Stoner/doom metal legends High On Fire have announced that they plan to commence recording for their seventh studio album in late January at Salem, Massachusetts’ GodCity Studios with producer Kurt Ballou. Ballou, who is also the guitarist in legendary hardcore/metalcore band Converge, is currently one of the most critically acclaimed and sought-after producers in extreme music. In addition to producing HOF’s most recent album, 2012’s De Vermis Mysteriis, he has helmed numerous classics from the likes of Nails, Baptists, All Pigs Must Die, Code Orange Kids, Trap Them, Skeletonwitch, Vallenfyre, Black Breath, Kvelertak, and countless others.

High On Fire wrote the material for the new disc over the past year in both their hometown of Oakland and in New Orleans. The songs have been described as “epic” and “sonically huge.”

The Spring of 2013 was shaping up very nicely for L.A. stoner/doom rock outfit Behold! The Monolith. The band had just released its second full-length album, Defender, Redeemist, which was recorded with legendary producer Billy Anderson at the helm. The record was gathering steam and the band was set to embark on a nationwide tour. Then on June 21, two weeks before the tour was to commence, the unthinkable happened: lead singer and bassist Kevin McDade was killed in an automobile accident at the all too young age of 29.

Devastated by the loss of the man who they considered as much a brother as a bandmate, remaining members Chase Manhattan (drums) and Matt Price (guitar) could not initially even conceive of continuing on without their beloved frontman. It was only after receiving the blessings and encouragement of the McDade family that they could begin to pick up the pieces.