Following their 2021 addition to the Church Road Records roster and a string of single releases throughout the year, UK metal upstarts HERIOT have announced the release of their first EP proper – titled Profound Morality. Due for release on April 29, Profound Morality is eight tracks of uncompromisingly polymorphic extreme metal, hardcore and industrial music.
Heralded as one of Kerrang! Magazine’s sounds of ‘22 and labeled as ones to watch by the likes of Metal Hammer and Revolver – not to mention praise from none other than Machine Head’s Robb Flynn – to say that HERIOT’s debut record is highly anticipated would be an understatement in the wake of a recent UK tour support slot alongside labelmates Svalbard.
HERIOT live up to their well-earned hype in spades across Profound Morality’s runtime. Early EP highlight Coalesence and the previously released Enter the Flesh belabour grind, industrial and hardcore’s sonic template into the ground with feverish intensity, as Jake Packer and Debbie Gough trade mercurial vocal barbs over tonally acerbic instrumentation. Elsewhere the band expand upon their artistic vision with cuts such as Abattoir and opener Abaddon, bringing together sonic textures not dissimilar to Justin K Broadrick’s Godflesh and Jesu projects.
Marrying disparate sounds from all ends of the broader metal spectrum is no easy task, which makes Profound Morality all the more powerful when taken in as a collective whole. Since their 2020 inception HERIOT have offered glimpses of their capabilities on bite-size releases, however, their latest work stands as a watershed moment for both the band and those who wish to draw outside of genre lines within abrasive music. With UK festival appearances at the likes of Bloodstock, 2000 Trees and Upsurge on the horizon, things are only just getting started for HERIOT.
TRACK LISTING:
01. Abaddon
02. Coalescence
03. Carmine (Fills the Hollow)
04. Near Vision
05. Mutagen
06. Enter the Flesh
07. Abattoir
08. Profound Morality