High Fighter - The Goat Ritual
I thought this would be all guitar riffs and stoner references jams when I looked at the artwork alone, of course the recommendation from John Garcia may have also swayed my opinion before listening to this. Don’t make the same mistake, this is sludgy, doomy, epic and a tad filthy. Yes there are plenty of stoner influences, but this is a more brutal animal all together with a touch of angry hardcore added for good measure. Formed in the summer of 2014, from Germany, this is a collective of musicians formed from other bands such as A Million Miles and Buffalo Hump.
‘Fire in the Sun’ harks towards some Soundgarden similarities with the riffing, that simple touch of groove that sounds so warm and seductive. Added to the bonus of some slightly more aggressive vocals here and there. On the cleaner sections of this EP, I find the vocals of Mona Miluski somewhere around the varied monster that was the severely pissed off Aimee Echo of Human Waste Project - yeah I know not a stoner influence, although you may find some similarities to the band Bottom on their second album ‘Feels So Good…’ if that makes you feel more comfortable. The track ‘2Steps Blueskill’ is angry, it’s resourceful and it’s a stunning slab of angry stoner metal. There is a distinct desert groove that is matched with some hardcore influences here and there, a perfect combination actually.
Moving onto ‘Black Waters’, this begins rather thunderous and battles forward to a High On Fire snarl with an infectious groove that you just can’t help becoming involved in, that feeling of falling deeper into a black dank space from which you are not sure you will resurface, an awesome feeling!
High Fighter are good at what they do, I like the fact they use a few different influences and they are not a total desert stoner rock tribute, there be heavy, there be moments of tranquillity, there are many moments of enjoyment with the goat! Although self-released, this is available through Napalm Records distribution if you fancy a real physical copy.
‘Fire in the Sun’ harks towards some Soundgarden similarities with the riffing, that simple touch of groove that sounds so warm and seductive. Added to the bonus of some slightly more aggressive vocals here and there. On the cleaner sections of this EP, I find the vocals of Mona Miluski somewhere around the varied monster that was the severely pissed off Aimee Echo of Human Waste Project - yeah I know not a stoner influence, although you may find some similarities to the band Bottom on their second album ‘Feels So Good…’ if that makes you feel more comfortable. The track ‘2Steps Blueskill’ is angry, it’s resourceful and it’s a stunning slab of angry stoner metal. There is a distinct desert groove that is matched with some hardcore influences here and there, a perfect combination actually.
Moving onto ‘Black Waters’, this begins rather thunderous and battles forward to a High On Fire snarl with an infectious groove that you just can’t help becoming involved in, that feeling of falling deeper into a black dank space from which you are not sure you will resurface, an awesome feeling!
High Fighter are good at what they do, I like the fact they use a few different influences and they are not a total desert stoner rock tribute, there be heavy, there be moments of tranquillity, there are many moments of enjoyment with the goat! Although self-released, this is available through Napalm Records distribution if you fancy a real physical copy.
- 2Steps Blueskill
- Breaking Goat Mountains
- Black Waters
- Fire In The Sun
- In Veins
