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.
Hung Drawn and Quartered
High on Fire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The Pharisees told you, but you knew of the black serpent lies
Come all ye losers, don't you know you're the children of life
Follow me now and we'll burn down the pillars of time
The evil has come and the darkness will cover the light
Above the legions, who will slay the poor and the blind
Warriors that follow, won't you read the sign and the time?
The lyrics in High on Fire's song Hung Drawn and Quartered speak of rebellion against oppression and the desire to rise up against those in power. The first line speaks of an awakening, as the candle has burnt through the wax that once covered the singer's eyes. This could either indicate a literal awakening, or a metaphorical one, in which the singer has become aware of the true nature of the world around them.
The next lines refer to the Pharisees, religious leaders in the time of Christ who are often criticized for their hypocrisy and arrogance. They are said to have told the people of their time of "black serpent lies," again indicating the presence of lies and deceit in positions of power. The singer then speaks to the "losers," those who are downtrodden and oppressed, and tells them that they are the children of life. This can be seen as a message of hope, that even those who are defeated can rise up and fight back against their oppressors.
The final lines of the song speak of standing in battle against the "clan," which can be interpreted as a reference to those in power. The goal is to "crush" them and their kind, bringing an end to their oppression and tyranny. Overall, Hung Drawn and Quartered can be seen as a call to arms against power structures that seek to keep people down, and a message of hope that even the most oppressed can rise up and fight back.
Line by Line Meaning
The candle has burnt through the wax that once covered my eyes
I have finally realized the truth and am no longer blinded by lies
The Pharisees told you, but you knew of the black serpent lies
The religious leaders tried to deceive you, but you were aware of their deceitful tactics
Come all ye losers, don't you know you're the children of life
Despite being considered inferior, you are still valuable and important
Follow me now and we'll burn down the pillars of time
Join me in revolutionizing the world and destroying outdated systems
The evil has come and the darkness will cover the light
Bad things are happening and the future looks bleak
Above the legions, who will slay the poor and the blind
Those in power are willing to harm and oppress the vulnerable
Warriors that follow, won't you read the sign and the time?
Those who support change, are you aware of the current situation and the need for action?
Stand now in battle and we'll crush the clan and their kind
Join the fight against those who wish to maintain their oppressive ways, and we will emerge victorious
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheMetalAllfather
"Mold all these riffs, then find my drummer and be like, 'Drummer, there you are, there's a new riff.' And the bass player, he plays the bass line." - Riffmaster Pike, 2002
@douchebagcrew9
This song played at my funeral. I couldn’t think of a song that better summed up my life‘s accomplishments
@davedollar4
I had the pleasure of meeting High on Fire when my old band opening for them when they played New Zealand. They were the nicest guys no rockstar attitude just good fucking guys.
@iamcrookedas
hey what's up bro. Fellow kiwi here (thrash metal, speed metal, heavy metal, doom/desert/stoner rock fan), just wanted to chime in and say that's gonna be the coolest comment to slap on your grand kids when you're old. Legit. I checked out some of your content, solid drum covers, interesting spread of tracks and bands. Keep rockin' brah \m/ * * \m/
@unclestaple
my buddy catered a show they played in Austin once and said the same thing.
@perks6292
1:25 That close-up of Matt's face is epic
@AaronBaker12345
I love how Sleep,OM and High On Fire all have a trademark style of singing.
@semitar6
The drum sound on this album....awesome...
@McAwesomeDelux
Like the encroaching hooves of some terrifying beast
@Boston_420
Pretty much everything on this record is awesome that heavy gritty sound