Death Is This Communion - High on Fire
User Score
8.3 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 24 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 24
  3. Negative: 2 out of 24

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  1. TomS.
    Oct 4, 2007
    10
    Holy crap. Their best so far, in my ears. Album of the year - along with Om's Pilgrimage, I expect. Sleep still rules, by proxy.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. KyleZ
    Feb 1, 2009
    9
    Very good! Love the atmosphere it creates, can't wait for more!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. JoeS
    Aug 31, 2009
    10
    Very original...very in your face. Hard core metal at its finest. The entire album, from start to finish, can turn a wimp into a fearless warrior. Matt Pike is the real fucking deal.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. johnp.
    Oct 2, 2007
    10
    HOF get better and more refined with time. All of their albums are mind blowing. This one, however is their masterpiece. The best riffs since classic Black Sabbath, bar none. Add elements of Celtic Frost, Motorhead(most notably on the old school thrasher "Rumors of War'') and Slayer. Matt Pike has outdone himself as the stoner metal god of the riff.This trio could very well be the best metal band on the planet. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  5. cherylA.
    Dec 30, 2007
    9
    High on Fire tears it up live, but up to now, their LP's have left me wanting. This album sees them ascending from craftsmen to majestic. Inhale the rock all ye who dare!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  6. HenryH.
    Oct 23, 2007
    10
    Better than the World Series, Desmond Kensel pounded a homerun in Boston at the Underground. Rain and old weather did not keep the public wanting to see HighonFire! The line of people would not leave after the full sign came on. The vibrations of Desmond's Drums could be heard over MIT campus that night! E=mc2 was the message pounded on the drums that dark and dreary night and student just echoed in their dorms the beat on their desks at 11:00PM. The Soundcraft K2 mixing board only reinforced what everyone could hear in Boston - -Fenway park was quiet that night, but the dull and rentless sound of the raindrops acted as background music to Desi's drums. The humidity was perfect too since a drought had come to an end and Desi's drums only echoed in Boston at 472 Massachuestts Ave. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  7. [Anonymous]
    Jul 25, 2008
    1
    The album sounds as if HoF had just discovered a band called Black Sabbath and mindlessly ripped-off from them. Unfortunately, they copied only the worst parts of Iommi & co.'s songs. Listening to this record is really painful- it's so fuckin' boring. Also the singer seems as he was to die from tuberculosis every time he opens his mouth. The album receives 1 from me for the pretty cool cover. Unfortunately, what is beneath it is just terrible. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  8. HT
    Nov 16, 2007
    9
    Not as impressive as "bless black wings", but an awesome album too.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  9. MikeP.
    Oct 25, 2007
    10
    This album kicks ass. Their best one yet. I would highly recommend it to anyone who truly loves heavy metal. There is no fake kid shit here.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  10. dsssss
    Sep 28, 2007
    0
    go back to mathclass you fucking retaahds. The highest review here is an 80 and it has a metascore of 81. U GOT A FUCKING AGENDA OR WHAT BITCH.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  11. ChrisC
    Sep 29, 2007
    10
    Uhh...if you actually *read* the part of the website that talks about the formula, you'll see that all scores are moved away from the average to increase the spread. Some people, you know, actually do research before they act like dicks about something.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 11
  2. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. 80
    It's sharp and in your face, like a scimitar. [Oct 2007, p.110]
  2. 60
    The Bay Area band increase their stylistic range, with flashes of psychedelia, and creatively druggy overtones to balnce out the epic pummeling. [Oct 2007, p.104]
  3. The deeper you go into the record, the more reassured you become that these musicians know what they're great at.