Sludge metal guitarist (and frontman) Matt Pike is set to release his debut album ‘Pike vs The Automaton‘ this winter via MNRK Heavy to the eagerness of those with a penchant for stoner groove. Similar to his work with High On Fire and the infamous Sleep, the first single off the album ‘Alien Slut Mum‘ is everything you could expect from Pike, but not in a dull way – hardly. It’s a pleasure. The LP release comes directly after a High On Fire tour for Matt Pike, as well as putting out an illustrated lyric book of the band’s albums last month, entitled “Head On A Pike: The Illustrated Lyrics of Matt Pike“. ‘Pike vs the Automaton‘ was produced by Billy Anderson, a previous collaborator of both Sleep and High On Fire, while Jon Reid (formerly of Lord Dying) provided drums. The sludge guitar god has described the time of writing the debut solo LP as when he was “really, truly miserable” and “going bonkers during the pandemic” – something majority of us can relate to.
Watch the beer drinking turned monster in the woods video for ‘Alien Slut Mum‘ below and be sure to check out ‘Pike vs the Automaton‘ February 18th at a record store near you. Who are we kidding? You’ll stream it, but go get yourself a copy somewhere brick-and-mortar too.
‘Pike vs the Automaton’ tracklisting:
1. ‘Abusive’
2. ‘Throat Cobra’
3. ‘Trapped In A Midcave’
4. ‘Epoxia’
5. ‘Land’
6. ‘Alien Slut Mum’
7. ‘Apollyon’
8. ‘Acid Test Zone’
9. ‘Latin American Geological Formation’
10. ‘Leaving The Wars Of Woe’
Sarah Medeiros