Heavy metal power trio, High On Fire, visited the Baltimore Soundstage, in Baltimore, Maryland on August 20th, 2015. The band is currently on tour to support the 2015 release of their seventh record, “Luminiferous”. Joining them were Pallbearer, Lucifer and Venomous Maximus.
The show opened with Houston, Texas heavy metal band Venomous Maximus. The group has been around since 2010 and released their studio record, “Firewalker”, earlier this year. Christian Larson provided a riff heavy backdrop for Greg Higgins’ vocals. The music provided by Venomous Maximus was new to me and as I watched their set I was impressed with what I heard. I’ve been giving their latest release a listen and it is a solid album and one I’d suggest for any metal fan to check out.
Newly formed Lucifer was the second band to take the stage. The band is fronted by Joanna Sadonis, formerly of The Oath. The Berlin, Germany based band released their first record, Lucifer I, this year. The darkened stage, accentuated with dim red lights, provided an appropriate setting for the heavy doom band as it set the mood of their music. Their sound is reminiscent of old Black Sabbath and the melodic vocals by Sadonis fit that well. The crowd was pleased with the performance, with many slowly banging their heads to the slow churning rhythm of the music.
Arkansas doom metal band, Pallbearer, took the stage next. They describe their music as “melancholic devastation” which is right on point. With some exquisite bass work by Joseph Rowland and mesmerizing riffs by singer/guitarist, Brett Campbell, the band played to a capacity crowd. The band only played a few songs, but to those unfamiliar with Pallbearer, their songs clock in around the 10 minute mark. As with Lucifer, the crowd was hypnotized by the music as they swayed, threw the horns and banged their heads in a slow unison, with each beat of the music. Overall, it was another great performance for this tour’s line-up.
Headliner, High On Fire, took the stage for a 13 song set. The Oakland, CA heavy metal band has been around since 1998 and has developed a solid following. The energy in the crowd was apparent as the trio took the stage and their performance did not disappoint. Matt Pike, with his heavy sludge riffs, provided gravely vocals and Jeff Matz was masterful on the bass. Coupled with the drum work by Des Kensel, the group provided such a thunderous, dynamic sound that it was hard to believe it was coming from just three musicians. The performance could be described as raw, energetic and “in your face”. The only negative was that the set had to come to an end. High On Fire finishes the U.S. leg of their tour on August 23rd, before they head to Europe. If you have the opportunity, they are a band worth seeing live.
Newly formed Lucifer was the second band to take the stage. The band is fronted by Joanna Sadonis, formerly of The Oath. The Berlin, Germany based band released their first record, Lucifer I, this year. The darkened stage, accentuated with dim red lights, provided an appropriate setting for the heavy doom band as it set the mood of their music. Their sound is reminiscent of old Black Sabbath and the melodic vocals by Sadonis fit that well. The crowd was pleased with the performance, with many slowly banging their heads to the slow churning rhythm of the music.
Arkansas doom metal band, Pallbearer, took the stage next. They describe their music as “melancholic devastation” which is right on point. With some exquisite bass work by Joseph Rowland and mesmerizing riffs by singer/guitarist, Brett Campbell, the band played to a capacity crowd. The band only played a few songs, but to those unfamiliar with Pallbearer, their songs clock in around the 10 minute mark. As with Lucifer, the crowd was hypnotized by the music as they swayed, threw the horns and banged their heads in a slow unison, with each beat of the music. Overall, it was another great performance for this tour’s line-up.
Headliner, High On Fire, took the stage for a 13 song set. The Oakland, CA heavy metal band has been around since 1998 and has developed a solid following. The energy in the crowd was apparent as the trio took the stage and their performance did not disappoint. Matt Pike, with his heavy sludge riffs, provided gravely vocals and Jeff Matz was masterful on the bass. Coupled with the drum work by Des Kensel, the group provided such a thunderous, dynamic sound that it was hard to believe it was coming from just three musicians. The performance could be described as raw, energetic and “in your face”. The only negative was that the set had to come to an end. High On Fire finishes the U.S. leg of their tour on August 23rd, before they head to Europe. If you have the opportunity, they are a band worth seeing live.
