| Because High on Fire
play what’s commonly known as “Stoner Rock.” I dislike
the term, not least because I don’t get high but do enjoy a lot
of the music; there are plenty of other good reasons for not liking
the term “Stoner Rock” as a descriptive term, but that’s
mine. “Stoner Rock” is said to sound a lot like Black Sabbath,
though when you listen to the bands being grouped under the term and
then listen to Master of Reality, the only real similarity
you hear is the fuzz pedal. After that the points of comparison break
down pretty quickly: Ozzy does his best to sing, while Matt Pike has
this smothered roar of a voice that sounds like it just emerged from
your most recent bad dream; Black Sabbath plays mid-tempo rock songs,
while HIgh on Fire’s drummer has this tribal thing going that’s
much closer to Bow Wow Wow or Public Image Ltd.; Black Sabbath played
stadiums and festivals from a fairly early point in their careers,
whereas I saw High on Fire at Gabe’s in Iowa City. |
