''Luminiferous'' is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band

High on Fire High on Fire is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California, that was formed in 1999. Matt Pike, the band's frontman and founder, also plays guitar for doom metal band Sleep. High on Fire won the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Metal Per ...

, released on June 23, 2015, through

Entertainment One Music MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had b ...

. The album was produced by

Kurt Ballou Kurt Ballou (born February 1, 1974) is an American musician and producer based in Massachusetts, best known as the guitarist for hardcore punk band Converge and for his prolific recording and production work at his own GodCity Studio. Early and ...

who handled production on the band's previous release, ''

De Vermis Mysteriis ''De Vermis Mysteriis'', or ''Mysteries of the Worm'', is a fictional grimoire created by Robert Bloch and incorporated by H. P. Lovecraft into the lore of the Cthulhu Mythos. Creation Ludvig Prinn's ''Mysteries of the Worm'' first appeared in ...

'' (2012). The gap between these albums is the longest for High on Fire.

Reception

''Luminiferous'' was met with critical acclaim. The album received an average score of 82/100 from 13 reviews on

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, indicating "universal acclaim". Thom Jurek of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

praised the album, writing, "One reason that High on Fire don't get accused of resting on their laurels is that they always come out hungry, anxious to refine their sound and remove anything that is not absolutely essential to their purposes. ''Luminiferous'' accomplishes that as well." Writing for ''

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'', Grayson Haver Currin called the album "masterful" and said, "Featuring mammoth riffs and hooks, it feels like a classic compendium of High on Fire's successes." Denise Falzon of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' wrote, "Heavy metal at its finest, ''Luminiferous'' is a brilliant, dynamic release, showcasing High on Fire's penchant for diverse, thoughtful songwriting and impeccable musicianship." In his review of the album, Richard Giraldi of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' considered ''Luminiferous'' nothing new, but still extremely refined and "some of the finest metal on the planet". In a more lukewarm review, '' Now's'' John Semley considered the album a passable distraction while Pike's other band, ''

Sleep Sleep is a sedentary state of mind and body. It is characterized by altered consciousness, relatively inhibited sensory activity, reduced muscle activity and reduced interactions with surroundings. It is distinguished from wakefulness by a de ...

'' worked on their reformation. After its release, ''Luminiferous'' appeared on several year-end lists.

Accolades

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. High on Fire *

Matt Pike Matt may refer to: *Matt (name), people with the given name ''Matt'' or Matthew, meaning "gift from God", or the surname Matt *In British English, of a surface: having a non-glossy finish, see gloss (material appearance) *Matt, Switzerland, a mu ...

– lead vocals, guitar *

Jeff Matz High on Fire is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California, that was formed in 1999. Matt Pike, the band's frontman and founder, also plays guitar for doom metal band Sleep. High on Fire won the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Metal Perf ...

– bass, backing vocals,

bağlama The ''bağlama'' or ''saz'' is a family of plucked string instruments, long-necked lutes used in Ottoman classical music, Turkish folk music, Turkish Arabesque music, Azerbaijani music, Kurdish music, Armenian music and in parts of Syria, Iraq ...

(7) *

Des Kensel High on Fire is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California, that was formed in 1999. Matt Pike, the band's frontman and founder, also plays guitar for doom metal band Sleep. High on Fire won the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Metal Perf ...

– drums, backing vocals Guest musicians *

– backing vocals (4) *Robert Cheeseman – backing vocals (4) *Jason Zucco – backing vocals (4) *Scott Evans – backing vocals (4) Technical personnel *Kurt Ballou – production, recording, mixing *Robert Cheeseman – engineering assistance *Jordan Barlow – illustrations *Paul Grosso – creative direction *Andrew Kelley – art direction, design

References

{{Authority control 2015 albums High on Fire albums Albums produced by Kurt Ballou