High on Fire, Torche and Kylesa Crush Webster Hall

Sunday 10.24
NYC
High on Fire / Torche /Kylesa @ Webster Hall
125 E. 11th St. 212-353-1600. $22.50-$27. 7 p.m.

Fans of what they call “stoner metal” have seen a veritable glut of genre-defining music come their way in 2010: This year has brought superlative releases from at least three of the genre’s cornerstone acts—High on Fire’s Snakes for the Divine, Torche’s Songs for Singles, and Kylesa’s Spiral Shadow. So the fact that all three of these bands are playing together seems like something greater than a mere gift; it feels like an act of divine benevolence. (Or, to put it another way, as this writer Tweeted back when he first bought tickets: “How many three-act bills will you see this year where High on Fire is the third-best band?”) To attempt to define each band’s majesty in the space allotted here would be folly—suffice it to say each is a dominant force, always worthy of “favorite band” or “album of the year” status. Living up to lofty expectations will be the challenge here, because no non-festival bill this year will be as enticing or contain so much sheer, skull-destroying, eardrum-exploding greatness.