It's hard for me now to distinguish between my two favorite High On Fire records - on alternate days it could be 2000's The Art Of Self Defense (which I have already reviewed here) or this - 2002's Surrounded By Thieves. Both are heavy stoner classics, with Surrounded By Thieves being a slightly more expansive record.
The tracks here are crushingly heavy and the tone is classic High On Fire Green Matamp-on-10, drop C# tuning and the song writing is just stellar. It's one of the few records where I can't choose my favorites - every song is good. The only bummer being the long intro to the record on 'Eyes And Teeth' that takes too long to lead into the song.
'Speedwolf' is a slight bit of a departure for the band with its nearly acoustic opening, but quickly gets down to business and gets a stoner-thrash kind of thing happening that just kills.
'Thraft of Caanan' is a track that Pike himself says 'is about life on tour' and does feel like a journey with its many parts and tone of a travel tune. 'The Yeti' has the same kind of thing happening, but darker and heavier.
If I absolutely had to pick a standout track, I would probably have to pick the side 1/cut 1 of 'Eyes and Teeth' which also kills live on a bootleg I have of them in 2002 and the power of this one track is enough to make me listen to the boot again and again. It certainly doesn't have the complicated chord structure the other traks tend to have as the verse sections are basically one single chord played in time with the beat, but it is still stellar, more like 'Dopesmoker' than say, 'Snakes for the Divine'.
Really though, every track is masterful, a super-solid release from High On Fire, a total must-own.
This was their first album for Relapse Records and this is the first pressing of that record on red vinyl, the single LP instead of the later 2xLP that you can find now. I picked it up in Seattle at Silver Platters, one of two must-hit record stores in Seatown, with the other being Jive Time.
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