Surrounded by Thieves

Surrounded by Thieves
Studio album by High on Fire
Released	May 28, 2002
Genre	Stoner metal, sludge metal
Length	40:38
Label	Relapse Records
Producer	Billy Anderson & High on Fire
High on Fire chronology
The Art of Self Defense (2000) Surrounded by Thieves (2002) Blessed Black Wings (2005)

Surrounded by Thieves is the second studio album by American heavy metal band High on Fire. It was the band's first album for Relapse Records and was produced by Billy Anderson and the band itself. "Hung, Drawn and Quartered" was utilized as the album's promotional track. It was featured on a 7" split with Mastodon's "March of the Fire Ants" and had a music video which aired on Uranium and MTV's Headbangers Ball . It would be the last album with founding bassist George Rice.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Pitchfork Media	(8.8/10) [2]

Surrounded by Thieves was well received by critics. AllMusic's Brian O'Neill awarded the album 4.5 out of 5 stars, calling it "relentless" and suggesting that every song was "an epic that rolls like sinister thunder across the landscape." ^[1] O'Neill noted that there was "not much variation" on the album but added that variety isn't necessary "when you get locked into a groove this good."

Isaiah Violante, writing for Pitchfork , gave a similarly positive review of 8.8 out of 10. ^[2] He praised the album's "nihilistic theme and all-encompassing walls of drone". He went on to praise the band for being able to "only operate according to its own whims" while also making "organic and monstrous music".

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Eyes & Teeth"	5:03
2.	"Hung, Drawn and Quartered"	4:27
3.	"Speedwolf"	4:36
4.	"The Yeti"	7:07
5.	"Nemesis"	3:34
6.	"Thraft of Caanan"	8:06
7.	"Surrounded by Thieves"	4:19
8.	"Razor Hoof"	3:26

Personnel

• Matt Pike – guitar, vocals
• George Rice – bass
• Des Kensel – drums

Production

• Billy Anderson – producer, engineer
• Mark Keaton – mastering
• Orion Landau – artwork
• Justin Lieberman – assistant engineer

References

1. "Surrounded by Thieves - High on Fire | Album". AllMusic . Retrieved May 28, 2025.
2. Violante, Isaiah. "High on Fire: Surrounded by Thieves". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved May 28, 2025.