High on Fire frontman Matt Pike was the guest on Full Metal Jackie’s radio show this past weekend. Pike spoke about the controversial 'Slave the Hive' video, taking some time for vacation and a new project that's in the works. If you missed Jackie’s show, here’s her full interview with High on Fire's Matt Pike.

It’s Full Metal Jackie bringing you two full hours of metal each and every week. On the show with us once again, the one and only Matt Pike. How are you?

I’m great. How are you?

I’m good. I’m good. It’s great to see you. Of course you just wrapped up this tour with Kvelertak and is there a bit of melancholy at the end of a tour? Like people going separate ways or are you craving space and a solitude at that point?

I’m actually going to Peru to go and look at all the ancient alien sites. Me and my fiancé and another friend are getting out of here. I get an actual real vacation where I get to travel and actually look at things and don’t have to entertain people. I’m really stoked to get out of here, but at the end of the tour, yeah, everyone’s really kind of starting to get burned, but you’re going to miss everyone. But it’s been such a spectacular tour. It’s been like really easy going and really smooth and very routine like. Yeah it’s been a lot of fun, but it’s been really solid.

A lot of response to the new 'Slave the Hive' video is that it’s disturbing, which is great, I think. Is causing discomfort sometimes like a criteria of be an effective artist?

Yeah and I think there should be a discomfort because there is a problem with over-communication, you know. I just think with people relying on their cellphones and people and technology and the way they use using technology. I think the criteria of the song is about the abuse of technology. You know Facebook can ruin a person’s life. Like cellphones people can’t go to sleep without looking at them, can’t eat without having it on them. They freak out when it’s not around them.

You know like I don’t know. I just think they have a solid addiction to it. It’s like everybody’s personal pocket Jesus or it’s like a crack rock or the "precious" in 'The Lord of the Rings.' You know? I believe if there was a solar flare or something right now and it all went down we are all f----- besides the people who don’t think about it. I leave my phone on the bus. I ignore it quite often. I ignore it as often as I can . Even though it’s a necessary evil because they made it that way. They made us dependent on a new drug. So Huey Lewis and the News got what they wanted.

Matt, artistically what is the most important non-musical source of inspiration for your music?

I think just my own brain and creativity and books and you know trying to think outside the box and getting down on paper. You know a paper and pen. Really.

Over the summer you talked about using downtime while recovering from surgery to develop a new project that would stoke up long-time fans. What’s the status of that project and what can you tell me about it.

Well this is the status of it. I’m going to start working on it after I get back from this Peru trip. I was just talking about going to New Orleans to start it and yeah I just opened a piggy bank that’s going to add to how the project is funded. That means I have more means to work creatively with High on Fire and other people who are going to be involved and I’ll just leave it at that, I want it to be a little of a surprise.

Awesome, looking forward to that. What can we expect aside from additional touring for 2014?

Not a whole lot. 2014 we have a project we are going into. I’m sure we will get some tours and some shows going on. Just not quite sure yet, gotta wait and see what pops up. There is no tentative plans. We just want to focus on getting more material done so and that takes time ... No tentative tour plans at this moment that are set in stone, but something will pop up and we will be touring in 2014 for sure.

Matt, appreciate you being on the show and thanks once again for taking the time.

Thank you.

This coming weekend, Full Metal Jackie will welcome Megadeth legend Dave Mustaine on her show. Full Metal Jackie can be heard on radio stations around the country — for a full list of stations, go to fullmetaljackieradio.com.