The Oakland, California band formed in 1998 and released 'The Art of Self Defense' on Man's Ruin Records, in March 2000. After Man's Ruin Records folded, the album was re-released via Tee-Pee Records on CD and vinyl with new artwork and two bonus tracks: Steel Shoe (an original) and The Ursurper (Celtic Frost).
Following, the band signed with Relapse Records and released 'Surrounded by Thieves' in 2002, with production help from Billy Anderson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Anderson_%28music%29). Founding member and bass player George Rice, would leave the band shortly before recording the next album.
In 2004, Relapse and Throne Records released the 'Live from the Contamination Festival' CD and LP (respectively) which was recorded in Philadelphia, PA. The CD is limited to 2000 copies and the LP only 1000.
'Blessed Black Wings', produced by Steve Albini, was released in early 2005, and was their first and only to feature Joe Preston (Earth, Melvins, Thrones) on bass. The vinyl version as well as the Japanese CD version of this album had the Judas Priest song Rapid Fire as a bonus track.
In early 2006, Joe Preston left the band and was replaced by Jeff Matz of Zeke. High On Fire then went on to release the Jack Endino (Nirvana, Soundgarden) produced and recorded album, 'Death is This Communion,' in September 2007. To celebrate this release, and the start of their tour for the album, the band played a free show at San Francsico's Amoeba records.
The band released their fifth full-length album Snakes For The Divine in February 2010 through E1 music. The album was produced by Greg Fidelman and stripped away much of the acoustic textures and layering of the previous album, leaving a monolithic heavy sound to the record.
On April 3rd, 2012, High on Fire released their sixth studio album, De Vermis Mysteriis.
Blood from Zion
High on Fire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Holding keys to fires
A righteous one begat him
His robe is drenched in blood
Fury is beside him
Knees before The Master
Righteous praise from Zion
Coming of Messiah
Hand of the Almighty
Blood flows down from Zion
Turn face from The Cheribum
The lyrics for High on Fire's song "Blood from Zion" are cryptic and metaphorical, presenting a dark and ominous atmosphere ripe for interpretation. The image of the "Flies cloudjian rider" is particularly striking, suggesting a swarm of insects accompanying a powerful, otherworldly figure. This figure, who holds the keys to fires, seems to be both violent and righteous, as he emerges from a blood-soaked robe and commands "Fury" to kneel before "The Master." The reference to Zion, a holy city in the Abrahamic religions, further emphasizes the spiritual conflict at play in this song. It seems that some kind of messianic figure is arriving, bringing with him both salvation and destruction, as "blood flows down from Zion" and the "wicked born fire" is ignited.
Overall, "Blood from Zion" appears to be a meditation on the idea of divine justice, with the violent imagery used to emphasize the often harsh realities of such a concept. The song's themes of bloodshed and redemption, wrath and mercy, combine to create a powerful and unsettling portrait of a world on the brink of apocalypse.
Line by Line Meaning
Flies cloudjian rider
A swarm of flies follows the rider, who may be an embodiment of death or decay.
Holding keys to fires
The rider carries the keys to unleash the fires of hell or destruction upon the world.
A righteous one begat him
The rider can trace his lineage back to a righteous figure, but he himself serves a much darker purpose.
His robe is drenched in blood
The rider's clothes are stained with the blood of his victims, indicating his violent nature.
Fury is beside him
The rider is accompanied by an overwhelming sense of wrath and chaos.
Knees before The Master
Despite his power, the rider kneels before a higher authority - suggesting that even he is subject to judgment.
Righteous praise from Zion
Zion, a symbol of holiness and piety, offers praise to the righteous - yet the rider is not among them.
Wicked born fire
The rider is responsible for unleashing a destructive force, born from wickedness and sin.
Coming of Messiah
A prophesied savior is said to be arriving, but the rider's presence may indicate that not all who claim to be holy are actually so.
Hand of the Almighty
The rider represents a force of justice and judgment, sanctioned by a higher power.
Blood flows down from Zion
A violent act has occurred in a holy place, causing the blood of the innocent to flow - an unholy act in a sacred space.
Turn face from The Cheribum
Even angels turn away from the rider, indicating the extreme nature of his wickedness.
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, Downtown Music Publishing
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Calon Arang
Flies conjuring around him, Holding keys to fire, A righteous one begat him, His robe is drenched with blood!
Fury is beside him, Knees bow before the master, righteous praise from Zion, We want fire!
Coming of Missiah,
Hand of the Almighty, Blood flows down from Zion,
Turn face from the Cheribum!
Is what I thought he said with help from the lyrics in the description.
Jeffery L
I can't believe I found this band today!!
sharpshootah88
+Patrick Banaszkiewicz couldntve been said BETTER! haaaaah!
Magrav
+Jeffery L Do not fret, brother, cause it has arrived with all it's glory.
RockCleric420
I love this fuckin' cut!!!
I would have this playing if I ever had to pilot a warplane in a dogfight!
AaronBaker12345
this is fantastic!
DesertRanger
Holy shit people saying this sounds like mastodon need to learn their shit, mastodon was created after they attended a hof concert
mysticblade35
I didn't know Mastodon was the direct result of a High on Fire concert, that's fucking awesome
sharpshootah88
the funny thing is i personally know brann, bill. they used to be in my hometown of rottenchester ny! the fuckin ol lethargy days! i once told brann back in 94-95, "one day you WILL be with a signed band. sure enuff he is. and makin a killing at it. (from what i understand) ...i mean fuck they played venues for ozzfest n shit
Frank Harmon
goddamn right
Calon Arang
Flies conjuring around him, Holding keys to fire, A righteous one begat him, His robe is drenched with blood!
Fury is beside him, Knees bow before the master, righteous praise from Zion, We want fire!
Coming of Missiah,
Hand of the Almighty, Blood flows down from Zion,
Turn face from the Cheribum!
Is what I thought he said with help from the lyrics in the description.