Labels: eOne
Review by: Alex Deller
This is a one-sided 12″ EP comprising a new instrumental track and two covers … originally a RSD release and now (I think?) brought into wider circulation. Obviously this all smacks of bullshit, but as it’s High On Fire … one of the greatest and purist big modern metal acts … I can just about let it slide. The instrumental track is rollicking and freewheeling, a ballsy riffathon that ably earns its Black Sabbath reference. The covers, too, are emblematic, with the punked-up aggression of Bad Brains and the cavern-dwelling heaviness of Celtic Frost both core to High On Fire’s ragged, rugged sound. Whether you really need to own this as a physical release will likely boil down to issues like space, money and willpower … personally speaking I don’t think I need more than the MP3s despite my love for the band, but if you happened to feel differently I’d very much understand.