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.
Rumors of War
High on Fire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They fill our temples with their lies
The snakes come slithering
Anarchy
Chaotic hunters rise
Spit in their evil eyes
Stand our ground with hate and fury; fear that comes will die
Our enemies have come to life
Shotgun
Your nightmare's not a dream
They'll choke you and your screams
A clashing comes, the haunting presence controlling all that breaths
It's brought the world down to its knees
The hounds of hell are freed
Desolate
And with their bite, disease
His evil never sleep
They'll choke you and your screams
Sacrificing sons and daughters, rolls the war machine
The tyrant fills his destiny
The snakes come slithering
Anarchy
Chaotic hunters rise
Spit in their evil eyes
The lyrics to High on Fire's song Rumors of War depict a scene of chaos and destruction as the world is taken over by evil forces. The first few lines describe the arrival of the evil forces as a "black storm on the rise" and how they infiltrate our temples with their lies. The use of "snakes" is a metaphor for the evil forces that are deceitful and conniving. The next lines call for anarchy and chaotic hunters to rise and stand up against the evil. The anger and fury towards the enemies are palpable as they are urged to "spit in their evil eyes." There is a sense of fearlessness and determination in this stanza as they vow to stand their ground and not fear the incoming attack.
The next stanza talks about the actual fight against the enemies as they come to life and celebrate the "fiend". The use of "shotgun" and "choke you and your screams" illustrate a violent and brutal confrontation with the forces of evil. The haunting presence controls all that breaths, and the hounds of hell are freed. The line "with their bite, disease" represents the poisonous effect that the evil forces have on the world. The next stanza shows the human cost of war as sons and daughters are sacrificed, but the tyrant fills his destiny. The final lines of the song repeat the call for anarchy and the chaotic hunters to rise and spit in the snakes' evil eyes.
Overall, the lyrics to Rumors of War depict a world engulfed in chaos, violence, and destruction. There is a sense of anger and rebellion towards the forces of evil and a call for resistance and rebellion. The use of violent imagery and metaphors accentuate the brutal fight against the enemy.
Line by Line Meaning
Howling tracks of hell they're coming, black storm on the rise
A group of menacing entities is approaching, their wickedness billing like a dark cloud on the horizon
They fill our temples with their lies
These beings infiltrate sacred spaces and spread deceit and falsehoods
The snakes come slithering
The enemies are sneaky and operate underhandedly
Anarchy
The situation is marked with a lack of order and rule of law
Chaotic hunters rise
A reckless mob of violent individuals emerge to fight against the invading enemies
Spit in their evil eyes
The hunters express their disdain for the malevolent forces by verbally and physically attacking them
Stand our ground with hate and fury; fear that comes will die
The hunters will not retreat, but instead they face their enemies boldly with intense anger and determination so that the fear they experience disappears
Our enemies have come to life
The hunters realize that their enemies have become more substantial and threatening
Now they exalt the fiend
The enemies celebrate their evil leader
Shotgun
A weapon used by the hunters to fight against their enemies
Your nightmare's not a dream
The hunters understand that their situation is terrifying and not a figment of their imagination
They'll choke you and your screams
The enemies will silence their opponents by force and intimidation
A clashing comes, the haunting presence controlling all that breaths
The upcoming conflict will be intense, and the enemies are so powerful and dark it feels like they can control life and death itself
It's brought the world down to its knees
The conflict has weakened significant nations, brought chaos, and created unprecedented suffering
The hounds of hell are freed
The enemies are unleashed and off their leash, meaning they are more dangerous than ever before
Desolate
The environment is cruel and unwelcoming
And with their bite, disease
The enemies' attacks cause harm and corruption
His evil never sleep
The demonic leader is incessantly plotting evil machinations
Sacrificing sons and daughters, rolls the war machine
The enemies are willing to sacrifice innocent lives to achieve their goals, and the gears of war are in motion.
The snakes come slithering
The enemies operate covertly to achieve their objectives.
Anarchy
The situation is one of chaos, destruction, and lawlessness.
Chaotic hunters rise
The response to the threat is one of disorganized and violent opposition.
Spit in their evil eyes
The hunters will not relent, even in the face of great danger.
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ciociesiobhan680
Howling tracks of hell they're coming, black storm on the rise
They fill our temples with their lies
The snakes come slithering
Anarchy
Chaotic hunters rise
Spit in their evil eyes
Stand our ground with hate and fury; fear that comes will die
Our enemies have come to life
Now they exalt the fiend
Shotgun
Your nightmare's not a dream
They'll choke you and your screams
A clashing comes, the haunting presence controlling all that breaths
It's brought the world down to its knees
The hounds of hell are freed
Desolate
And with their bite, disease
His evil never sleeps
Sacrificing sons and daughters, rolls the war machine
The tyrant fills his destiny
The snakes come slithering
Anarchy
Chaotic hunters rise
Spit in their evil eyes
@rosecroix77
If you listen to HoF without having ever seen Matt Pike, and then you watch this video, you'll find that he's perfectly consistent with how you had imagined him
@effrumbobeffrum
Agreed. Matt was undoubtedly born to shred and bring sludge and thrash metal together.
@daffanurfauzan1220
Lol, that's how I imagined him years back then
@rstewart5
He's a fucking warhorse.
@benjamincarmichael3386
I just don’t get tired of this song.
@michaelkennedy5126
it's because you didn't stand your ground with hate and fury
@beavergunsnroses3258
Me neither!
@andrewwhite7489
I listened to this song everyday in 2020/2021 on the way to my retail job. Whenever somebody would give me shit about having to wear a mask in the store I would just yell, "ERRRMMM SHOTGUN!!!!" at them.
@RuyHenrique90
@@andrewwhite7489seems legit 🎉
@awkwardpizza
I love the way Matt sings. It's sounds like he spewing fire and ash from his mouth.