UK terrorizers Heriot have come out of an extended hibernation, rejuvenated and hellbent on satisfying their hunger.
Late 2020, the band debuted an emphatic reintroduction with the track, "Cleansed Existence," their first new release since 2016 and the first as a four-piece. Resurfacing with guitarist and vocalist Debbie Gough in the mix, the current iteration of the band has been characterized as violent and volatile - if you ask Heriot however, the most accurate assessment is focused.
Their stylistic delivery is an amalgam of aggression that blurs the genre divides among the enclaves of heavy music. The inflammatory instrumentation and hellish rasp taps into heady subject matter that is relevant, contemporary, and rooted in reality - conveying a level of authenticity that makes the resulting craftsmanship a multi-facted kind of heavy.
Offering a second serving of audio catharsis, Heriot has unleashed "Recreant" - a track that delves into the current era of divisiveness and addresses how religion, nationalism and wealth or lack there of, reinforces social stratification.
Underscoring the sentiment that a scream with substance just hits different, Heriot explained how version 2.0 is the version of themselves they always knew they could be.
"Cleansed Existence" dropped late last year and was the band’s first new material since 2016. What was it like to sort of reintroduce yourselves after such an extended amount of time away?
Heriot - To drop "Cleansed Existence" felt like a sigh of relief for HERIOT. We’ve been carving our own sound for some time now and this track we think best represents the band’s new identity. The new music we’ve been producing is much more natural for us and we’re very happy that we can share our new material having this feeling.
In evolving into a four-piece with the addition of Debbie Gough, how has that changed the creative potential of the band?
Heriot - Having known Deb for a few years through us playing shows together in other bands, having her join HERIOT has been a smooth process. We were already good friends and so already having that familiarity has made the writing process a very honest and open experience. We’ve been able to experiment with lots of different possibilities and through having an extra guitarist and vocalist, we can now focus on embellishing our sound further.
You’ve said that the latest iteration of Heriot is focused on making meaningful music in addition to heavy music. How has that shift resulted in your writing process?
Heriot - Given the current circumstances we’re all living through, it feels disingenuous to put out any music that doesn’t hold meaning for us when there is so much to want to express. The songs that we’ve written and are writing have been about experiences that we’ve all shared together and talk about together. Being close friends, we enjoy being able to put out music that is personal to us but at the same time open to interpretation for others.
Heriot is working with George Lever who has a resume that includes Sleep Token, Holding Absence, Loathe, and Wovenwar to name just a few. What has that working relationship been like and what have been some of your biggest takeaways?
Heriot - Like many of our friends in bands, we’ve had to work remotely for the mixing and mastering of our tracks. Not being able to be in the same room has come with its challenges but we’re very happy to have him onboard with HERIOT and are excited for what is to come!
What inspired ‘Recreant” - what message is the song intended to convey?
Heriot - "Recreant" reflects on the ever-growing abuse of power in today’s world. With governments, politicians and influencers wrongfully using religion, nationalism and wealth to divide communities, class and race.
In this release we’ve tried to hone in on some of our darker influences to best suit the lyrical content in this song. As a band we’ve delved deeper into our doom and sludge roots. This track allowed for a lot more experimentation into the use of textures and industrial elements to embellish the intensity of our sound.
"Recreant" touches on the contrast between the privileged and deprived and how the system is carefully manipulated to cater for the wealthy, even showing encouragement for minority groups of people to subconsciously vilify themselves.
Watch the premiere of "Recreant" from Heriot below. Pre-save the single - HERE
