Heriot slid into my rotation earlier this year with their new single, Demure. I then discovered their raging cover of Machine Head's 1997 classic Ten Tons Hammer and then dived into their debut EP, Profound Mortality, the subject of that review.
But first, a little background. Heriot formed in the Midlands (Swindon via Birmingham), England, in 2015 and started as a three-piece Jack (bass and vocals), Erhan (guitar) and Julian (drums). They brought in an old friend in 2019 with Debbie Cough (guitar and vocals) and started releasing new music immediately.
Heriot released Profound Mortality in 2022 via Church Road Records.
Their sound is a crushing mix of harsh grinding riffs (as you would have expected from this part of the UK), industrial beats and ethereal soundscapes. The vocals range from growls to Debbie's heavenly tones.
The opening track, Abaddon, sets the tone for the next It opens with a futuristic yet cold industrial beat that morphs into an eerie ambient track. Talking about Birmingham's music heritage, Godless is not that far.
Coalesce (the first single) marks the piece de resistance for this EP while revealing most of the facets of their unique sound: double vocal attacks from Debbie, an industrial wall of sound with the heaviness of a post-metal core band. They are intertwined with the same cold and eerie atmospheric parts.
Mutagen leaves more space for Debbie's clean vocals for a more elaborated electronic soundscape-y piece.
Before hitting you in the jaw with a monolith, Enter the Flesh, a more traditional crushy/sludgy/hardcore piece.
The closing track, Profound Morality, might be my favourite, with a more melodic yet massive alternative, almost Deftones-ian sound and more melodic vocal lines.
The song "illustrates the conflict of humanity in trying to maintain a clear conscience and how our weaknesses make us real", while the rest of the lyrics are about themes of decay, modern society and the human condition.
What makes Heriot unique to me is the level of production of their colossal sound, compared to most of the rest of the new UK metal scene (i.e. affiliated with metalcore). It stands out by balancing the traditional hardcore root with these modern elements of industrial metal and eerie vocals.
Finally, I typically discovered them a couple of days after their first headliner gig in London at the Black Heart, so I can't give feedback on their live performances. I can't wait to see them on stage. They toured some big festival names this summer and benefited from a nice buzz around their raging set, so I'm sure we'll hear about them very soon.
For Fan of (FFO): Godflesh, Code Orange, Nails, Machine Head
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