Scars & Crosses is the full-length debut album from Hamburg based stoner metal act High Fighter, and follows their EP The Goat Ritual from 2014. Comprised of Mona Miluski (vocals), Christian 'Shi' Pappas (guitar), Ingwer Boysen (guitar), Constantin Wust (bass), and Thomas Wildelau (drums, backing vocals), this five piece combines stoner, doom, psychedelic, blues, sludge, and traditional heavy metal flavors for a rocking listen here on their Svart Records debut.
Miluski certainly sets the stage throughout with a varied performance, her vocals running the gamut from clean melodic passages, trippy psychedelia, and snarling extreme metal growls & screams. Many of the riffs pack a mean punch, like on "The Gatekeeper", "A Silver Heart", and "Blinders", the latter changing tempos quite often, from a venomous punk attitude to groove laden, thumping stoner rock. "Gods" is perhaps the most epic, thudding track on the album, complete with some serious riffing and Mona covering all the bases with her array of vocal styles, while the title cut is ripe with Black Sabbath inspired guitar thunder. Overall, Scars & Crosses is a strong release from a band who have shown here that they have something different to offer
Track Listing
1) A Silver Heart
2) Darkest Days
3) The Gatekeeper
4) Blinders
5) Portrait Mind
6) Gods
7) Down to the Sky
8) Scars & Crosses