De Vermis Mysteriis
by High on Fire
Metascore
85

Universal acclaim - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
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  1. AllMusic
    Apr 6, 2012
    80
    While De Vermis Mysteriis is probably not the group's finest hour (2002's Surrounded by Thieves still bears that distinction), it is nonetheless a very fine hour indeed.
  2. Alternative Press
    Apr 3, 2012
    80
    What we're left is all the brutality of High On Fire's previous work, but with a razor-edged focus. [May 2012, p.79]
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  3. Austin Chronicle
    Aug 9, 2012
    78
    The Oakland trio's sixth battering ram rebounds from 2010's scattershot Snakes for the Divine, blowtorching the veneer off previous summit Death Is This Communion in a sh*tstorm of scabrous distortion.
  5. BBC Music
    May 14, 2012
    80
    Once more they've turned sludge, slime and slurry into heavy metal gold.
  6. cokemachineglow
    May 7, 2012
    76
    His [Kurt Ballou's] success here makes De Vermis Mysteriis the closest thing to a standout that the High on Fire catalog can claim, and the band makes good on what Ballou brings to the table.
  7. Consequence
    Apr 3, 2012
    80
    De Vermis Mysteriis gets up in your face, and it never really steps back until it's over.
  8. Dusted Magazine
    Apr 9, 2012
    80
    The whole is so relentlessly nasty and the riffs so good that a multitude of metal sins are forgiven.
  9. Exclaim
    Apr 5, 2012
    90
    De Vermis Mysteriis is a bloody, hard-fought triumph.
  10. No Ripcord
    Apr 10, 2012
    80
    Keeping it abrasive and sincerely metal in execution is its strength.
  11. Pitchfork
    Apr 6, 2012
    82
    They've found a way to be ambitious while also elemental, a difficult trick that Sleep pulled off on Holy Mountain and Dopesmoker, and one that High on Fire have nailed here.
  12. PopMatters
    Apr 3, 2012
    90
    With De Vermis Mysteriis, the beauty of High on Fire is visible therein, as enjoyment may be found on numerous levels.
  13. Prefix Magazine
    Apr 12, 2012
    75
    It is simple, it is pure, it is predictable, it is Another High on Fire Album.
  14. Q Magazine
    Jun 20, 2012
    80
    An utterly furious assault of gritty doom riffs and whisky-addled power, chugging, twisting and thundering with an energy the band have not found in years. [Jun 2012, p.100]
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  15. Sputnikmusic
    Apr 3, 2012
    90
    It is a ferocious and captivating listen that twists and turns through the deepest darkest depths all the while pushing forward into new sonic territory.
  16. The A.V. Club
    Apr 3, 2012
    83
    De Vermis offers nothing but variations on Pike's well-established fixations. But what stunning variations they are.

Awards & Rankings

27
#27 Best Album of 2012

User Reviews

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User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 12 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. Teewilliger
    Jun 5, 2013
    9
    This album is definitely one of their best If you don't like these guys you don't like real metal! Has anyone found a cure for Matt Pike'sThis album is definitely one of their best If you don't like these guys you don't like real metal! Has anyone found a cure for Matt Pike's shirt allergy yet?… Full Review »
  2. DanRod
    Nov 9, 2012
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. Words cannot describe how awesome this album is. I've been listening to it since August and I have not grown tired of it. Every song on this album creates a story in my mind, especially with lyrics like "A psychopath has found a sight and a way to be the king of days, A rhyme without a poem and the luster of his last ways" from the song King of Days. This is perhaps their best album to date in my opinion, especially with a new producer this album that makes the album sound almost exactly like it would if it was live. "De Vermis Mysteriis" means "Mysteries of the Worm" in Latin and is a "nod" to author Robert Bloch. The album is supposedly about the Twin brother of Jesus Christ dying to allow Jesus to live. Jesus's twin is named Balteazeen and is looking for the Slaughter House of time to find the "riddle of his own existence." The story could be actually very different in everyone's view. Each song in this album is amazing, telling a different part of the story. The song Fertile Green, for example, is mostly about Marijuana, and this leads me to believe that Marijuana is the "life source" of Balteazeen. "King of Days" is about a ruthless psychopath King who is going around different kingdoms and destroying them with no mercy. This is the best album I have ever listened to this year. If you are in to Stoner Metal, Sludge Metal, or are ready for good, wicked, and some of the best metal music to come out in a long time, BUY THIS ALBUM. 9.3/100 This is highly recommended.… Full Review »
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