The British extreme metal scene has rarely been in better health. From the likes of Burner blending all aspects of heavy in a disgusting blender to the likes of Celestial Sanctuary grossing people out across the world and earning comparisons to Undeath, it’s been a hot minute since things were this good. Yet, in the background, another band have been grinding away and working on a record that has possibly been the most anticipated of them all. Enter Heriot, whose first EP release was that sickening mix of death metal, hardcore and grind that delights fans so much. With it being over two years of touring since Profound Mortality, the usual questions began to be asked if they could really live up to the hype.
The answer is a resounding fuck yes. Not only have the band moved from Church Road to Century Media (an absolutely massive move and opened so many more doors for the group) for this, Devoured By The Mouth Of Hell, they’ve managed to snag a litany of impressive slots in the process including supporting their heroes Lamb Of God on one occasion. The label move and the clear confidence in touring has allowed the band to become more comfortable with themselves as an extreme band. There are moments on this record that will make the listener gasp and stop in their tracks as much as frantically bang your head til the bones in your neck turn to mush.
The album opens with the frantic, bludgeoning one-two punch of ‘Foul Void’ and ‘Harm Sequence’, the latter being a sub-2 minute blast with a face-shredding guitar solo thrown in for good measure. It’s the third track that will raise more eyebrows than a Dwayne Johnson costume contest however. ‘Opaline’ is a brooding, atmospheric track that has too much presence to be called truly ambient, but vocalist/guitarist Debbie Gough’s ethereal clean singing lulls you in like a siren to a desperate sailor. Don’t fret however, as by the end of the track normal service is resumed with a hefty stomp and some demonic growls. It’s not the first time that the album takes a turn like this but it’s definitely one that will hit the hardest.
It’s also worth pointing out that sonically, the album sounds amazing. Produced by Sylosis mastermind Josh Middleton and mixed by the eternally busy Will Putney (with a special mention to Sikth’s Justin Hill who handles the drum production, which helps add to the album’s more aggressive moments), it sets the standard for what an extreme music album should be in 2024. The opening guitar tones on ‘Sentenced To The Blade’ in particular is delightfully crusty and both Gough and guitarist Erhan Alman benefit the most from this level of production. It all works together to create an album with a dark, insidious atmosphere, like being chased through an abandoned abattoir by something just always out of sight. This is perhaps most prevalent on ‘Lashed’, a track which takes more of Gough’s cleans but puts them over a crunching industrial beat before things turn into a swirling vortex of wretched belches and skin-crawling synths.
Burner last year, Heriot this. Two bands who have redefined the standard for being a modern extreme band in different ways, blending influences aplenty with their own twisted views on the genre(s) they delve into. Being able to meld modern extreme stompers like ‘At The Fortress Gate’ with the distorted beauty of songs like ‘Visage’ in a seamless way that only reinforces the band’s identity is the sign of a special band, one who have the world at their fingertips. They build on the promise of their earlier slabs of vitriol with ease, all the while adding new dynamics into their work with such finesse you’d think this was their third full-length, not their first. When they make their way around the UK later this year opening for Fit For An Autopsy and the aforementioned Sylosis, it will introduce the wider metal audience to a band who simply sound like nobody else in the game right now.