April 21 | Written By Ash Egan

British metal has recently found a rich vein of form. Rising stars of the scene Heriot return with a new single designed to push boundaries and move the genre forward.

Forming in 2015, the Swindon-based metallers have recently begun a new chapter in their career. As quoted in a recent press release, “Heriot isn’t for the faint-hearted” and they’re now ready to unleash their punishing new sound on summer festivals across the country.

Heriot started life on the underground scene as a three-piece. Members included vocalist and bassist Jake Packer, drummer Julian gage and guitarist Erhan Alman. The brutality of the lockdown years rang the changes for Heriot. With the band adding Birmingham native Debbie Gough on guitar and vocals in 2021. 

The isolation of the pandemic and the addition of a new member from the birthplace of heavy metal has diversified their sound. Allowing them to incorporate industrial, sludge, death and doom metal into an intriguing and terrifying mix.

Their latest single Demure, appeared confidently on valentines day. It offers a brutal take on each of the genres the band has experimented with during their formative years. Opening with a slow-burn intro of dissonant noise, the atmosphere builds before leading into an ominous and delay-heavy opening riff.

When the verse arrives it’s crushing. A down-tuned and disjointed death march for your speakers. Brief interludes of silence separated by pounding snares foreshadow the scorched-earth vocal onslaught. 

Gough rasps through the verse with throat-burning intensity before giving way to a more atmospheric bridge. The driving bass underpins the guitars as they begin to spiral out. Slaloming powerfully around Gage’s double-bass beats.

Bassist and vocalist Packer offers a violent counterpoint to Gough. His guttural growls join during the pummelling and harrowing chorus.

For those looking for a little more action than atmosphere, heriot can do that too. Time changing on 3 mins ushers in a neck-grinding breakdown, machine-tooled to open up the circle pit and bring violence to a venue near you. The track ends on a sombre note. Slowing to an ominous conclusion with dark, reverb-heavy melodies over an ambient outro.

The results are thrilling and it’s easy to see why Heriot are quickly making a name for themselves as standard bearers of the UK scene. Festival slots this summer will doubtless swell the ranks of their fanbase and on this evidence, the hype is justified.

Check out Demure here.

Follow Heriot here.

Follow The Music Mag here.

Check our our Music Review’s playlist to discover more incredible tracks.