“The devouring mouth of hеll demands your forgiveness.“
Words by Joe Edwards at Birmingham show, photography by Asha Sitarz in London – contact prior to any use.
Over the last several years, Heriot have been one of the true success stories in British metal, always set to become a stalwart. An act that has stuck true to its brutality and headed down their own route, rather than seek a sound that would find its appeal within an arena or wider stage. Their cocktail of industrial and metal blended with HM2-pedals has created a sound that is artful yet brutal. It captures a sense of hauntology as the horrors of their societal commentary dance to their sound. It has seen Heriot gain deserved spots in opening for the likes for Fit For An Autopsy and END over the past few years. Last year saw them release the utterly sublime Devoured by the Mouth of Hell which packed out end of year lists. Celebrating the release with a headline show in Bristol last year, it was now time for Heriot to descend on their headline album tour, with support from Grove Street and False Reality.
False Reality have consistently impressed since their initial singles that set them for what would be a breakout year in 2024. Their debut EP, Path of Self Destruct, was one the strongest records that UKHC dropped last year, with singles “Cranium” and “Cost of Spite” off their upcoming record showing a band in ascendancy when it comes to songwriting. As an act they’ve covered most of the UK performing up and down the country, becoming seasoned early into their early venture as a unit. This showed as they opened the night, performing as a band who had been playing together for a decade. Everything was precise and each riff struck the ear with brute force. The aforementioned tracks were as grand as expected live, with unrelesed song “Snake Eyes” seemingly their heaviest to date. This performance further argues the case that their upcoming LP could be a dark horse to be one of the top albums this year. Basically, go see False Reality if possible, as they’re absolutely one of the best live acts going right now in hardcore.
False Reality
The baton was passed to Southampton hardcore act Grove Street, another act who have put the miles in when it comes to performing live. Opening with an energy that filled the room, surging through the likes of “Lessons of the Past”, “Divided Kingdom” and “Born II To Lose“, Ben Sullivan put in a masterclass of how to bring a crowd along with you when performing live. Outside of their tightly performing set, Sullivan drew in and engaged a quiet crowd with between track chat and calls for two-step and movements. Both Grove Street and False Reality had a tricky time engaging the London crowd. It does perhaps bring in question that does hardcore openers “fit” a Heriot show, something that was also apparent during their headliner with Cauldron support. With a more ‘ArcTanGent‘ and ‘Bloodstock‘ crowd now drawn to the band, the effect was similar to what happened to The Callous Daoboys, who saw their openers see a similiar response. Whether these mixed shows work to full fluency is yet to be fully seen.
Grove Street
Outside of that, the time for the headliner in Heriot rolled in. While have performing plenty of the years, there has never been a sense that the quartet have overplayed their hand as others have before them. They allowed a sense of the magic and atmosphere to be retained, a core aspect of their studio recordings which is important to transfer to the live show. A fierce opening came with the likes “Sentenced to the Blade” and “Siege Lord“, as Debbie Gough urged the pit to begin to move. Old favourites from Profound Morality were deployed in “Near Vision” and “Enter The Flesh”, which still hold their potency. The likes of “Foul Void” and “Mourn” showed how the sheer relentless weight of Heriot‘s sound fills a room.
Heriot
The way Heriot perform sees each member use their instrument almost as a weapon, with Gage having a fearsome intent on drums and Alman jamming and noodling with prowess on guitar. The trading of vocals between Gough and Jake Packer ensures a double-barreled approach that keeps the set constantly turning tides. Before closing out with “At The Fortress Gate”, Heriot struck with a magnificent performance of “Opaline” that showcased the exceptional vocal range present between the two vocalists. The smaller setting that Heriot are pursuing on this tour suit this sound best, allowing their wall of sound to merely dominate a room, unlike anything else that can be found at the moment in a live setting.
To see Heriot live, you can view their tour and festival dates here.