60, 65, 55, 67… If you want to know why I've been silent for some of March and most of April, those are the number of hours I've had to work for past few weeks, my laptop open till midnight most nights and my weekends justifiably left to tend to dad/husband/homeowner things. I've been spread a tad thin, not too reliable on the home front or available for anything social while ever ready to take on whatever day job-related task handed to me. With that said, writing hasn't been a priority lately. Which sucks because I've still been listening to so much good shit that I want to write about.  My hope is that I'll be able to spare an hour here or there to catch up on what I've been hearing for the remaining weeks. The avalanche of work requests and deadlines to meet have thankfully subsided for the time being, so I'd like there to be some activity in the weeks ahead. Though, I'll be honest, with the increased popularity of vlogs and podcasts, ...

High On Fire Luminiferous eOne Music Released: 6.23.15 *You can find that here . **The PARENTAL ADVISORY label that mars an otherwise very cool album cover I believe refers more to the album's content than its use of bad language.  There's very little profanity. ***Her words, not mine. High On Fire's Luminiferous is an excellent follow-up to the also brilliant De Vermis Mysteriis and should qualify for many of this year's Best Of lists beyond the metal categorization.  I don't know how High On Fire keeps doing it, but the band's high-intensity output is consistently good. Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

If you're not in the mood to work through a crowd while digging for albums, check the record store's events calendar.  Mind you I'm certainly not against bands performing in record stores.  I was at Siren Records last night, doing a little overdue perusal and happy at the fact that the store was packed.  If music fans are in the store, it's likely they'll walk out with worthwhile purchases tucked under their arms and the store will carry on another day.  However, it had been a while since I'd had the opportunity to hang out at the record store and casually survey the wares.  To facilitate the night's acts, half the store had to be blocked off by a raised platform and obviously a drum kit and sound equipment, which leaves the other half of the store available for the audience, the bands' gear and merch.  Consequently, I couldn't shop a good portion of the store.  I was able to hit the new releases, the indie/punk/hardcore/metal section and the jazz...

Relapse Records is reissuing High On Fire 's Surrounded By Thieves , Blessed Black Wings and Death Is This Communion later this month as double LP sets.  I myself will be replacing my shitty promo copy of Death Is This Communion , which, for the purposes of foiling the rampant endeavors of music pirates everywhere, is split into 100 or more tracks, each song chopped into ten second increments.  I paid $4 for it through some independent vendor thinking I was getting a bargain.  Yeah.    Info provided by Relapse Records. HIGH ON FIRE: Classic Albums to See Vinyl Reissue High on Fire’s classic records, Surrounded By Thieves, Blessed Black Wings, and Death Is This Communion are each receiving a deluxe vinyl reissue this July via Relapse Records. Out-of-print for some time, each album is being released as a gorgeous 2xLP set on two brand new, exclusive colors complete with gatefold tip-on jackets. The vinyl will be released on July 23rd and is avai...

Here's a nicely warped, psychedelic video for High On Fire 's new single, "Fertile Green," which, if you haven't guessed, has something to do with weed.  As you can imagine, the video does, too.  It's a tad unsuitable for the cubicle, (particularly because of the naked woman carved out of stone with a nice patch of "fertile green" in its pubic region and the two globular masses staring walleyed at the sky above...  striking), so sit it out for your 9 to 5.  "Fertile Green" is one of the best songs featured in High On Fire's De Vermis Mysteriis , which I couldn't recommend more.  Great riffs, great speed, lots of energy.  It's one of my favorite releases of 2012 for sure. Found through Noisey . Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

High On Fire The Art Of Self Defense Southern Lord Recordings Originally released: 3.7.00 (Man's Ruin Records) Reissued: 7.31.12 Stereokiller review Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Southern Lord continues its reissue streak with High On Fire 's The Art of Self Defense , the debut album from ex- Sleep guitarist Matt Pike 's stoner metal trio.  This will be out in late July and, next to Sleep's Dopesmoker reissue, The Art of Self Defense will probably be another big release for Southern Lord.  All details provided by Earsplit PR. At some point, I'll be reviewing High On Fire's new 2012 release, De Vermis Mysteriis , or I could simply sum it up here:  It's fucking awesome!  It's one of my favorite albums of 2012 thus far!  Do yourselves a favor, find a copy, locate a stereo and keep the volume high. HIGH ON FIRE: Southern Lord Recordings To Reissue The Art Of Self Defense Adding to their ever-growing catalog of sonic enormity, Southern Lord Recordings today is extremely pleased to announce the reissue of The Art Of Self Defense , the classic first recording from Oakland power trio HIGH ON FIRE. Set for release on July 31, the...