REVIEW: Heriot - Devoured by the Mouth of Hell

Bristol's most exciting young band have the release of their first full-length album within touching distance now. Heriot's rise within the ranks of British metal has been nothing short of sensational, and well-deserved too. Combining filthy sludge with rank death metal, 90's metalcore, a pinch of hardcore and industrial and even the occasional eery moment of calm has made the band into a powerhouse who write and play at a level that belies their relative inexperience, and is displayed prominently on this excellent album.

Starting with the album cover, they've shown exactly what they're about. With a piece of art that looks like it's been ripped straight from a lost LP by Meshuggah or At The Gates from the 90's, the aesthetic of the album is already pixel perfect. Combined with the medieval weaponry focus and their amazing onstage style, Heriot's entire album cycle is pretty much as good an album cycle as you could ask for. Playing Download's second stage, touring with Fit For An Autopsy, and being widely revered amongst metalheads are now things the band should start to expect to happen much more frequently.

As the album opens up we hear the oppressive heaviness of second single 'Foul Void' rip up the illustrious Out Of Rage HQ speaker system (otherwise known as laptop speakers or headphones) to glorious effect. The song hasn't lost any of it's sludgy wonder since it was released, and is a stellar start to the album. This leads us into what is comfortably the shortest song here, and at 1:49 long 'Harm Sequence' really does not stick about. It's a hardcore song at heart, but with plenty of metal embellishments such as a short but sweet solo, but features two breakdowns with the latter being a version of a half time beat, which really sweetens the deal.

Next up however we find ourselves face to face with a more sinister song - 'Opaline' is the third song here and is far less aggressive right out the gate, rather taking its time to build up before the floodgates are opened on it's crushing heaviness. Next is the first single off of 'Devoured...', which is the almighty 'Siege Lord' in all its brutal glory. The medieval weaponry aesthetic feels so very at home here, not only with the apt title but also the astute heaviness of the song both come together into one overtly dominating atmosphere. Already garnering about 120,000 streams on Spotify at the time of writing, it's rapidly become one of the fans' favourite songs and will likely be heard at Heriot gigs for many years to come.

The fifth song on the album is the one with possibly the best title of the lot - 'Sentenced to the Blade'. Luckily enough, it does more than enough to warrant such a fantastic name with numerous face-melting riffs from Erhan Alman and Debbie Gough, snarl-inducing breakdowns and lip-curling screams from Debbie and bassist Jake Packer. It also cannot be overstated how excellent Julian Gage's drumming is across the album, his writing ability has noticeably improved and he now expertly underpins everything with moments of indescribable aggression that foil with plenty of grooves full of menace and power. His drumming shows through particularly obviously on the intro to the next track 'Solvent Gaze', which is another of the more menacing, understated tracks. It pulsates with the same atmosphere you'd find in an abandoned castle or fortress, which yet again fits their aesthetic perfectly.

'Lashed' carries on this less intense style of theirs, with some of the most clean vocals we've ever heard in a Heriot song. The four piece are on the top of their game in terms of curating an atmosphere, with an incredibly sinister feel all the way through thus far. 'At The Fortress Gate' brings back the riffs in epic fashion, bringing a slightly more industrial sound into the mix with grinding guitar lines underpinning most of it's runtime. As we reach the penultimate track 'Visage', Jake Packer's bass rumbles louder than ever in a mournful crescendo before the track reaches its pinnacle in a beautiful finale that flows into the last song here. 'Mourn' is the longest song on the LP and lets us strap in before the HM2 tone fully hits you across the face in a flourish of intensity to finish the album.

On a debut album, Heriot have managed to evolve what we thought their sound was into something much more fully formed and fleshed out, as well as adding some subtlety and nuance into the mix whilst still keeping their brutality intact. Debut album of the year is as yet undecided, but for those interested you would do far worse than chucking your hat into the Heriot ring.

'Devoured by the Mouth of Hell' is released on September 27th via Century Media Records.

Words: Jake Longhurst

Photos: Heriot