Oakland, California sludge metal trio HIGH ON FIRE has set "Snakes For The Divine" as the tentative title of its fifth studio album and follow-up to 2007's "Death Is This Communion". The CD was recorded with producer Greg Fidelman (METALLICA, SLAYER, JOHNNY CASH) at The Pass Studios in Los Angeles and is slated for a February 2010 release via E1 Music (formerly KOCH Records). The artwork is once again being created by Arik Roper.

"We went a little over-aggressive with the drumming, and me and [bassist] Jeff [Matz] collaborated a lot more throughout the songwriting process," HIGH ON FIRE frontman Matt Pike tells AOL's Noisecreep. "We went for a more aggressive approach. It's what we do well. We went for a heavier, ballsier, faster-paced sound that still has a lot of cleverness to it ... there are lots of stops and stalls, crazy licks. It's really heavy, a little more aggressive than our last album, a little less psychedelic. For the most part, the songs are amazing."

Working with Fidelman was a pleasure, says Pike. "He's a genius," the singer says. "He knows what he's doing. We thought we'd butt heads but we ended up seeing eye-to-eye on a lot of things."

Fan-filmed video footage of HIGH ON FIRE performing a brand new song, entitled "Frost Hammer", on October 6, 2009 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada can be viewed below.

HIGH ON FIRE is currently on the road with Atlanta's MASTODON and DETHKLOK — the animated death metal band from Adult Swim's "Metalocalypse". Hailed as "one of the most highly-anticipated tours of the year," the Adult Swim Presents trek kicked off on October 2 in Portland, Oregon and is bringing mayhem and destruction to local venues throughout the nation. Adding even more layers to this fall's top metal tour, CONVERGE is opening each show.