Matt Pike: Difference between revisions

* [[DoomStoner metal]]

| associated_acts past_member_of = [[High on Fire]], [[Sleep (band)|Sleep]], [[Asbestosdeath]], [[#Kalas (band)|Kalas]]

Pike was born in [[Southfield, Michigan]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=@Loudwire|date=November 16, 2016|title=Matt Pike - Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1cFj55NNtI |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/G1cFj55NNtI |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|access-date=October 14, 2021|publisher=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He moved to [[California]] after spending time in military school while living with his mother in [[Golden, Colorado]].<ref name=":0" /> Arriving in [[San Jose, California|San Jose]], he realized the [[hardcore punk]] and [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] scenes were more active than the ones in Colorado. He made friends, attended shows, and eventually joined the [[sludge metal]] band [[Asbestosdeath]]. When playing around the Bay Area they developed a much heavier and slower sound more akin to [[doom metal]]. The quartet soon gained a following and changed their name to [[Sleep (band)|Sleep]].<ref>{{cite web|url={{AllmusicAllMusic|class=artist|id=p887554|pure_url=yes}}|title=Biography: Asbestos Death|last= Rivadavia|first=Eduardo|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=March 19, 2010}}</ref>

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{{Citation needed|reason=please give a reliable source for this assertion. Musicians like getting paid, make the records they want to anyway, and "countless" is a bit heavy|date=March 2011}} and submitting the one-song, full-length record ''[[Jerusalem (Sleep album)|Jerusalem]]'' in mid-1996. In 1997, the band called it quits after [[London Records]] refused to release the ''[[Dopesmoker]]/[[Jerusalem (Sleep album)|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.<ref>{{cite web|url={{AllmusicAllMusic|class=artist|id=p5456/biography|pure_url=yes}}|title=Biography: Sleep|last=Rivadavia|first=Eduardo |publisher=[[Allmusic]]|accessdate=March 19, 2010}}</ref>

FromWhile thePike's ashesguitar oftone Sleepremained roselargely Pike'sthe same in his new band, [[High on Fire]], and while his guitar tone remained largely the same, he began playing faster and more aggressively than he had in 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.<ref>{{cite web|url={{AllmusicAllMusic|class=artist|id=p417193/biography|pure_url=yes}}|title=Biography: High on Fire|last=Rivadavia|first=Eduardo |publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=March 19, 2010}}</ref>

*2015: ''[[Luminiferous (album)|Luminiferous]]''

*2022: ''Pike vs. the Automaton''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Nast|first=Condé|title=Pike vs the Automaton: Pike vs the Automaton|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/pike-vs-the-automaton-pike-vs-the-automaton/|access-date=2022-02-22|website=Pitchfork|language=en-US}}</ref>

* {{allmusicallMusic}}

[[Category:LeadAmerican lead guitarists]]