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High on Fire Take Acoustic Turn |
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Written by fff
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Tuesday, 01 April 2008 |
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High on Fire recently announced they intend to go acoustic on the upcoming Gigantour, where they’ll trek across North America alongside Children of Bodom, Job for a Cowboy, In Flames and Megadeth.
“We just wanted to try something a bit different,” explains bassist Jeff Matz. "Either it works or it doesn’t, but it’s definitely an awesome avenue for us to expand as musicians.”
Known for playing intense live shows of punishing force, High on Fire decided to turn it down a notch from the crunchy riffs and ear-drum ripping solos, but insist they can still capture their signature intensity unplugged.
The tune "Waste of Tiamat," from High on Fire’s latest release “Death Is This Communion,” incorporates flamenco-ish acoustic picking, courtesy of Matz, so it really isn’t a huge leap for the Oakland-based trio. "Khanrad's Wall," also from the band’s latest album, is centralized around a tambour, twelve-string acoustic guitars, and gentle tom-tom drums.
“Lately, I’ve been getting into Middle Eastern music, traditional Iranian folk music and traditional Turkish music,” Matz added. “It’s opened my eyes up to a lot of different musical possibilities.”
And while they won’t be performing an acoustic show on every stop on Gigantour’s 30-day romp across North America, a handful of lucky cities – the band declined to specify which dates – will get to experience the acoustic performance first hand.
“It’s definitely engaged my brain a lot more," Matz said of the new set. "It’s been a challenge that made me step up and improve my musicianship a lot.”
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