Have High On Fire actually stopped for a break since their huge 2007 album Death Is The Communion? I don't think they have, but unlike some bands from that neck of the woods *cough* Machine Head *cough* this Oakland band do not try and squeeze out every last drop of blood from their fans - and then claim that some of them are 'beat' and that they are now 'fired'. Instead, High On Fire have released Snakes For The Divine a continuation of their work on Death Is The Communion and a continual break from the murkier, slower side of the band that can be heard on Blessed Black Wings and The Art Of Self Defense. However, the eastern influences brought in by bassist Jeff Matz on their last album have been dropped.At the moment the band have stopped working with producer Jack Endino, and instead enlisted Greg Fieldman ”“ who has recently been at the helm for Slayer's last album World Painted Blood. The result is a slightly smoother sounding low-end and cleaner and rounder top end on Matt Pike's distinctive 9-string guitar. For a band that can be overpowering live, Fieldman has managed to EQ as much goodness out of the band as possible. The double-taked split stereo solos on 'Snakes For The Divine' and ‘How Dark We Pray’ sound a lot sweeter than anything put our before and Jeff Matz's numbing bass tone rolls over you like a general anaesthetic. Fieldman was also more instrumental in developing the sound of the album than Endino had previously been, and apparently was extremely active in helping the band wade through around four hours of material which they had recorded.Pike also sounds totally pissed off on this release. Maybe it is due to his personal experiences as of late, or maybe it is because his vocals are much clearer on this album compared to past releases. Whatever it is, it is loud, and perhaps a little too dominating in the mix for some.Skipping past the title track lands you on 'Frost Hammer', a track showcased live by the band many months before the release. Just like another track on the album 'The Path', 'Frost Hammer' has more in common with 'Death Is The Communion' than other tracks, mainly because of Pike's lengthy chord bends and melodic chorus, and Des Kensel's sublime switching from punk-esque drumming to rampant double-kicks. The rest of the band doesn’t hang about either. The majority of the album is up-tempo dirty metal; whereas tracks such as 'Bastard Samurai', 'The Path', 'Fire, Flood & Plague' stand out as they more variation between the thick riffs and Motorhead style verses.Their myspace url is highonfireslays, and the simple matter is that they do. A lot.