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.
Nemesis
High on Fire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hands crying blood, scourge making way
Sonic its sound, destroyer comes down
Feet plant on earth, forcing the toll
Wasting what was, reap what you sow
Hammer of death delivers the blow
Invincible throne, tormenting hate
Dark is the cape, a dissident's face
Holy the war, laying in wait
Lashes that burn, crucified mass
Looked for the light, but death betrays
Devil's hooked tongue, black takes away
Ashes arise, clouds of their faith
Hatred becomes the infidel's graves
Unveil thy cloak, forge the mine curse
Demon seed womb, dictator's birth
Come to conspire control of the earth
The lyrics of "Nemesis" by High on Fire describe a violent and apocalyptic scene where an all-powerful destroyer arrives to punish the rulers and their followers who have wasted and depleted the earth's resources. The song paints a picture of a feast where the flesh of kings is consumed, while the hands of the participants cry blood and the scourge clears a path for the destroyer to come down. The destroyer is so powerful that its sound is sonic, and once its feet plant on the earth, it forces the toll on those who have exploited the planet's riches.
The lyrics then describe an invincible throne of tormenting hate, with the eyes of God sombering souls. A dissident wearing a dark cape appears, and a holy war is waiting to begin. Lashes burn, and a crucified mass looks for the light, but death betrays them. The devil's hooked tongue takes away the black ashes of faith, and hatred becomes the infidel's graves. The cloak is unveiled, and the mine curse is forged, while the demon seed womb gives birth to a dictator who conspires to control the earth.
Overall, "Nemesis" is a cautionary tale about the destruction of the planet and the consequences of exploitation and greed, with a message that those who destroy will eventually face their nemesis.
Line by Line Meaning
Come, enter the feast, eat flesh of kings
Join this gathering, feast on the remains of royalty
Hands crying blood, scourge making way
Bloody hands and scourging whips pave the way
Sonic its sound, destroyer comes down
The sound of destruction announces its arrival
Feet plant on earth, forcing the toll
The conqueror firmly establishes their rule, exacting a toll on the vanquished
Wasting what was, reap what you sow
Destroying the past, consequences are now being reaped
Hammer of death delivers the blow
A fatal strike is delivered by the weapon of death
Invincible throne, tormenting hate
A throne believed to be impossible to defeat, with intense malice
Eyes of the God, sombering souls
The sight of a judgmental deity distresses the spirits of mortals
Dark is the cape, a dissident's face
The cloak is black as the face of a rebel
Holy the war, laying in wait
The conflict is righteous, lying in ambush
Lashes that burn, crucified mass
Scorching lashes and masses of people nailed to crosses
Looked for the light, but death betrays
Seeking enlightenment, but instead betrayed by death
Devil's hooked tongue, black takes away
The devil's deceptive words take something valuable away
Ashes arise, clouds of their faith
The faith of people becomes obscured by rising ashes
Hatred becomes the infidel's graves
Hatred leads to the death of nonbelievers
Unveil thy cloak, forge the mine curse
Remove the cover-up and create a curse
Demon seed womb, dictator's birth
A demonic womb gives birth to a tyrant
Come to conspire control of the earth
Join together in a secret plan to gain global domination
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: ALEXANDER PAVLENKO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind