Heriot // Devoured By The Mouth Of Hell // Album Review

Bristol’s most hotly talked about band Heriot is here with their debut album “Devoured By The Mouth Of Hell”.

Quickly becoming one of the most extreme bands in the metal underground with their mix of early slipknot, Godflesh, nails & lamb of god. These guys crafted their own smelting pot to create the heaviest metal band of the last few years.

2022’s “Profound Morality” EP was one of the best releases that year. Catching the ears of Century Media & signing to the label the four-piece began writing for their first full-length “Devoured By The Mouth Of Hell”.

The album’s opening track “Foul Void” is like a hammer to the face, its eerie opening before Debbie Gough’s (Vocals/Guitar) screams “Exist in me the fear of your judgement.” & Jake Packer (Vocals/Bass) finishes with “Cruel is your father’s tongue” before we kick the track off full force.

A true punishing track that’s thick buzzsaw distortion, double kick drum & sledgehammer bass tone. It feels like you are getting pounded in the chest. Adding anthemic vocal backing vocals in the chorus really give the track a haunting feel.

“Opaline” is the first track where we get to hear Heriot’s experimental & ambient side. This is something they have been playing with on their last few releases. And with each one, they are perfecting this texture of the band. Feeling like a mix between industrial & a straight rock song this blend of harshness & beauty is what they do so well.

Now when it comes to “Siege Lord” this track is a true force of nature.

The album was produced by Josh Middleton (Sylosis) and the band spoke about Josh’s involvement, “Getting Josh to produce was a big help in terms of vocals,” says Gough. “We’d never really produced vocals before, we always looked at them as another layer of the music. But now we’ve been more ambitious vocally than we’ve ever been before.”

And within “Siege Lord” the track’s vocals really drive the track. Now that’s not to say the ungodly bass guitar performance that starts the track & the tribal punishing drums from Julian Gage isn’t what almost makes this track. But the vocals are the best Gough has recorded so far. The anguish & hatred when the chorus kicks in is truly breathtaking. No wonder this was a single, the first time I heard it I kept singing it to myself for a few days after. Oh and yeah the track breakdown is RUTHLESS…

Answering the question of what it would sound like if you filmed a snuff film at a dance club, “Lashed” is a orgy of Goughs sultry vocals, harshed distorted aggression, bouncing deep beats & a sea of textual noise that all culminated into something so thought-provoking.

Album closer “Mourn” is the band’s most horrific & physical track to date. A powerhouse of a track that is huge, heavy part after heavy part with a brief moment to catch your breath it’s the final nail in the coffin before the band throws your body bag in the lake. As the track builds it feels like the band is locked in together which adds to the power they have. A great fiery guitar riff picks up the pace of the track at the midpoint & keeps the track going to the album’s one last brutal moment, the breakdown to end all breakdowns… bar-fucking-baric I tell you.

Heriot are truly a band that deserves all the praise they are receiving.

Within the next few years, I feel like they will be truly flying the flag for the next generation of UK metal. Not only are they the heaviest band in the landscape of metal they are also the one pushing boundaries, testing the limits & surpassing all expectations.

Not only is “Devoured By The Mouth Of Hell” the best debut album of the year but it’s one of the most prolific & untouchable within the metal underground right now.

Review: Joseph Mitchell

Devoured by the Mouth of Hell is out September 27th, 2024 on Century Media