, and Las Vegas' Black Jetts. Asbestosdeath recruited Justin Marler as replacement and the band adopted the new name, Sleep. According to Chris Hakius in an interview with Panache, it was Marler who came up with the idea to name the band Sleep.

Their debut album Volume One was released in 1991 via Tupelo recording company. Frequently compared to bands like Saint Vitus, Neurosis and The Melvins, Sleep soon gained a devoted fanbase within the developing doom metal scene. After just a handful of shows in the summer of 1991, Marler quit the band soon after to take up life as an orthodox monk. This left the band as a power trio for the recording of their Volume Two EP, which was released officially by Off The Disk Records in 1991. By the fall of 1991 the band started adapting more of the sound they are known for, having worked in new songs like "Evil Gypsy/Solomon's Theme" and "Inside The Sun" by that point.

Sleep's Holy Mountain (1992) is widely considered a seminal album in the evolution of stoner metal, with Ozzy Osbourne purportedly calling them "The closest thing to the original Black Sabbath". From 1993 to 1994 the band would start touring in the United States and Europe with the likes of Cathedral, Penance, Cannibal Corpse and Nik Turner's Hawkwind to name a few. The album's release was followed by offers from London Records and Elektra Records, with Sleep ultimately signing with London. Around this time, Earache released its first Black Sabbath Tribute album, and Sleep contributed a cover of "Snowblind".

After legal wrangling with Earache that delayed production they began work on their third album, Dopesmoker, in 1995. Much to the dismay of executives at London Records, Dopesmoker was a single song more than one hour long. London Records declared the album unmarketable and refused to release it. Sleep returned to the studio and then submitted their second attempt at the new album. They had renamed it Jerusalem, re-written some of the lyrics, tracked it in six "parts" and trimmed it down to a "lean" 52 minutes, but it was essentially the same as Dopesmoker. London Records again refused to release it (Though promo CDs and cassettes do exist from the label.). Frustrated and generally unhappy with the situation, Sleep would ultimately disband in 1997.

In 1998, Sleep and their former manager granted approval to Tony Presedo, head of Tee Pee Records and friend of the band, for the release of Jerusalem posthumously as an "official bootleg". One year later, Jerusalem was given an official legitimate release by The Music Cartel in the US and Rise Above Records in Europe. Finally, in 2003 the original version of Dopesmoker was officially released by Tee Pee Records with a bonus live track of unrecorded song "Sonic Titan". It is generally considered the definitive version of the album. In 2012, Southern Lord Records would re-release Dopesmoker with a new mix by Brad Boatright from the original tapes, new artwork by Arik Roper and a bonus live version of "Holy Mountain" from 1994. This version of the album reached number 14 on the Top Heatseekers chart.

In May 2009, Sleep reformed to perform two exclusive reunion sets in England as part of the All Tomorrow's Parties music festival. These shows would be notable as Chris Hakius' final performances with the band, the band performing Sleep's Holy Mountain in it's entirety for the first time and introducing an unreleased song entitled "Antartican's Thawed". With Jason Roeder taking over on drums, Sleep would follow up with the Marijuanaut's Return, mainly echoing the ATP shows performing all of Holy Mountain, excerpts from Dopesmoker and Antartican's Thawed.

From 2010 forward, Sleep performed similar sporadic festival and touring engagements, when the member's otherwise busy touring schedules permitted. In late 2012, in conjunction with an upcoming appearance at Maryland Deathfest, the band stated that they consider Sleep to be a "full, reunited band". In 2014 Al Cisneros announced in an interview that the band were working on a new record. On July 21, 2014, a new song titled The Clarity by Sleep was released via Adult Swim Singles, their first new recording in nearly twenty years. In April 2014, it was announced that Sleep are set to headline the 2015 edition of DesertFest London. A European tour around the time of their DesertFest performance was also set. In February of 2015, the magazine Guitar World named Dopesmoker the heaviest album ever recorded.

On 12 April 2017, Sleep posted on their homepage a message in morse code confirming a new album is close to completion with Noah Landis as engineer, translating to the following: "INITIALIZE NEW TRANSMISSION 2017 CE SLEEP NEARING COMPLETION OF NEW ALBUM ENGINEERING ACCOMPLICE: NOAH LANDIS LOCATION: 37.8044 N, 122.2711 W RELEASE DATE: UNDETERMINED RECORD LABEL: UNDETERMINED". On 31 May 2017 it was announced that Sleep would once again be contributing to the Adult Swim Singles series as they did in 2014 with the release of The Clarity.

On 19 April 2018 (20 April 2018 in Australia at the time of publication) Sleep released their fourth studio album The Sciences as a surprise release with no announcement, via Third Man Records. Featuring four brand new songs and proper studio recordings of "Sonic Titan" and "Antarticans Thawed", it is the first studio album by the band in 20 years and the first with the current lineup. On 23 May 2018, Sleep finally released their second adult swim single entitled Leagues Beneath (Later released as a 12" single via Third Man). Spanning nearly seventeen minutes, this song was initially written in the same sessions as Dopesmoker and eventually recorded in the same sessions as The Sciences.

In August 2018 it would be announced that Sleep would make their return to Roadburn Festival as the festival's headliners. On one night the band will be performing all of Sleep's Holy Mountain with bonuses and on the other Sleep will perform all of The Sciences with bonuses. On 7 January 2019, Third Man Records would announce a 4LP box set of Sleep's first official live album. Sleep would follow up with further touring in support of The Sciences and ultimately the band's most extensive touring cycle of their career. On 10th November 2019, it was announced on Sleep's social media channels that the band would be playing three final shows at Thalia Hall in Chicago on the 29th, 30th and 31st of December, before taking an indefinite hiatus from 1st January 2020 onward. In a 2020 interview Pike would state he and Cisneros weren't getting along towards the end of the second run.

Sleep would reform once again for a string of dates in April 2022, with Superwolves (Matt Sweeney and Bonnie "Prince" Billy) as direct support.

High on Fire

• For more details, feel free to view the Riffipedia page on High on Fire.

High on Fire began in 1998, roughly six months after Sleep had broken up. Matt Pike began the band with Des Kensel, who at the time were working together for an office supply delivery company in the bay area, eventually recruiting bassist George Rice (Who auditioned with the band with the intents of being the singer).

Pike with High on Fire in the early 2000s.

The band's first show was 23 November 1998 at the Covered Wagon in San Fransisco alongside Bimbo Toolshed and Speedealer. Their second show was alongside Neurosis at the Justice League in San Francisco. Eventually the band would play more shows around the California area and release their self-titled EP in 1999 on 12th Records. Not long after the band would sign a deal with Man's Ruin Records, recruit Sleep producer Billy Anderson and release their debut full-length The Art of Self Defense. Touring would follow throughout the United States and Europe in 2000. A new website would follow as well.

In September 2001, High on Fire would sign a deal with Relapse Records. Recording in January with Billy Anderson, on 28 May 2002 the band would release Surrounded By Thieves. A music video for Hung, Drawn & Quartered with the video showing on MTV2's Headbangers Ball along with more and more touring eventually would widen their listening audience. They would also play the Relapse Contamination Festival which would be recorded for a live album (Released in 2005). Tee Pee Records would also reissue The Art of Self Defense with bonus tracks.

High on Fire would tour heavily in support of the recent album but also have new songs in the works such as "Cometh Down Hessian" and "Devilution". However, George Rice would quit the band in the summer of 2004. Joe Preston would serve as his replacement leading up to the new album being recorded. The earliest known show with Preston on bass was on November 18, 2004 at Crazy Goat in Salt Lake City, Utah (With Big Business).

High on Fire would record their third album with famed producer Steve Albini (Shellac, Big Black, Nirvana, Weedeater, etc.). Blessed Black Wings would be released on February 1, 2005 with a music video produced for "Devilution". The band would tour heavily in support of the album throughout that same year. In 2006 after the first leg of the 2006 Blessed Black Wings tour, Preston would quit the band and Jeff Matz (Zeke) would join the band to fill out the second leg. By the end of the second leg he joined the band as a full-time member.

At the time of Preston's breakup the band actually contacted Hank Williams III with the possibility of being a touring bassist but due to his extensively busy schedule he couldn't do it but ultimately Williams suggested Jeff Matz. With Matz now in tow as a bassist (and contributing songwriter) the band started work on their fourth album, opting to recruit Jack Endino to helm the production. Death Is This Communion would be released in September 2007 to critical acclaim.

The band would suffer some setbacks as Kensel would go in for neck surgery in September 2006 and later bone spurs in 2007. Shortly after recording Death Is This Communion, Jeff Matz would suffer for a Mallory-Weiss tear caused by food poisoning. Both musicians would recover and be right back on the road shortly after these respective setbacks.

In 2008 the band would tour even more extensively for Death Is This Communion. Also of note is the band would sign a deal with Koch Records (Later to become E1 Entertainment) that same year. Sometime in 2009 the band would start work on their next album. High on Fire released Snakes For The Divine on February 23, 2010 to further critical acclaim. An extensive series of tours would follow that year including a tour supporting Metallica.

Soon after more tours the band would start work on a sixth album entitled De Vermis Mysteriis, produced by Kurt Ballou. It would be released on April 3, 2012. An intended tour on the Rockstar Mayhem Festival (Sharing the stage with bands like Slipknot, Slayer, Motorhead, Anthrax and many more) would ultimately be canceled due to Matt Pike entering rehab for alcoholism. Despite a couple relapses, Pike would speak about going sober in a 2014 interview and enjoy the clear-headed mindset.

2013 would begin with an exclusive appearance at Roadburn Festival for two nights, one of which the band would play The Art of Self-Defense in it's entirety. A re-issue of the band's debut album with bonus tracks and extensive photos was released in 2012 via Southern Lord Records. Along with touring and an appearance on Motorhead's Motorboat festival, the band would slowly start work on their seventh album entitled Luminiferous. Recruiting Ballou a second time, the album would be released on E1 on June 23, 2015 with a multitude of tours to follow.

On 29 November 2017 the band announced a series of shows for 2018 entitled 20 Sunless Years with High on Fire in celebration of the band's twentieth anniversary, intending to compose a set of old and new songs, some of which selected by the fans. On 18 July 2018, further details were announced that High on Fire's eighth studio album Electric Messiah was set for a 5 October release. The band would tour Europe with Enslaved in support of the album. A tour was planned with Municipal Waste but an emergency surgery leaving a portion of Pike's toe being removed forced the band to drop off, rescheduling dates for 2019. On 7 December 2018 it would be announced that Electric Messiah would be nominated for "Best Metal Performance" at the 2019 Grammy Awards. On 7 January 2019 it would be announced that the January High on Fire tour would be canceled due to Matt Pike battling diabetes and being at risk of losing another toe or possibly even his foot.

On 10 February 2019 High on Fire would win the Grammy for "Best Metal Performance" with "Electric Messiah". In March the band would announce an EP recorded entitled Bat Salad. Recorded after the band was forced to cancel touring in 2018, the band recorded a new song and two covers with the EP being released exclusively on Record Store Day circa 13 April. The band would follow with a string of shows in May throughout various parts of the United States. Not long after announcing a North American tour for November 2019, on 25 June 2019 Des Kensel announced that he would no longer be performing with High on Fire after 21 years, opting to focus on family.

Nick Parks would fill in for the band's appearance at Psycho Las Vegas while Christopher Maggio (Trap Them, Coliseum, Mutoid Man) would take over drum duties starting with the November tour. High on Fire would play their first show in over a year on 19 June 2021 at Austin Motocross Park in Del Valle, TX, alongside Duel and Greenbeard. On 19 June 2021 (the day of the return show) it would be revealed that Coady Willis (Murder City Devils, Big Business, Melvins) would be joining the band on drums.

Pike Vs. The Automaton

In 2020 after initial announcements of plans for a project with Brent Hinds of Mastodon, it would be announced that Matt Pike was working on a solo album. On 14 December 2021 Pike's first solo album, Pike vs. The Automaton, would be set for an 11 February 2022 release via MNRK Music. Billy Anderson would join as the producer and engineer, along with several other musicians in the sessions.

In a press release, Pike would speak at length about the solo album:

“	“I was just going bonkers during the pandemic. It was like really, truly miserable. And then all the riots here in Portland and all the political shit. I was trapped in my garage, which was the only place I could go and jam and do anything,” confesses Pike. “I was trapped in there ’cause I couldn’t go jam with High on Fire, I couldn’t do this, I couldn’t do that, no one could fly. I was going crazy. My friend Jon Reid, who was the original drummer for Lord Dying, had moved to Portland and was babysitting my dog, Crom, and he was drumming for my wife’s band, so he had his drums already set up at my place. I finally said, “Dude, do you want to come over and just start jamming? So, I just started this thing with my friend Jon. I was like, “Dude, fuck it. Let’s start a side band and we’ll just demo this and act like we’re starting it as teenagers, you know?”	”
	— Matt Pike, The Obelisk

The first single released to promote the album would be "Alien Slut Mum", which would also feature a video. On 10 February 2022, a music video for "Land" would be released, a blues song featuring Brent Hinds.

Pike vs. The Automaton would garner mostly positive reviews from the likes of The Sleeping Shaman, New Noise Magazine (4/5) and Blabbermouth (8.5/10) However some critics would be critical of the album's length such as Pitchfork (6.8/10), Distorted Sound Magazine (6/10) and Kerrang (3/5).

Pike vs. The Automaton would announce a string of shows for May 2022.

Other Projects

Pike was the frontman of the Bay Area psychedelic-metal band Kalas (formerly Scum Angel) that featured members of Econochrist, Samiam, and Cruevo. Pike set aside the guitar for Kalas, as they already featured two guitarists; his vocals were surprisingly melodic,[according to whom?] especially compared to his snarling growls in High on Fire. After only releasing a self-titled album, Kalas split by October 2006.

As a guest star, Pike voiced a Klokateer in one episode of Metalocalypse on late-night block Adult Swim.

Pike would contribute to a song called "This Sex Means War" as part of the third and fourth volumes of Basement Sessions Seattle.

Pike would contribute a cover of the Black Sabbath song "FX" for the tribute album Vol. 4 Redux, produced by Magnetic Eye Records.

Matt Pike would also contribute vocals and a guitar solo to the song "Glory of Hel" by the Norwegian band Hjelvik, which appeared on their 2020 album Welcome To Hel.

Personal Life

Matt Pike was born in Southfield, Michigan in 1972. Pike moved to California at age 15 after spending time in military school while living with his mother in Golden, Colorado and attending Green Mountain High School. Arriving in San Jose, he realized the hardcore punk and heavy metal scenes were more active than the ones in Denver.

Pike notably has a keen interest in Mesopotamian culture, the works of David Icke and government conspiracies. In a 2022 interview with The Quietus, Pike would describe himself as an "anarchist libertarian".

In 2012, Pike made his problems with addiction public as he dropped off the Rockstar Mayhem Festival during the summer and went into rehab. He cited health problems caused by his heavy consumption of alcohol as the reason. He admitted to having "fallen off the wagon" a few times since. In addition to this, he has admitted to suffering from bipolar disorder and has sustained bodily injuries from relentless years of touring.

In 2018, Pike's band High on Fire announced they would be cancelling their upcoming tour due to Pike needing a partial amputation of one of his toes. Again on 7 January 2019, they announced via their Instagram that High on Fire would be cancelling their 2019 Electric Messiah tour because of Pike's risk of losing his big toe or part of his foot, due to complications from diabetes.

Pike has at least one child from a previous relationship and is a grandfather. In August 2019 Pike would get married to Alyssa Maucere, who notably plays in Lord Dying. The wedding would take place at the Silver Wedding Chapel at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada on 17 August 2019.

Bands

• Asbestosdeath - Guitar, Backing Vocals (1989 - 1990)
• Sleep - Guitar (1990 - 1997, 2009 - 2019)
• High on Fire - Guitar, Vocals (1998 - Present)
• Kalas - Vocals (2003 - 2007)

Discography

Asbestosdeath

• Unclean (7" Single) (1990, Asbestos)
• Dejection (7" Single) (1990, Profane Existence)
• Dejection, Unclean (Compilation) (2007, Southern Lord Records)

Sleep

• Volume One (1991, Tupelo Recording Company)
• Volume Two (EP) (1992, Off The Disk)
• Sleep's Holy Mountain (1992, Earache)
• Jerusalem (1999, Rise Above Records / The Music Cartel)
• Dopesmoker (2003, Tee Pee Records; 2012, Southern Lord Records)
• The Clarity (Single) (2014, Adult Swim Singles; Southern Lord Records)
• The Sciences (2018, Third Man Records)
• Leagues Beneath (2018, Third Man Records)

High on Fire

• The Art of Self Defense (2000, Man's Ruin Records)
• Surrounded By Thieves (2002, Relapse)
• Blessed Black Wings (2005, Relapse)
• Death Is This Communion (2007, Relapse)
• Snakes For The Divine (2010, E1)
• De Vermis Mysteriis (2012, E1)
• Luminiferous (2015, E1)
• Electric Messiah (2018, E1)

Kalas

• Kalas (2006, Tee Pee Records)

Solo Works

• Pike vs. The Automaton (Studio Album) (2022, MNRK Heavy)

External Links

• Matt Pike on Discogs
• Matt Pike on Equipboard