Cometh the Storm
| Company type | studio album |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | April 19, 2024 |
| Founder | High on Fire |
| Products | Heavy metal music |
| Parent | MNRK Heavy |
Cometh the Storm marks the ninth full-length release from the American heavy metal group High on Fire, which was launched on April 19, 2024, under the MNRK Heavy label. This record is notable for introducing drummer Coady Willis—known for his work with Big Business and The Melvins—who joined following the exit of founding member Des Kensel in July 2019. Arriving more than five years after their previous album Electric Messiah, this project fuses the band's foundational sludge and stoner metal elements with inspirations drawn from Turkish folk music and Middle Eastern music. The release has been met with widespread critical praise.
Reception
Dom Lawson from Blabbermouth.net awarded the album an 8.5 out of 10, observing that High on Fire "deliver the punishment their admirers crave".Kerrang!'s Nick Russell gave it a 4/5 score, emphasizing the band’s vigorous intensity. Max Morin at Metal Injection rated it 8/10, commending its driving momentum and guitar craftsmanship. Mandy Scythe of MetalSucks also granted a 4/5 rating, characterizing the album as a reflective exploration of the band’s defining periods. The online platform Qobuz honored it as Album of the Week, with reviewer Eli Enis describing it as "heavy, gnarly, and gloriously sludgy". Jon M. Gilbertson of The Shepherd Express portrayed it as an expression of frontman Matt Pike’s darker artistic facets. Editors at Stereogum selected it as Album of the Week as well, with Chris DeVille highlighting its vibrant stoner metal qualities.
In a mid-year summary published on June 4 by Consequence of Sound, this album secured third place among the best releases of 2024 up to that point, being lauded as "the most inspired and varied record from the sludge metal band in over a decade". Later, on June 17, Revolver included it within their top 20 albums for 2024, describing it as "a maelstrom of overdriven hypno-riffs, cascading drums, and familiarly throaty bellows from Matt Pike".
Track listing
- "Lambsbread" – 5:45
- "Burning Down" – 6:13
- "Trismegistus" – 5:37
- "Cometh the Storm" – 6:12
- "Karanlık Yol" – 3:47 (meaning "Dark Road" in Turkish)
- "Sol's Golden Curse" – 4:52
- "The Beating" – 2:29
- "Tough Guy" – 3:44
- "Lightning Beard" – 3:34
- "Hunting Shadows" – 5:41
- "Darker Fleece" – 9:59
Personnel
High on Fire
- Jeff Matz – bass guitar, guitar, baglama, Mellotron, percussion, audio engineering, production
- Matt Pike – guitar, vocals, production
- Coady Willis – drums, percussion, vocals, engineering, production
Additional personnel
- Kurt Ballou – recording, mixing, production
- Rich Doucette – dilruba performance on "Karanlık Yol"
- Alan Douches – audio mastering
- Brandon Eggleston – engineering
- Zach Weeks – engineering
Chart performance
Upon release, Cometh the Storm entered the US Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums chart at position number 19.