Heriot. A name that has now become synonymous for brutal riffs, eerie industrials and savage aggression. The re-branded metallic hardcore quartet from the South West have swept the rug from under the UK metal scene’s feet over the last year and turned it on its head, as a result becoming the band on everyone’s lips. With a series of crushing grindcore infused singles and a slew of significant support slots, Heriot have built a fierce reputation as riff machines whilst gaining a passionate and loyal fanbase in the process. Their debut EP Profound Morality has quickly become one of the most highly anticipated releases of the year. We sat down with Julian Gage (drums) to discuss all things Profound Morality and everything surrounding the band’s meteoric rise from the depths of obscurity.
Related: Heriot – Profound Morality | EP Review
When asked about how it feels to be the band everyone is speaking about, Julian’s response is a humble one; “In all honesty, we haven’t had much time to sit back and think about it too much, because it has been so quick and intense. There’s been a few moments where we’ve done bigger gigs and we’ve been like ‘This is really cool’, but yeah it’s just been so quick and a bit overwhelming. It still hasn’t really kind of hit yet.”, even so “It’s great to see everyone liking what we’re doing, the online reaction has been wicked.” With their determined work ethic launching Heriot into the upper echelons, the band have been nominated for Best Breakthrough Artist at this year’s Heavy Music Awards. “Me and Erhan (Alman, guitars), were lucky enough to attend last year as guests. We were joking around saying we’ll be there next year, and the fact that it actually happened was pretty mental. I think we were all a bit overwhelmed when we got the email because the other nominees are way ahead of where we are.”, this was definitely a case of being careful what you wish for but it is also thoroughly deserved.
“"We haven’t had much time to sit back and think about it too much, because it has been so quick and intense. I’s just been a bit overwhelming"”
Profound Morality is a breakneck EP that will drag you to hell and leave you there. With a plethora of influences behind it, the band have forged a sound that is distinctly unique. “As a band, we’re all into a lot of different things. There’s a few bands that we all have in common, I think Full Of Hell, Nails, things like that. Aside from those, we’re all quite different really. I mean, I don’t listen to a lot of metal now really. Jake (Packer, bass/vocals) brings in the industrial kind of elements because he produces everything we do, but I think it’s all quite different influences, stick them in a pot and see what comes out. It’s not forced and comes out quite naturally”. Alongside this Heriot are often mentioned in conversation next to metallic hardcore heavyweights from the US, namely Knocked Loose and Code Orange, “We all love Knocked Loose and Code Orange as well and for me being compared to those bands is wicked. But I can’t really hear a lot of it in our sound but if people like them then they must like us”.
The EP tackles some tough issues, many of which we are all experiencing daily. Things such as the class gap and the deceit of others has caused a multitude of problems globally, and these themes fit perfectly in the visceral, industrial tones of Heriot’s music. “When we started writing the EP, it was quite quick, I think it was just before ‘Dispirit’ came out. We were in the studio around this time last year, and we booked a rehearsal studio for five days and stayed there for sometimes 18 hours a day and we wrote the whole EP while we were there. But it wasn’t very well thought out, it kinda just happened how it happened. It sounds stupid to say it wasn’t intentionally done but it’s just how it happened and it’s coming out.”, even so “We’ve been sat on it for a long time and we all still really enjoy, it’s not a case of itching to get out and moving on to the next thing, we all do still really enjoy what we’ve done.”
The EP has some brilliant, raw and brutal moments and it is always interesting to see which songs the band members favour personally and how they transition into a live setting. In terms of Julian’s favourite song off of Profound Morality; “It changes all the time, I like ‘Near Vision’ just because it translates really well live, however at the moment it is probably ‘Enter The Flesh’. Again, just because it is really fun to play live, but since we’ve started putting out tracks for it the current one has been my favourite.”
With the UK metal scene blown away with ferocity and merciless heaviness of the EPs leading singles. What stands out significantly is Profound Morality more atmospheric and industrial passage, with Debbie Gough’s ghostly vocals on ‘Mutagen’ and ‘Profound Morality’ haunting every facet of your consciousness. Bringing these industrial soundscapes was a new venture for the band, “It was honestly a bit of an accident, we went into the studio to record ‘Cleansed Existence’, which was the first track we wrote when Deb came in and we re-branded. We were all just kinda sat round and Jake started fiddling with a few samples and we slotted them in and realised that it sounded cool. So when we started writing again we thought about how we could incorporate those elements more naturally, as we didn’t want to do anything we couldn’t do live. We wanted to bridge some songs together with these, to bring it all together.”
“As a band, we’re all into a lot of different things. There’s a few bands that we all have in common, I think Full Of Hell, Nails, things like that. Aside from those, we’re all quite different really”
Preceding the EP the band released a series of singles including a crushing cover of Machine Head’s ‘Ten Ton Hammer’. Given how the band have expanded and experimented with their sound there is a significant amount of room to put the Heriot mark on some other metal classics. “We recorded that initially for a Church Road Records compilation, but we had it finished and were sat on it for ages, so we asked to put it out and bridge the gap which they were cool with. In terms of choice it’s all of Jake’s doing as he’s really into that 2000s metal sound, but it suits our sound and we did a good job of it. If that compilation comes out, we’d have a crack at another song, personally I’d like to do a Slipknot song, one of the more off the record ones like ‘Prosthetics’ or ‘The Shape’”.
Visually the re-brand has seen the band incorporate well thought out and eerie visuals to accompany the equally sinister music. “We work with a guy called Harry Steel who works on all our promos, videos, etc., and we took a lot of time making sure they looked as good as they could be with our limited budget as well. The first three singles link together if you put them all side by side, maybe not sound wise but visually they do. We have a good relationship with Harry and will continue to work with him, as I think it’s important to keep the visual side consistent.”
Heriot are coming up hard and fast on the UK metal scene, with a bludgeoning sound and chaotic fury, they are carving a place for themselves among the leaders of the new wave of metallic hardcore. With plenty on the horizon for them, the excitement is palpable; “So, I’m not sure I can actually say but after the summer there is some stuff planned, we’re pretty stacked for the rest of the year. With things taking us up to the end of the year. It’s fun but stressful at the same time, but we’ll get there.”