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Profound Morality
EP by
Heriot
Released29 April 2022
RecordedApril–October 2021
Studio
  • Heriot's rehearsal space (Bristol)
  • Slow God Audio
GenreMetalcore
Length20:17
LabelChurch Road
ProducerJake Packer
(a.k.a. Slow God Audio)
Heriot chronology
World Collapse
(2016) 		Profound Morality
(2022) 		Devoured by the Mouth of Hell
(2024)
Singles from Profound Morality
  1. "Near Vision / Enter the Flesh"
    Released: 3 December 2021
  2. "Coalescence"
    Released: 14 January 2022
  3. "Profound Morality"
    Released: 18 March 2022

Profound Morality is the third extended play by British metalcore band Heriot, released on 29 April 2022 through Church Road Records. It is the band's first release since their self-described "relaunch" as a four-piece featuring guitarist and vocalist Debbie Gough, who joined in 2019. The band wrote and recorded the bulk of the EP in five days at their rehearsal space in Bristol in April 2021, with its production continuing until October of that year. Whilst primarily categorized as a metalcore release, Profound Morality has been noted for its genre-blending sound, combining elements from death metal, sludge metal, doom metal, hardcore, post-rock, darkwave, industrial, and noise music. Its lyrics, inspired by the "rhetoric of weath and class" during the COVID-19 pandemic, focus on the "question of power", accountability, blame, integrity and the morals of oneself and others.

Profound Morality received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its heaviness and creativity and felt that it indicated at Heriot's future potential; Metal Hammer and Stereogum later considered it the band's breakthrough release. During 2022, Heriot performed at several festivals including 2000trees, ArcTanGent, Bloodstock and Download, and embarked on supporting tours in the United Kingdom with Rolo Tomassi, Pupil Slicer, Zeal & Ardor and Boston Manor. In 2024, Metal Hammer listed it as one of the 50 greatest metal EPs of all time.

Background and recording[edit]

Heriot was formed in Swindon in late 2014 by drummer Julian Gage, bassist and vocalist Jake Packer and guitarist Erhan Alman. As a three-piece, the band released two EPs, Violence (2015) and World Collapse (2016).[1][2] In 2019, they added guitarist Debbie Gough to their lineup.[3] The other members Heriot had become friends with Gough through her old band, the Birmingham-based Dead Hands, whom they had toured with and supported in the past.[1][4][5] After Dead Hands disbanded, Heriot considered recruiting Gough as a second guitarist, though they did not believe she would join.[1][6] When Gough asked the members of Heriot to form a side project with her, they asked her join their band instead.[4]

Heriot worked on new material in secret at a rehearsal space in Bristol—a designated halfway point between Gough and the other members of the band, due to the 100-mile gap between them—during the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] The addition of Gough caused a shift in the band's writing and dynamic,[3][7] and the pandemic would prove a "creative release" that allowed them to reinvent their sound and become more methodical about how they operated.[8][9] Gough began to practice both singing and screaming during this time, which the band supported her with.[10][11][12] In November 2020, Heriot "relaunched" themselves with the release of the single "Cleansed Existence".[7][12] "We [Heriot] see that as a fresh start: the only thing that really stayed is the name", Gage told RushOnRock in 2022; the band would subsequently disown and remove their pre-2020 output from streaming services and Bandcamp.[1][7][13] After the release of their second single "Recreant", Heriot were contacted by Church Road Records and subsequently signed to the label in April 2021.[11][14] Gage said that although the band had received offers from other record labels, they liked the label's roster and felt that they both shared the same DIY work ethic, "so I think there was an element of trust in going with them."[7][11]

Soon after signing with Church Road, Heriot spent five days at their rehearsal space writing and recording Profound Morality, piecing its tracks together from a folder of riffs and ideas.[11][15][16] The band opted to record an EP instead of a full-length album as they still wanted the freedom to experiment with their sound.[11] "Profound Morality" was the first song written for the EP, and it subsequently shaped its direction, according to Gage.[17] "I think it’s just got bits and elements of what [Profound Morality] is and we thought it sounded like an epic to finish the EP."[17] The song was also the band's first on which Debbie Gough used clean singing.[10] In the same period, Heriot recorded some live industrial soundscapes which Packer worked on over the course of a few months at his studio, Slow God Audio.[11][N 1] Gage said that Packer organized the EP to make it "flow through 20 minutes with no silence", which the band had thought about before recording but scrapped as it would have sounded rushed.[18] Gough said that Heriot "[wanted] to see how we can mould different soundscapes to be heavy" without relying on riffs; Gage also felt that they helped break up the its pacing. "I think if we did 8 songs that were just straight up riffers, then it probably would have just been a bit too intense even over 20 minutes!"[11] The band completed the EP in October 2021.[17] "Dispirit", which was also recorded during the Profound Morality sessions, was released as a standalone single in May 2021.[6][19]

Composition and lyrics[edit]

Profound Morality has been categorized as a metalcore release.[20][21][22][23] Blending elements from death metal,[24] sludge metal,[20] doom metal,[10] hardcore,[25][26] post-rock,[26] darkwave,[20] industrial,[26][27] and noise music,[20] the EP features heavy, drop-tuned riffing,[25][28] tempo shifts,[23][29] and electronic and atmospheric soundscapes.[25][28][30] Blabbermouth.net identified the EP's core as "short, spiky bursts of churning, atonal hardcore", as seen in "Carmine (Fills the Hollow)", "Near Vision" and "Enter the Flesh".[26] "Enter the Flesh" was noted for its thrash and death metal-influenced sound;[23][24] Gough described the song as a musical throwback to two of Heriot's early influences, Nails and Power Trip.[27] "Abattoir", "Abbadon", and "Mutagen"—the latter two which are instrumental interludes—rely more on an industrial and ambient sound.[23][26] The EP also features vocal interplay between Packer and Debbie Gough; critics noted the contrast between the former's guttural style and the latter's screamed or cleanly sung vocals.[11][28][29] Gough cited Billie Eillish and Caro Tanghe (of Oathbreaker) as influences on her singing;[11] BrooklynVegan also compared her vocals to Chelsea Wolfe and Emma Ruth Rundle.[20]

Lyrically, Profound Morality focuses on the "question of power", accountability, blame, integrity, and the morals of oneself and others.[10][11][30][31][32] According to Gough, the EP's general theme "is the fact there’s no such thing as purity. Nobody can be absolutely good, [and] nobody can be absolutely bad".[31] Packer said that in contrast to Heriot's earlier singles, its lyrics focus more on "dealing with the situations rather than the situations themselves".[9] The EP was influenced by the "rhetoric of wealth and class" during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how both aformentioned factors impact morality.[33] Though there are specific topics, Gough and Packer did not want their lyrics to "state the obvious" and instead leave them open for listeners to interpret them however they wanted.[9][11][30] The title track details "the conflict of humanity in trying to maintain a clear conscience and how our weaknesses make us real".[32] According to Gage, the EP's title reflects humanity's present pushing of moral extremes—both good and bad—to achieve fulfillment, "and the fear of where they’ll end up in the future."[8]

Release and promotion[edit]

Heriot performing in Brighton in November 2022

On 3 December 2021, Heriot released "Near Vision" and "Enter the Flesh" as a double single.[34] On 14 January 2022, the band announced Profound Morality and released its second single, "Coalescence."[35] The EP's title track was released as its third and final single on 18 March 2022, prior to its release on 29 April 2022 through Church Road Records.[32][36] Heriot filmed music videos for their singles with director and visual collaborator Harry Steel.[18][31] Boolin Tunes noted the videos for their "murky orange glow",[18] whilst Distorted Sound highlighted their "regular use of motion blur and often choppy visuals to complement their fast-paced songs."[31] In line with Heriot's use of medieval motifs, the cover of Profound Morality features a chainmail cap; subtle medieval undertones were also incorporated into the band's videos.[31]

Heriot's tours in support of Profound Morality were substantially larger than any they had done before; prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the band would generally play to no more than 400 people at a show, and for three nights in a row.[13][16][33] Prior to the EP's release, Heriot supported Svalbard on their UK tour in November and December 2021.[37] The band also opened for Raging Speedhorn at The Dome in London on 10 December 2021.[38] From 16 to 24 February 2022, the band supported Rolo Tomassi and Pupil Slicer.[39] Following the tour, the band were confirmed to open the Dogtooth Stage of Download Festival on 10 June 2022.[40][41] The members of Heriot had regularly attended Download since they were young and had booked tickets for that year's festival prior to being confirmed to play there.[5][42] Though nervous about performing,[6] the band were warmly received,[41][43][44][45] and they described the experience of playing there as "a dream",[10] "incredible",[7] and "fucking nuts".[40] Between July and September 2022, Heriot performed at six more fesitvals; 2000trees, Dominion, Pulse of the Maggots,[46] Bloodstock Open Air,[47] and ArcTanGent.[11][48][49][50] In October 2022, the band made their European live debut performing at the Soulcrusher Festival in the Netherlands.[40] Heriot went on tour with Zeal & Ardor in November 2022, but pulled out before its end due to illness.[40][51][52] The band later embarked on a mini-tour with Boston Manor from 8 to 10 December 2022.[53]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Blabbermouth.net8/10[26]
Kerrang!4/5[29]
Metal Hammer[28]
New Noise Magazine[24]
Pitchfork7.6/10[23]

Profound Morality received generally positive reviews from critics. Dan Slessor of Kerrang! felt that Heriot had mastered the "art [of] being truly crushing", highlighting its riffs and Packer and Gough's "dual vocal assault".[29] BrooklynVegan reviewer Andrew Sacher stated that the EP "fits in with the current metalcore revival, but [shows] Heriot are already transcending that" and compared its "unique and inventive" qualities favourably with genre contemporaries Code Orange, Knocked Loose, and Vein.fm.[20] Nicholas Senior of New Noise Magazine called the EP "astounding" and "assured" and felt that it set a new standard for metalcore, which he found particularly impressive given it was the band's debut release.[24]

Though noting that Heriot were still "in a state of development" regarding their lyrics and influences, Ian Cohen of Pitchfork considered the EP a "triumph of concision" that served as "a teaser of [Heriot's] boundless potential—the past, present, and possible future of metalcore."[23] Likewise, Blabbermouth.net's Dom Lawson said that there were "shades of the familiar here and there", but said that it showcased the band with "an inexhaustible supply of great ideas, and gallons of venom in the tank."[26] Kez Whelan of Metal Hammer believed that if the band expanded on the "depth to their confrontational sound", they would be "unstoppable".[28]

Despite being classed as an EP, Profound Morality was ranked as the sixth best metalcore album, and 41st best overall album, of 2022 by Metal Hammer.[10][22][54] BrooklynVegan listed it as the 26th best punk album of 2022, whilst Invisible Oranges named it the seventh best metalcore album of 2022.[21] Heriot were nominated for the "New Noise Award" at the Kerrang! Awards 2022, but lost to Wargasm.[55][56] The band and Profound Morality were also nominated in the "Best Live Breakthrough Act" and "Best Breakthrough Album" categories at the Heavy Music Awards 2023, but won in neither.[57][58] In 2023, Stereogum credited the EP for taking the band "from an anonymous part of the glut of metal bands populating UK scenes [...], to one of the country’s most hyped heavy exports."[33] Similarly, in listing it as one of the "50 greatest metal EPs of all time" in 2024, Metal Hammer called it "the moment that Heriot smashed their way into metal’s wider consciousness".[59]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Heriot.[60]

No.TitleLength
1."Abbadon"2:07
2."Coalescence"3:13
3."Carmine (Fills the Hollow)"1:42
4."Near Vision"1:46
5."Mutagen"2:40
6."Enter the Flesh"2:22
7."Abbatoir"2:25
8."Profound Morality"3:59
Total length:20:17

Personnel[edit]

Adapted from liner notes.[60]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Debbie Gough: "We all have an input in what [the soundscapes] should sound like, but Jake [Packer] is the genius who can peace [sic] it all together and make it work with the heavy stuff. [...] we recorded it all through him obviously. It’s great to do it in house as we can work at our own pace, and have a bit more control over everything."[11]

References[edit]

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  55. ^ Kerrang! staff (18 May 2022). "Vote now in the Kerrang! Awards 2022". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
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  60. ^ a b Heriot (2022). Profound Morality (booklet). Church Road Records. CRR120CD.

Further reading[edit]

  • falber (14 February 2022). "Heriot". Source webzine. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  • Marshall, Will (1 March 2022). "Introducing: Heriot". Noizze UK. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2024.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Profound_Morality&oldid=1228868738"