High on Fire/Goatwhore/Lo-Pan/Forged In Flame

High on Fire singer-guitarist Matt Pike earned his stoner rock credentials in the mid-’90s when he played with Sleep, a doom metal act famous for releasing an album that consisted of one long song. After that group disbanded in 1997, Pike went on to form High on Fire and has kept a steady cult following ever since. The band’s latest release De Vermis Mysteriis is a concept album. The concept: Jesus Christ had a time-traveling twin. Whoa! These guys didn’t put the word “high” in their moniker for nothing. Songs such as “Bloody Knuckles” and “Fertile Green” are heavy rock anthems that keep the spirit of Sabbath alive. (Jeff Niesel)