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.
Cometh Down Hessian
High on Fire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mother of the seekers
Cometh down Hessian
Plunder the archaic tomb
Stolen ancient amulet
Black the hexed sarcophagus
Summoning the hound
Impending doom
Necromatic lunatics
Murder of the innocents
Stepping on the curse
Inflicting it's beastious wounds
Undo the evil spell
Dig the graves demise
Unveiling the horror
Hair covered corpse, now, will lie
Enter stoned paravex
Mother of the seekers
Cometh down Hessian
Plunder the archaic tomb
Stolen ancient amulet
Black the hexed sarcophagus
Summoning the hound
Bringer of impending doom
Impending doom
Necromatic lunatics
Murder of the innocents
Stepping on the curse
Inflicting it's beastious wounds
Undo the evil spell
Dig the graves demise
Unveiling the horror
Hair covered corpse, now, will lie
The lyrics to High on Fire's song Cometh Down Hessian paint a vivid picture of a group of individuals delving into an ancient tomb in search of treasure. The opening line, "Enter stoned paravex," suggests that the characters are under the influence of some sort of drug, leading them to the tomb. The following line, "Mother of the seekers," implies that they are seeking some sort of divine or mystical guidance.
As the characters enter the tomb, they steal an ancient amulet and open a black, hexed sarcophagus, summoning a hound that brings impending doom. The lyrics suggest that the characters are not only digging up ancient treasures but also disturbing ancient curses and inflicting "beastious wounds" upon themselves.
In the final lines, the characters are faced with undoing the evil spell and uncovering the horror that lies within the tomb. The vivid description of a "hair-covered corpse" gives a clear picture of the gruesome scene. Overall, the lyrics suggest that the characters' greed and desire for riches ultimately lead to their downfall.
Line by Line Meaning
Enter stoned paravex
The intoxicating effect of drugs on an individual.
Mother of the seekers
The one who motivates and inspire others to embark on a journey in search of something.
Cometh down Hessian
The arrival of a figure who is associated with destruction and pillaging.
Plunder the archaic tomb
To rob an old burial site that is filled with ancient artifacts.
Stolen ancient amulet
A piece of jewelry that has an old historical significance taken away by force.
Black the hexed sarcophagus
The cursed coffin painted black speaks of evil powers that await unleashing.
Summoning the hound
The invocation of a monstrous dog to unleash terror.
Bringer of impending doom
An indication of terror looming on the horizon.
Impending doom
A prediction of something terrible about to happen.
Necromatic lunatics
Crazy individuals who are obsessed with the resurrection of the dead.
Murder of the innocents
The killing of those who are vulnerable and defenseless.
Stepping on the curse
To deliberately defy an evil spirit.
Inflicting it's beastious wounds
To attack fiercely with the intention of causing immense harm.
Undo the evil spell
The reversal of a spell meant to do harm.
Dig the graves demise
Putting an end to the burial place of the dead in a manner where it can never be unearthed again.
Unveiling the horror
The act of revealing something terrifying.
Hair covered corpse, now, will lie
A dead body concealed in hair will now be revealed.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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