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.
The Black Plot
High on Fire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Best close your thighs cause the Gods come a raping
Best hide your mind cause there's aliens mating
Truth is their lies less believed is their saying
Luminate phosphorus cells
Lust of an ethereal spell
Warlords of Hades are bound
Frequencies changing dark crowns
Man's ancient pact darkness comes with the thunder
Poison gifts given death and asunder
We blame ourselves as the gods take their plunder
Luminate phosphorus cells
Lust of an ethereal spell
Warlords of Hades are bound
Frequencies changing dark crowns
Dark rites, seers given
Blood oaths, space time written
Dark rites, seers given
Can't stop what the Black Plot Design has done
Pick a side cause hell hounds are begging
Best close your thighs cause the Gods come a raping
Best hide your mind cause there's aliens mating
Truth is their lies less believed is their saying
Luminate phosphorus cells
Lust of an ethereal spell
Warlords of Hades are bound
Frequencies changing dark crowns
Dark rites, seers given
Blood oaths, space time written
Dark rites, seers given
Can't stop what the Black Plot Design has done
The lyrics of High on Fire's song The Black Plot portray a dark and ominous reality where ancient pacts have been broken and beings from both heaven and hell have come to rape and plunder the earth. The first few lines imply that there is a war going on and that one must choose a side. The dogs and hounds represent the soldiers or the followers of each side, while the Gods and aliens refer to the supernatural beings who are aiding their respective sides. The rape metaphor could signify the destructive force that these beings bring with them or the idea that humans have become mere playthings to the higher powers at play.
The subsequent lines talk about the luminating phosphorus cells, which could refer to the idea of bio-luminescence or the body's internal fire that ignites in times of crisis. Similarly, the ethereal spell and the frequencies changing dark crowns show the influence that these beings have on human consciousness and how they manipulate it for their gain. The Dark rites, seers given, and blood oaths, space time written could represent the ancient rituals and oaths taken by humans in exchange for power or knowledge from these beings. The line, "truth is their lies less believed is their saying," seems to suggest that the humans have now become knowledgeable about the aliens and gods yet choose not to believe them, which is what they want. The last line of the song, "Can't stop what the Black Plot Design has done," is a nod towards the helplessness of humans who have already been manipulated and invaded.
Line by Line Meaning
Pick a side cause the dogs come a begging
Choose a stance before the consequences are upon you
Best close your thighs cause the Gods come a raping
Protect yourself from those who would take advantage
Best hide your mind cause there’s aliens mating
Guard your thoughts from manipulation
Truth is their lies less believed is their saying
Their deceitful words are accepted only when the truth is ignored
Luminate phosphorus cells
Glowing cells of energy
Lust of an ethereal spell
Desire for a mystical enchantment
Warlords of Hades are bound
Powerful figures are trapped in the underworld
Frequencies changing dark crowns
The balance of power is shifting in favor of the malevolent
Reptilian eyes trick the arcane from under
Deceptive reptilian beings use hidden knowledge to their advantage
Man’s ancient pact darkness comes with the thunder
A promise made long ago brings about chaos and destruction
Poison gifts given death and asunder
Offers of deception lead to death and separation
We blame ourselves as the gods take their plunder
As we suffer the consequences, we realize our culpability
Dark rites, seers given
Mysterious rituals are bestowed upon those with clairvoyance
Blood oaths, space time written
Binding agreements are made across time and space
Can’t stop what the Black Plot Design has done
The irreversible plan of the malevolent force cannot be undone
Pick a side cause hell hounds are begging
Take action before the demons are unleased
Best close your thighs cause the Gods come a raping
Protect yourself from those who would take advantage
Best hide your mind cause there’s aliens mating
Guard your thoughts from manipulation
Truth is their lies less believed is their saying
The malevolent force only thrives when the truth is ignored
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: DESMOND WAYNE KENSEL, JEFF PAUL MATZ, MATTHEW LANCE PIKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Aging Hippie Liberal Douche
"Our hero, Balthanon leads his army into battle! His intentions are not
entirely noble, as he sacrifices his army to reach his arch nemesis, the
Technomage, who is holed up in his castle, magically creating his army
of bio-tech monsters and chilling with his powerful yet stylish helmet.
Upon his arrival at the castle, Balthanon is easily defeated by the
Technomage and his army and hauled to the graveyard like it ain’t no
thing. On the verge of death, Balthanon is not doing great, when all
of a sudden, a mystical yeti witch shows up to save the day! She heals
him with some magic shrooms that make him trip his balls off and
ultimately gives him the strength he needs to take on the Techromage
again. He runs back to the castle for revenge, but whose revenge is he
actually exacting? Watch and find out!" - The plot of "The Black Plot"
zaikoji
Love the affinity between this kind of stuff and metal. Wish this were a series..
Jekyll Black
If Gandalf the Grey came back as Gandalf the Black.
Dominik Williams
"In the first age, in the first battle, when the shadows first lengthened. One stood..."
Badass music and animation!
Steve Osika
Sounds like Tolkien
plixplop
Damn, a 5+ minute fully animated video is no joke, this was a huge undertaking. Amazing!
Alex Singleton
It's gorgeous
Black Majik
This dude is soloing raid bosses. Epic.
Ukris Records
I need to play any MMORPG with this guy.
Sens0ry 0verl0ard
This is a song about gitting gud. praises the sun \[T]/
TheSavageFrog
Perfect like count.