Heavy Metal Icon Hits the Road In Support of Debut Solo LP
“Pike is biologically driven to write and play bodacious heavy metal riffs” – Pitchfork
From rewriting 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 metal’s molten core. Today, Pike announces a string of autumn U.S. tour dates in support of his debut solo LP, ‘Pike vs. the Automaton’, out now.
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 at this location. The just-released live dates are as follows:
Matt Pike’s ‘Pike vs. the Automaton’ tour dates:
November 13 Dallas, TX Amplified Live
November 14 Little Rock, AR White Water Tavern
November 15 Memphis, TN Growlers
November 17 Chicago, IL Reggies
November 18 Milwaukee, WI The Rave
November 19 Minneapolis, MN Turf Club
November 20 Iowa City, IA Gabe’s
“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.”
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, features contributions from a slew of family and friends, and was recorded with longtime conspirator Billy Anderson, the producer who brought the best out of Pike previously on touchstone titles such as ‘Surrounded by Thieves’ and ‘Sleep’s Holy Mountain’.
‘Pike vs. the Automaton‘ has been called “a psych-rock blowout” by the Chicago Reader, and “thrilling” by Revolver. Blabbermouth stated, “It is a certified Heavy Metal Fact that Matt Pike is a badass,” Decibel called Pike “a trailblazing visionary,” Glide named Pike “one of the most badass rockers on this planet”, Guitar World deemed Pike “a modern-day equivalent to Tony Iommi”, and Pitchfork opined, “Pike is biologically driven to write and play bodacious heavy metal riffs.”
The album title, ‘Pike vs. the Automaton’, wasn’t an ego thing for me,” says Pike. “Billy and Jon said, “Dude, you should use your name in this. This is your solo project.” I said, “I don’t want to do that”. “The Automaton, in Greek mythology, is the big robot that’s the guardian of the Gods, basically. It’s a soulless, big machine named Talos. The big machine that’s working against mankind at this moment. In ‘Jason and the Argonauts’, Jason and the Argonauts have to battle this big machine guy that protects the island. Basically, what the album title is saying, metaphorically, is ‘Pike against the World.’”
“I made a psychedelic rock record that Sleep and High on Fire fans would like,” Pike continues when asked for a CliffsNotes description of ‘Pike vs. the Automaton’. “And maybe if you’re not a Sleep or High on Fire fan, 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.”
Guest musicians on ‘Pike vs. the Automaton’ 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 album’s towering closing track “Leaving the Wars of Woe”.
‘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
“Matt Pike’s creativity as a songwriter and guitarist in era-defining bands such as Sleep and High on Fire has made him a key figure in underground metal…Pike is one of the best guitarists you will ever hear.” – CHICAGO TRIBUNE
“Frontman Matt Pike’s compositions always had a latent doom streak…Pike’s guitar sludge is particularly hypnotic, and his shout is at its most adroit” – ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
“Matt Pike is having a busy year, and a pretty great one, too…he reworks the stoner-rock boilerplate into a mantra of transcendental awe.” – THE ONION
“High On Fire guitarist Matt Pike slings one of the heaviest axes in metal…famed stoner-metal hero” – SPIN
“Pike is a guitar wizard like Eddie Van Halen, but Pike is here because he’s also a bare-chested rock wildman like David Lee Roth” – STEREOGUM
