Matt Pike
Encyclopedia
Matt Pike is an American
rock
musician best known as the guitarist of the influential doom metal
band Sleep
and frontman of High on Fire
. He is quite well known in the metal scene for almost never wearing a shirt during live performances.
after spending time in Military School while living with his mother in Golden, Colorado
. A self-proclaimed juvenile delinquent, he was stealing car stereos in order to feed a developing drug habit. When he arrived in Silicon Valley
, he realized that the hardcore punk
and heavy metal
scene was much more active than the one in Denver
; he quickly made friends and began going to shows. Pike joined a sludge metal
band called Asbestosdeath
. After playing around the bay area they developed a much heavier and slower sound. Dubbed doom metal
by the press, the quartet soon gained a following and changed their name to Sleep
.
--Playing Black Sabbath
-styled riffs that invariably made a profound impact on the developing stoner metal/doom metal
scene.
As a result of the increased press, the band's demographic and following widened greatly, and major label deals soon began surfacing. However, instead of following a path to mainstream exposure, the band fled further underground, turning down countless major label deals and submitting the one-song, full-length Jerusalem in mid-1996. In 1997, the band called it quits after London Records
refused to release the Dopesmoker/Jerusalem recordings and the pressure the members were experiencing became unbearable. Pike couldn't come to terms with the break-up and became depressed. He soon realized that his career as a musician was far from over, and began inviting people to jam in his garage. Deciding to work in a power trio again, he brought in Desmond Kensel (drums) and an old friend George Rice (bass) to play in his new band. Within six months, the jams were headed to fruition and (High on Fire
) was developing from a simple need to play guitar again.
(HOF), and while his guitar tone remained largely the same, he began playing faster and more aggressively than Sleep. Pike handles both guitar and vocal duties in the band, as well as writing a bulk of the material. High on Fire have toured constantly since their inception.
, Samiam
, and Cruevo. Pike set aside the guitar for Kalas, as they already featured two guitarists; his vocals were surprisingly melodic, especially compared to his snarling growls in High on Fire. Kalas split by October 2006.
s through the first three High On Fire albums, including the cherry-sunburst Standard he used in his previous band. During the early years of Sleep, Pike used Laney and Orange Amps but Pike and Al Cisneros
discovered the Matamp “Green” while on tour in England, which became their preferred amplifier. Between the touring cycle for Blessed Black Wings
and Death Is This Communion
, Pike teamed up with First Act
to design a custom guitar. He, along with Bill Kelliher
and Brent Hinds
of Mastodon
, designed a 9-stringed double-cutaway solid-body guitar, made of mahogany and maple. The bottom three strings (tuned to C, F, A# on Pike's guitar) are normal; however, the treble strings are doubled up, similar to a 12-string guitar, to provide a natural chorus effect and add depth to the sound. They are tuned to D#, G, C, with their adjacent strings tuned the same, making the overall tuning C-Standard.
A few photos online have shown him using his Laney
amps and some Marshall
amps as well. In the Sleep "Dragonaut" video, he was shown using a Hiwatt amplifier. Initially, the only other addition he made to his set up after Sleep was adding a Soldano X-77 Preamp (to add more gain) to the Green head. Pike would feed the Matamp and Soldano signal into a Solid State Power Amp to power his Green Cabinets.
He eventually switched to a beefy Soldano
SLO-100 Head during the Blessed Black Wings
era.
As of 2006, he has been using only the Soldano head to power two home made cabinets. Matt's amps for tour are currently a Soldano
SLO-100 head and a Marshall Amplification
Kerry King JCM800 head powering 4 Emperor 4x12 cabinets. He also has a Boss TU-3, a MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay and a ABY box for switching between amp in his live signal chain.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
musician best known as the guitarist of the influential doom metal
Doom metal
Doom metal is an extreme form of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other metal genres...
band Sleep
Sleep (band)
Sleep is a stoner doom metal band from San Jose, California. Active during the 1990s, Sleep earned critical and record label attention early in their career. Critic Eduardo Rivadavia describes them as "perhaps the ultimate stoner rock band" and notes they exerted a strong influence on heavy metal...
and frontman of High on Fire
High on Fire
High on Fire is a stoner metal band from Oakland, California, that was formed in 1998. Matt Pike, the band's frontman and founder, previously played guitar for the influential stoner doom band Sleep.-History:...
. He is quite well known in the metal scene for almost never wearing a shirt during live performances.
History
Pike moved to CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
after spending time in Military School while living with his mother in Golden, Colorado
Golden, Colorado
The City of Golden is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Golden lies along Clear Creek at the edge of the foothills of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Founded during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush on 16 June 1859, the mining camp was...
. A self-proclaimed juvenile delinquent, he was stealing car stereos in order to feed a developing drug habit. When he arrived in Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
, he realized that the hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
and heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
scene was much more active than the one in Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
; he quickly made friends and began going to shows. Pike joined a sludge metal
Sludge metal
Sludge metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that melds elements of doom metal and hardcore punk, and sometimes incorporates influences from southern rock, stoner rock and grunge. Sludge metal is typically abrasive; often featuring shouted vocals, heavily distorted instruments and sharply contrasting...
band called Asbestosdeath
Asbestosdeath
Asbestosdeath was an American sludge/doom metal band from San Jose, California, and the precursor to the highly influential Sleep.-History:Asbestosdeath started life as trio consisting of Al Cisneros on bass, Chris Hakius on drums, and Tom Choi on guitar. Matt Pike later joined as a second guitarist...
. After playing around the bay area they developed a much heavier and slower sound. Dubbed doom metal
Doom metal
Doom metal is an extreme form of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other metal genres...
by the press, the quartet soon gained a following and changed their name to Sleep
Sleep (band)
Sleep is a stoner doom metal band from San Jose, California. Active during the 1990s, Sleep earned critical and record label attention early in their career. Critic Eduardo Rivadavia describes them as "perhaps the ultimate stoner rock band" and notes they exerted a strong influence on heavy metal...
.
Sleep
When fellow Sleep guitarist Justin Marler decided to quit, Sleep became a power trio. The band's second album, Sleep's Holy Mountain, illustrated Pike as a young Tony IommiTony Iommi
Anthony Frank "Tony" Iommi is an English guitarist and songwriter best known as the founding member of pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and its sole continual member through multiple personnel changes.Iommi is widely recognised as one of the most important and influential guitarists in...
--Playing Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
-styled riffs that invariably made a profound impact on the developing stoner metal/doom metal
Doom metal
Doom metal is an extreme form of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other metal genres...
scene.
As a result of the increased press, the band's demographic and following widened greatly, and major label deals soon began surfacing. However, instead of following a path to mainstream exposure, the band fled further underground, turning down countless major label deals and submitting the one-song, full-length Jerusalem in mid-1996. In 1997, the band called it quits after London Records
London Records
London Records, referred to as London Recordings in logo, is a record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin America from 1947 to 1979, then becoming a semi-independent label....
refused to release the Dopesmoker/Jerusalem recordings and the pressure the members were experiencing became unbearable. Pike couldn't come to terms with the break-up and became depressed. He soon realized that his career as a musician was far from over, and began inviting people to jam in his garage. Deciding to work in a power trio again, he brought in Desmond Kensel (drums) and an old friend George Rice (bass) to play in his new band. Within six months, the jams were headed to fruition and (High on Fire
High on Fire
High on Fire is a stoner metal band from Oakland, California, that was formed in 1998. Matt Pike, the band's frontman and founder, previously played guitar for the influential stoner doom band Sleep.-History:...
) was developing from a simple need to play guitar again.
High on Fire
From the ashes of Sleep rose Pike’s new band, High on FireHigh on Fire
High on Fire is a stoner metal band from Oakland, California, that was formed in 1998. Matt Pike, the band's frontman and founder, previously played guitar for the influential stoner doom band Sleep.-History:...
(HOF), and while his guitar tone remained largely the same, he began playing faster and more aggressively than Sleep. Pike handles both guitar and vocal duties in the band, as well as writing a bulk of the material. High on Fire have toured constantly since their inception.
Scum Angel/Kalas
Pike was the frontman of the Bay Area psychedelic-metal band Kalas (formerly Scum Angel) that featured members of EconochristEconochrist
Econochrist was a political hardcore punk band active in the late eighties and early nineties. They moved from Arkansas to the San Francisco Bay Area to become part of the punk music scene there...
, Samiam
Samiam
-Biography:Samiam was formed in late 1988 after the breakup of the Gilman club mainstay Isocracy. Their first show was in January 1989 with Christ on Parade. They released records through New Red Archives and Hopeless Records in the US and Burning Heart Records in Europe. In the mid-'90s, the band...
, and Cruevo. Pike set aside the guitar for Kalas, as they already featured two guitarists; his vocals were surprisingly melodic, especially compared to his snarling growls in High on Fire. Kalas split by October 2006.
Equipment
Pike has only rarely changed his guitar setup since his time in Sleep. He played mainly Gibson Les PaulGibson Les Paul
The Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
s through the first three High On Fire albums, including the cherry-sunburst Standard he used in his previous band. During the early years of Sleep, Pike used Laney and Orange Amps but Pike and Al Cisneros
Al Cisneros
Al Cisneros |Sleep]], Om, Shrinebuilder, and Asbestosdeath.-Biography:He began his musical career in 1989 by founding a local punk metal band, Asbestosdeath, along with Chris Hakius , Matt Pike and Tom Choi . Cisneros performed bass guitar for the band, and they released two EPs in 1990...
discovered the Matamp “Green” while on tour in England, which became their preferred amplifier. Between the touring cycle for Blessed Black Wings
Blessed Black Wings
Blessed Black Wings is the critically acclaimed third album from High on Fire. The vinyl version was released as a double LP and contains a bonus track, "Rapid Fire," originally by Judas Priest....
and Death Is This Communion
Death Is This Communion
Death Is This Communion is the fourth full-length album by High on Fire. It was released on September 10, 2007 in Europe and September 18 in the United States...
, Pike teamed up with First Act
First Act
First Act is a musical instrument manufacturer, which producers guitars, bass guitars, guitar and bass accessories, drum sets, percussion instruments, amplifiers as well as student-line clarinets, saxophones, and trumpets...
to design a custom guitar. He, along with Bill Kelliher
Bill Kelliher
Bill Kelliher is a guitarist in the Atlanta heavy metal band Mastodon. He is a native of Victor, New York. He shares guitar duties with Brent Hinds, playing mainly complex rhythm parts. Kelliher is married, with two young sons—the eldest one named Harrison, after Harrison Ford of Star Wars fame...
and Brent Hinds
Brent Hinds
Brent Hinds is an American guitarist/singer best known as a member of the Atlanta, Georgia metal band Mastodon, in which he shares guitar duties with Bill Kelliher and vocal duties with Troy Sanders and Brann Dailor....
of Mastodon
Mastodon
Mastodons were large tusked mammal species of the extinct genus Mammut which inhabited Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and Central America from the Oligocene through Pleistocene, 33.9 mya to 11,000 years ago. The American mastodon is the most recent and best known species of the group...
, designed a 9-stringed double-cutaway solid-body guitar, made of mahogany and maple. The bottom three strings (tuned to C, F, A# on Pike's guitar) are normal; however, the treble strings are doubled up, similar to a 12-string guitar, to provide a natural chorus effect and add depth to the sound. They are tuned to D#, G, C, with their adjacent strings tuned the same, making the overall tuning C-Standard.
A few photos online have shown him using his Laney
Laney Amplification
Laney Amplification is a British brand of guitar/bass guitar amplifiers and cabinets, and also public address systems.-History:Laney Amplification officially began on September 1st, 1967....
amps and some Marshall
Marshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company, founded by drummer Jim Marshall, that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, brands personal headphones/earphones , and, after acquiring Natal Drums, drums and bongos. Marshall amplifiers, and specifically their guitar amplifiers, are among the most...
amps as well. In the Sleep "Dragonaut" video, he was shown using a Hiwatt amplifier. Initially, the only other addition he made to his set up after Sleep was adding a Soldano X-77 Preamp (to add more gain) to the Green head. Pike would feed the Matamp and Soldano signal into a Solid State Power Amp to power his Green Cabinets.
He eventually switched to a beefy Soldano
Soldano
Soldano is a guitar amplifier manufacturing company, founded in 1986 by Michael Soldano in Los Angeles, California and later relocated to Seattle, Washington. It is mostly known for its modern high gain amps, particularly their flagship model — Soldano SLO-100, but product lineup also...
SLO-100 Head during the Blessed Black Wings
Blessed Black Wings
Blessed Black Wings is the critically acclaimed third album from High on Fire. The vinyl version was released as a double LP and contains a bonus track, "Rapid Fire," originally by Judas Priest....
era.
As of 2006, he has been using only the Soldano head to power two home made cabinets. Matt's amps for tour are currently a Soldano
Soldano
Soldano is a guitar amplifier manufacturing company, founded in 1986 by Michael Soldano in Los Angeles, California and later relocated to Seattle, Washington. It is mostly known for its modern high gain amps, particularly their flagship model — Soldano SLO-100, but product lineup also...
SLO-100 head and a Marshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company, founded by drummer Jim Marshall, that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, brands personal headphones/earphones , and, after acquiring Natal Drums, drums and bongos. Marshall amplifiers, and specifically their guitar amplifiers, are among the most...
Kerry King JCM800 head powering 4 Emperor 4x12 cabinets. He also has a Boss TU-3, a MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay and a ABY box for switching between amp in his live signal chain.
Discography
- Asbestos Death Dejection EP (1990 Profane ExistenceProfane ExistenceThe Profane Existence Collective is a Minneapolis-based anarcho-punk collective. Established in 1989, the collective publishes a nationally-known zine , as well as releasing and distributing anarcho-punk, crust, and grindcore music, and printing and publishing pamphlets and literature...
) - Asbestos Death UncleanUncleanUnclean may refer to:* Unclean animals, those whose consumption or handling is labeled a taboo* Unclean food, in Jewish dietary custom* Unclean hands, a term in contract law* Unclean , from 1984* Unclean spirit, in Christianity...
EP (1990 self-released) - Sleep Volume OneVolume One (Sleep album)Volume One is the debut album by the American band Sleep. It was the only album recorded with original guitarist Justin Marler, before he became an Orthodox monk. Volume One showcases a darker sound and stronger doom metal influence than Sleep's later work...
CD (1991 Tupelo Records) - Sleep Volume TwoVolume Two (EP)Volume Two is an EP recorded by Sleep in 1991. It contains a live cover of Black Sabbath's "Lord of This World", and two early recordings of tracks that would appear on Sleep's Holy Mountain. The artwork for the EP is reminiscent of Black Sabbath Vol...
7" EP (1992 Off The Disk Records) - Sleep Sleep's Holy Mountain CD/LP (1992 Earache RecordsEarache RecordsEarache Records is a heavy metal-oriented record label based in Nottingham, UK and New York, USA. It helped to pioneer extreme metal by releasing many of the earliest grindcore and death metal records in the period 1988-1994.-History:...
) - Sleep Jerusalem CD (1999 The Music CartelThe Music CartelThe Music Cartel was a record label based in Port Washington, New York and active during the late 90s and early 00s. Many of their releases were also released in Europe on Rise Above Records. It was founded in 1998 by former Earache Records general manager Eric Lemasters...
) - High on Fire Early Recordings EP (1999 12th Records)
- High on Fire The Art of Self Defense (2000 Man's Ruin RecordsMan's Ruin RecordsMan's Ruin Records was an independent record label, owned and founded by Bay Area artist Frank Kozik. After the 1994 release of Man's Ruin's first record, entitled Experimental Audio Research : Delta 6, Kozik worked with artists who he wanted to release; he also designed all of the sleeve art for...
) - High on Fire Surrounded by ThievesSurrounded by ThievesSurrounded by Thieves is the second album by Californian stoner metal band High on Fire. It was their first album for Relapse Records and was produced by Billy Anderson and the band itself. It is generally considered one of the finest metal albums of 2002. "Hung, Drawn and Quartered" was utilized...
(2002 Relapse RecordsRelapse RecordsRelapse Records is an independent record label based in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matthew F. Jacobson in 1990.-History:The label was started by Matthew F. Jacobson in August, 1990 in his parents' basement in Aurora, Colorado...
) - Sleep Dopesmoker CD/LP (2003 Tee Pee RecordsTee Pee RecordsTee Pee Records is an independent record label located in New York City in the United States, made popular by the signing of The Brian Jonestown Massacre.-Artists :*Ancestors*Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound*The Atomic Bitchwax...
) - High on Fire Blessed Black WingsBlessed Black WingsBlessed Black Wings is the critically acclaimed third album from High on Fire. The vinyl version was released as a double LP and contains a bonus track, "Rapid Fire," originally by Judas Priest....
(2005 Relapse RecordsRelapse RecordsRelapse Records is an independent record label based in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matthew F. Jacobson in 1990.-History:The label was started by Matthew F. Jacobson in August, 1990 in his parents' basement in Aurora, Colorado...
) - High on Fire split 7" with Ruins (2005 Skin Graft Records)
- High on Fire Live from the Relapse Contamination Festival (2005 Relapse RecordsRelapse RecordsRelapse Records is an independent record label based in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matthew F. Jacobson in 1990.-History:The label was started by Matthew F. Jacobson in August, 1990 in his parents' basement in Aurora, Colorado...
) - Kalas Kalas (2006 Tee Pee RecordsTee Pee RecordsTee Pee Records is an independent record label located in New York City in the United States, made popular by the signing of The Brian Jonestown Massacre.-Artists :*Ancestors*Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound*The Atomic Bitchwax...
) - Asbestos Death Unclean Dejection (2007 Southern Lord RecordsSouthern Lord RecordsSouthern Lord is an American record label that was founded in 1998 by Greg Anderson, specializing in what could broadly be classified as experimental heavy metal, particularly the doom metal, stoner rock, and drone metal sub-genres. Some of the more notable artists on the label include Earth, Om,...
) - High on Fire Death Is This CommunionDeath Is This CommunionDeath Is This Communion is the fourth full-length album by High on Fire. It was released on September 10, 2007 in Europe and September 18 in the United States...
(2007 Relapse RecordsRelapse RecordsRelapse Records is an independent record label based in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matthew F. Jacobson in 1990.-History:The label was started by Matthew F. Jacobson in August, 1990 in his parents' basement in Aurora, Colorado...
) - High on Fire - Snakes for the DivineSnakes for the DivineSnakes for the Divine is the fifth studio album by High on Fire.-History and recording:Snakes for the Divine was recorded at The Pass Studios in Los Angeles with producer Greg Fidelman. The album cover art and track listing were revealed on the band's Myspace page on January 6, 2010. Snakes for the...
(2010 E1 Music)