Review of High On Fire - Live from the Relapse Contamination Festival

Figuring late truly is better than never, Relapse has recently released a limited edition (2000 copies) of High On Fire’s set during the Relapse Contamination Festival of 2003. Maybe waiting was a wise move, as this year’s High On Fire effort, the highly impressive Blessed Black Wings, has further stoked with well deserved enthusiasm for the works of Pike and Co. At the time the band commanded the stage of Philadelphia’s Trocadero they were supporting Surrounded By Thieves, their second effort, and the trio still included original bassist George Rice. Live From the Relapse Contamination Festival includes the band’s entire thirty-four minute set, which focused heavily on material from Surrounded By Thieves. I always appreciate live albums that are entirely dependent on one night’s performance, rather than splicing together performances from throughout a tour or over a several night stand, and Live From... provides a pure and authentic soundtrack to the visceral battering of the three headed juggernaut that is a live High On Fire.

The band opened with their only offering from The Art of Self Defense, ”Blood From Zion”. A raw rendition of the future Blessed Black Wings inclusion “To Cross the Bridge” follows, and from there the band deals out five in a row from Surrounded By Thieves. Not ones for pretense and posturing, the guys are all about business, taking little to no time for pleasantries or breaks between songs, instead maximizing their relatively short stage time by packing in fiercely delivered loyal renditions of some of their best work. Highlights include the charging elephant of “Nemesis” and the air guitar invoking fan favorite “Razorhoof”, but the band really goes out on a high note with closers “Hung, Drawn & Quartered” and a grimy cover of “Witching Hour”.

The production is fairly solid for a project such as this, and the band is in good form. Matt Pike’s raw, sword swallowing vocals do a good job presenting the songs in a manner that is loyal but appropriately immediate and natural. The same is true of his signature guitar work and the gut punch rhythm work of Rice and the always impressive Des Kenzel. The instantly recognizable war dance drum intro to “Hung Drawn & Quartered” is guaranteed to make you ache for another chance to be front and center of the band next time they’re near your town. In the meantime, you’ll have to make due with Live From the Relapse Contamination Festival, which may not be an absolute necessity, but is an impressive documentation of the damage High On Fire can do.

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High On Fire

Live from the Relapse Contamination Festival

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