Photo by Shehnaz Khan
“‘Fork Tongue’ comes out of the gate swinging with mammoth Meshuggahian riffs before settling into an absolutely crushing groove reminiscent of the long-forgotten group Admiral Angry. The intensity of this passage is thrilling…” — Invisible Oranges
As the official release of Sombre Dessein, the impending new full-length from Swiss progressive sludge metal unit HEROD draws closer to release, today Invisible Oranges is pleased to unveil the band’s visual accompaniment to “Fork Tongue.”
“When [vocalist/guitarist] Michael Pilat and [founding guitarist] Pierre Carroz worked on the lyrics, they came up with a concept made out of ideas and punch lines Pierre had been collecting for a few months,” issues the band of the track. “At that time, Pierre was reading the works of a French philosopher Michel Onfray who introduced him to the idea of the inescapable end of our civilization as a Greek tragedy. We all have studied the history of ancient civilizations that have collapsed at some point, but it is like we cannot face the idea that we might reach the end of our civilization that started about 2000 years ago. After brainstorming, they decided to build the lyrics with the concept of the rise and fall of a dictator, which is also a tip of the cap to King Herod. Design-wise, Pierre had the idea of the ‘shipbreakers’ when he saw the documentary Freightened that talks about the cargo freight which ships 90% of what we consume in social, economic, and environmentally disastrous conditions.”
Additionally, “Fork Tongue” features Bill Steer of Carcass. “While opening thirty-five shows for Carcass in 2015, we were delighted to see Sir William Steer playing every night. He’s such an inspiring and thrilling guitar player as well as a humble gentleman. During the recording process, we asked him to record a solo on ‘Fork Tongue’ and we couldn’t believe he accepted.”
View “Fork Tongue,” courtesy of Invisible Oranges, at THIS LOCATION.
View HEROD’S previously-released “Reckoning” video below.
Recorded and mixed by Swiss audiophile Julien Fehlman and mastered by Magnus Lindberg from Cult Of Luna, Sombre Dessein is an album of staggering riffs, intricate yet groovy polyrhythmic patterns, and pure heaviness. The bilingual vocal approach adds an unusual but intriguing aspect to the band’s delivery of their craft.
Sombre Dessein will be released on CD, LP, and digital formats February 15th, 2019 via Pelagic Records. See all preordering links below:
North America: http://bit.ly/herodNA
Europe: http://bit.ly/herodEU
Australia: http://bit.ly/herodAUS
Digital: http://bit.ly/herodDGTL
HEROD will join The Ocean and Downfall Of Gaia for a full European tour this spring. See confirmed dates below.
HEROD w/ The Ocean, Downfall Of Gaia:
3/13/2019 Im Wizemann – Stuttgart, DE
3/14/2019 PTR/ L’Usine – Geneva, CH
3/15/2019 CCO – Lyon, FR
3/16/2019 Rex – Toulouse, FR
3/17/2019 Les Pennes Mirabeau – Marseilles, FR
3/18/2019 Le Grillen – Colmar, FR
3/19/2019 Le Poche – Bethune, FR
3/20/2019 Mama Roux – Birmingham, UK
3/21/2019 Dolan’s Warehouse – Limerick, IR
3/22/2019 Voodoo Lounge – Dublin, IR
3/23/2019 Audio – Glasgow, UK
3/24/2019 Brudenell Social Club – Leeds UK
3/25/2019 Trix – Antwerp, DE
3/26/2019 Paard – Den Haag, NL
3/27/2019 Club Volta – Cologne, DE
3/28/2019 Werk 2 – Leipzig, DE
3/29/2019 U Bazyla – Poznan, PL
3/30/2019 Tower – Bremen, DE
3/31/2019 Logo – Hamburg, DE
4/02/2019 Fryhuset, Klubben – Stockholm, SE
4/03/2019 Tradgarn – Gothenburg, SE
4/06/2019 Folken – Stavangar, NO
4/07/2019 Gregers – Hamar, NO
4/08/2019 Vega – Copenhagen, DK
Initially the brain child of guitarist Pierre Carroz, 2014 saw HEROD‘s debut release They Were None via Mighty Music and a subsequent European tour. Following the departure of their original vocalist, former The Ocean (Precambrian) vocalist Mike Pilat was recruited for follow up album Sombre Dessein. Pilat also plays guitar and HEROD is now furnished with a supplementary layer of musicality to complement both the heaviness and soundscape aspects of their palette. Throughout their young four years of presence, HEROD has already shared the stage with such acts as Gojira, Crowbar, The Ocean, Carcass, Obituary, Napalm Death, and Voivod, attesting their repute as the busboys of King Herod, serving up whole sides of rare riffs, disposition, beauty, and authority. Fans of Scarlet, Breach, Yob, Meshuggah, Gojira, and Textures pay heed.
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