SOUTHERN LORD REISSUE HIGH ON FIRE’S FIRST ALBUM

Following the recent reissue of Sleep’s classic epic “Dopesmoker,” Southern Lord has announced that it will reissue High on Fire’s first full-length album, “The Art of Self Defense,” on 30th July. The release was remastered and enhanced by Brad Boatright who previously remastered the “Dopesmoker” reissue. This release will contain the original artwork as well as a deluxe 48 page booklet. As a bonus to the fans, the tracklisting contains the band’s original 1999 demo and two tracks from a 2001 7″ vinyl single released by the band.

High on Fire originally formed in 1998 following the dissolving of vocalist/guitarist Matt Pike’s previous band, Sleep. In a March 2012 interview with Zero Tolerance, Pike summed up Sleep’s break-up by saying “We had this huge thing going, and it all kinda fell apart. How do you put your life back together? I started High on Fire. Al went into hiding. Chris went and did his thing.” “The Art of Self Defense” was the first full-length album from High on Fire and was originally released in 2000 on Man’s Ruin and featured Pike on vocals and guitar, alongside founding drummer Des Kensel and founding bassist George Rice, who left the band in 2004. The album contains tracks such as “Baghdad,” “10,000 Years,” and “Blood from Zion” which are fan favorites that remain in their live set to this day.

High on Fire is currently in its 14th year of existence and released its 6th album, “De Vermis Mysteriis,” in April 2012. This summer, the band will be on the road in North America as part of the Rockstar Mayhem Festival, alongside Slayer, Motorhead, Anthrax, and many others.