Oakland, CA-based HIGH ON FIRE will release it's new studio album, De Vermis Mysteriis, on April 3rd via eOne Music. Recorded in Salem, Massachusetts' GodCity Studios with producer and CONVERGE guitarist Kurt Ballou, the 10 song effort - touted as "direct, eye-opening and powerfully supernatural" - is the band's sixth studio recording and the follow up to 2010's Snakes For The Divine, which debuted at #62 on the Billboard Top 200.

De Vermis Mysteriis (or "Mysteries of the Worm") takes its title from a fictional grimoire created by Psycho author Robert Bloch and incorporated by H. P. Lovecraft into the lore of the Cthulhu Mythos (Lovecraft mentioned De Vermis Mysteriis as one of the books that "repeat the most hellish secrets learnt by early man"). The album carries a deeply mystical undercurrent, incorporating fantastical themes and lyrics detailing, among other things, time travel, a serum called liao that is made out of a black lotus and "a Jesus twin who can see the past through his ancestors' eyes." And that's just scratching the surface.

Musically, De Vermis Mysteriis is absolutely explosive, showcasing the California power trio's thundering roar and expanded harmonic and rhythmic palettes while the songs move confidently through multiple riffs and movements. High On Fire construct tough, burly stoner metal that is at once devastatingly epic and mercilessly metallic as superstar guitarist Matt Pike's sizzling ax and avenging-angel riffs fuse with Des Kensel's double-kick-drum onslaught and Jeff Matz's concrete crushing, Burton-esque bass guitar. Over the course of forty-five minutes, High On Fire have created an amalgamation of fantastical lyrical ideas and brute force musicianship anchored in an endlessly captivating, punkishly frantic sound. Simply put, the band generates awesome on demand and has a virtual chokehold on monolithic-sounding, masterfully crafted epic music. High On Fire is a savage bull in the china shop of modern metal.

When asked for comment on De Vermis Mysteriis, Pike somewhat cryptically replied, "Prepare for your dark journey."

De Vermis Mysteriis tracklisting:

'Serums Of Liao'

'Bloody Knuckles'

'Fertile Green'

'Madness Of An Architect'

'Interlude'

'Spiritual Rites'

'King Of Days'

'De Vermis Mysteriis'

'Romulus And Remus'

'Warhorn'

In advance of the new album's release, High On Fire will perform a number of live dates as part of the 2012 SXSW Music and Media Festival in Austin, TX. The band is expected to preview new material at the SX shows.

The just-announced dates are as follows:

March

13 - Austin, TX - Emo's East
14 - Austin, TX - SXSW
15 - Houston, TX - Fitzgerald's
16 - Austin, TX - SXSW
17 - Austin, TX - SXSW TBA
18 - Austin, TX - SXSW

Finally, on June 30th, High On Fire will join SLAYER, SLIPKNOT, ANTHRAX and more as part of the 2012 Rockstar Energy Mayhem Tour. The 26 city jaunt will kick off in San Bernardino, CA and run through August 5th in Hartford, CT.

The itinerary for the monster trek is as follows:

June

30 - San Bernardino, CA - San Manuel Amphitheater

July

1 - San Francisco, CA - Shoreline Amphitheater
3 - Seattle, WA - White River Amphitheater
4 - Boise, ID - Idaho Center Amphitheater
6 - Phoenix, AZ - Ashley Furniture Home Store Pavilion
7 - Albuquerque, NM - Hard Rock Casino Albuquerque Presents The Pavilion
8 - Denver, CO - Comfort Dental Amphitheatre
10 - Dallas, TX - Gexa Energy Pavilion
11 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
13 - Tampa, FL - 1-800-Ask-Gary Amphitheatre
14 - Atlanta, GA - Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood
15 - Indianapolis, IN - Klipsch Music Center
18 - Oklahoma City, OK - Zoo Amphitheatre
20 - St. Louis, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
21 - Chicago, IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
22 - Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
24 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
25 - Cleveland, OH - Blossom Music Center
27 - Philadelphia, PA - Susquehanna Bank Center
28 - Pittsburgh, PA - First Niagara Pavilion
29 - Washington, DC - Jiffy Lube Live
31 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Saratoga Performing Arts Center

August

1 - Buffalo, NY - Darien Lake PAC
3 - Boston, MA - Comcast Center
4 - Scranton, PA - Toyota Pavilion
5 - Hartford, CT - The Comcast Theatre

(Band photo: Tom Couture)