High on Fire

High on Fire is an American Heavy/Sludge metal band formed in 1998 in Oakland, California. As the Sleep venture ended in 1998, its guitarist Matt Pike (vocals/guitar) decided to immediately start a new band whose sound would incorporate the thrash influences of his youth. Once again based in San Francisco, High On Fire, like Sleep, took the form of a trio, with Des Kensel as drummer and George Rice as bassist. After a first demo, the band would release its first album in 2000 on 12th Records, The Art Of Self Defense, later reissued on Tee Pee Records with two bonus tracks.