Heriot celebrates its tenth anniversary with a debut album.
After three EPs, Erhan Alman (guitar), Debbie Gough (guitar/vocals), Jake Packer (bass/vocals) and Julian Gage (drums) sign to Century Media and announce the release of Devoured by the Mouth of Hell.
Foul Void kicks off with an ominous dissonance, but the band soon reminds us that their heavy sound is ready to rage, as are their screams, fueling the oppressive atmosphere. Harm Sequence has some of these pesky elements, but the track is made of raw energy, and it doesn’t take long for it to display motivating Hardcore roots that will be formidable live, only to subside when Opaline kicks in. The composition remains fairly airy even when the thick riffs join the mix, but the complementary vocal parts condition the feel enormously, moving from Debbie‘s sweetness to Jake‘s rage before giving way to Siege Lord, where the raw groove takes us by surprise to drag us into the pit before bludgeoning us savagely. Sentenced to the Blade remains aggressive, but the screaming leads keep us on our toes until the eruption of fury that finally leads to the anguishing Solvent Gaze, whose grimy slowness has something terrifying about it. Whether it’s the bass/drums duo or the whole band, everything about this track seems menacing, even the calm finale leading into Lashed, which showcases the band’s Industrial touches with a soaring coolness that the two voices tint with their own aura. Violence returns with At the Fortress Gate and its jerky riffs packed with piercing harmonics, but the virulent roots definitely remain much present, creating a real contrast with Visage where the singer carries us away in her reassuring lightness. The rhythm section adds a more groovy touch to the track, which eventually explodes before blending the two worlds, finally bursting into flames on Mourn, the final composition, which offers us a final dose of pure hostility, interspersed with a few foggier passages, to bring the album to an end.
I’d heard a lot about Heriot and their aggressive sound, but it’s clear that the band isn’t just known for their furious moshparts. Devoured by the Mouth of Hell is perfectly able to create murky, icy atmospheres, or of hitting us hard.
85/100