Having rewritten the hard rock rulebook with his Grammy award-winning trio, High On Fire, to reverse engineering doom metal with his genre-defining trio, Sleep, Matt Pike has channeled his natural talents and chiseled a steely path straight to the heart of modern day metals molten core. Pike announces a string of autumn U.S tour dates this November in support of his debut solo LP Pike vs The Automaton which is out now via MRNK Heavy.
Born out of the challenges brought on by a worldwide pandemic, Pike vs The Automaton, is both a musical and emotional release. The record was written by Pike with drummer Jon Reid, and features contributions from a slew of family and friends. It was recorded with long time conspirator, producer Billy Anderson. Guest musicians include Alyssa Maucere-Pike (Lord Dying, Grigax), Chad "Chief" Hartgrave, Brent Hinds (Mastodon), Steve McPeeks (West End Motel), Josh Greene (El Cerdo), Todd Burdette (Tragedy, His Hero Is Gone) and High On Fire bassist Jeff Matz who lays down Turkish electric saz on the albums towering closing track "Leaving the Wars of Woe".
When asked about Pike vs The Automaton Matt says "I made a psychedelic rock record that Sleep and High On Fire fans would like and, even if you are not, you might like it too. I definitely think it's interesting; it has D-Beat punk, two-step. It's got everything and it still works together, it doesn't sound odd. It's just an off-the-wall psychedelic rock record."
"Actions speak louder than words," said Pike when asked for comment. "We're going to let our music do the talking. See you at the shows."
The Pike vs The Automaton mini-tour will launch on November 13 in Dallas, TX. The weeklong jaunt will run through November 20 in Iowa City, IA. Tickets for all dates are on sale here; https://pvta.ffm.to/tourdates The just-released live dates are as follows:
Pike vs The Automaton track listing:
1.) Abusive
2.) Throat Cobra
3.) Trapped In A Midcave
4.) Epoxia
5.) Land (feat. Brent Hinds / watch VIDEO)
6.) Alien Slut Mum
7.) Apollyon
8.) Acid Test Zone
9.) Latin American Geological Formation
10.) Leaving The Wars Of Woe
To whet your appetite check out the official music video for "Land" from Pike vs The Automaton featuring Brent Hinds.
