“This is the strongest version of us”: How Heriot are continuing to level up

“Have we done anything fun, lately?” Julian Gage grins, playfully. “Hmmm, how much can we say?”

“I know we’ve done something,” Debbie Gough strokes her chin. “Surely not just band practice…”

Heriot’s confidently well-spoken drummer and livewire lead vocalist/guitarist are in fine form this evening. Joining K! on a gloomy Wednesday, much of metal may still be in the process of shaking the winter chill from their bones, but Swindon/Birmingham’s finest have been busily beavering away. Readying the deluxe edition of 2024 debut Devoured By The Mouth Of Hell has been at the front of their minds. Following on from Commander Of Pain, last November’s crunching “ode to ’90s death metal”, skull-churning new single Master Of Deceit will be the other addition on a re-release overflowing with vitriol. And truly capturing that track’s elemental weight with a worthy music video, they headed into the depths of the earth.

“I think this is our 14th video with Harry [Steel], our long-term collaborator on all things visual,” nods Julian. “When you’ve done that much together, there’s always the worry that you’re going to get too comfortable. But we managed to get out of our comfort zone here, going underground at The Hellfire Caves in Wycombe: a system of man-made chalk and flint caverns in the Chiltern Hills.”

“They’re man-made?!” Debbie cuts in, gleefully dumbfounded. “Really? You’re joking! I’ve been in awe of them all day, just going around thinking to myself, ‘Wow, isn’t the world a beautiful place!’”

“There’s a lot of history there,” Julian nods. “Apparently The Hellfire Club [used them as a meeting place in the 18th century]. There’s a weird atmosphere. It’s a place with a lot of ghost stories…”

So, where does Master Of Deceit fit in?
Debbie: “It’s a song based around human existentialism. It’s about humans no longer being in control and innate existence trickling away, everything becoming overwhelmingly un-human. There’s an idea in there of having a kind of overlord, towering over us, dictating our existence.”

You could read that as a metaphor about AI or the rise of authoritarian government…
Debbie: “It’s about the desire to keep human existence human, without going into cyber-hatred. The everyday person doesn’t seem to have much control over their own existence. The everyday man is listening to a lot of different dictators in a lot of different [guises]. It feels like you’re overruled in almost every angle of your life, now. There’s always someone managing your thoughts and how you act, from doing your shopping to who you vote for. Without making it too political, we wanted to express how human existence is becoming less organic, more and more controlled.”

With such similar titles, are Commander Of Pain and Master Of Deceit companion pieces?
Debbie: “They’re the two additional tracks on the deluxe edition of Devoured By The Mouth Of Hell. We recorded both of them with Erik Bickerstaffe from Loathe, and they were mixed by [regular Will Putney lieutenant] Randy Leboeuf. They are definitely linked, at least somewhat…”

Do you see the ‘Commander Of Pain’ and the ‘Master Of Deceit’ as defined characters?
Debbie: “Well, the Master Of Deceit is in the video, so you’ll see what he looks like…”
Julian: “The titles came after the songs. The intention was never really that they were supposed to be a kind of yin and yang even though they ended up that way. It’s maybe not a ‘happy accident’ but it definitely worked. Master Of Deceit already has the visual character. I think we might elaborate on the Commander Of Pain with some merch, soon. But not quite as on the nose.”

Why add them to the end of DBTMOH rather than releasing as standalone singles or an EP?
Debbie: “Artistically, it was a chance to expand Devoured By The Mouth Of Hell. I think our tracks work better when they’re anchored to a larger body of work and as these tracks touch on similar themes, ideas and moods to those we’d already explored and it made sense to add them here.”
Julian: “We wanted to make some new music, but we didn’t want to start the process of going into album two. We wrote both in July, straight after playing 2000trees, and we went into the studio in September. They were both tracked in quick succession over a five-day period. It was very intense. Many of our experiences recording have been, though. We always get the best from them!”

At 2000trees, you brought out beloved UK guitar tech Miles Kent for what would be one of his final onstage appearances before his passing on October 6. How emotionally charged was that?
Debbie: “At that point, it wasn’t clear how little time Miles had left. It was actually the last time that we saw him, and I didn’t realise that was going to be the case. I’m really glad that it was, though. It’s a big memory to have. It was his last time playing live. That was a big honour. But in terms of how that affected our writing straight after in the moment, we simply didn’t realise that was the last time we would see him. It’s more of a fond memory to look back at now.”

You described Commander Of Pain as “an ode to ’90s death metal”. Master Of Deceit still very much feels like prime death metal, albeit more modern. How would you compare them?
Debbie: “Honestly, I think this might be one of the catchiest songs that we’ve written as a band. Although it is death metal, it is one of the best structures that we’ve come up with. It’s got a more modern approach. That conversation of how we can be more accessible without sacrificing the extremity of our sound is something that goes on between us. At points, we’ve been almost scared to put our sound into something more [listenable]. Master Of Deceit definitely still sounds recognisably ‘Heriot’ but where there was a time when we were afraid that could mean us losing our identity, we’re not anymore. These new songs definitely hit the sweet spot.”
Julian: “Erik helped push us out of our comfort zones. We would try things and say to each other, ‘Maybe that’s going a bit too far…’ But he stressed we should do whatever we want.”

As part of Loathe, it feels like Erik is a real experimental force. Did he surprise you as a producer?
Debbie: “We can only really talk about him as a songwriter, but I think at his core he’s just very open to trying anything. That comes across in Loathe’s music, too. They have catchy songs. But they also have [more out-there] six-minute tracks that get released as singles and do just as well. He understood that we wanted to be creative and to maintain our form of expression, but he also understood that we wanted to be able to take these songs to festivals, to play to thousands of new people and still have them connect!”

The title Master Of Deceit has an almost Black Sabbath vibe. The year after the forefathers of British metal finally called it a day, is there a pressure for bands to step up and carry the baton?
Debbie: “Honestly, I don’t think any of us are thinking that inwardly. As flattering as it is when we get called things like ‘the future of British metal’, it’s not something that weighs on our minds. It wouldn’t be healthy if it did. At the same time, the prospect of making our next record and diving back into new music is exciting for me. It feels like we can bring something different to the genre. There’s still so much we haven’t explored, so many creative avenues that feel new. But I don’t feel any pressure on Heriot to be huge. I would rather prove ourselves artistically. Of course, I would love to become metal titans, but it would be unhealthy to lead your band with that intention.”

It’s not even so much about chasing it, as that that space will imminently need to be filled…
Debbie: “It’s your culture, isn’t it? When we go on tour, we will sit in the van and talk about who the next festival headliners will be. That’s not exclusive to Heriot. It’s just exciting to be alive right now with bands like Turnstile and Spiritbox, Sleep Token and Bring Me The Horizon getting as big as they are. You can see that next generation of headliners forming. And it feels so cool to witness those bands grow into those spaces. Another thing I think about is what comes after us? What will metal look like in another 15 years? It’s so interesting to have that sense of things moving.”
Julian: “For a long time, it felt like there weren’t opportunities for bands to reach that ‘Download headliner’ level. But in the last five years, it’s completely changed. The legacy bands won’t be there forever, so there needs to be growth. Even watching this year’s GRAMMYs, metal feels the healthiest it’s ever been in terms of mainstream popularity. It’s cool to be a small part of that.”

You’re a bigger part with every passing year. How cool was it to experience some of the massive moments you did in 2025, from Bloodtock’s main stage to touring in America with Trivium?
Debbie: “Trivium was a dream tour to be a part of. It can be rare to go on the road and feel like it’s all gone perfectly, but I can honestly say that’s the smoothest tour that Heriot have ever done. The shows were amazing. The people were incredible. It felt like we were playing the best we ever had. We saw so many new places and made so many new friends. It’s unusual to have all of those things at once. I definitely felt the happiest I ever have on that tour. There was such a sense of achievement that we weren’t completely out of place on those bills.”
Julian: “It was inspiring to be around them and see how hard they worked to tour as they do. I feel a lot of imposter syndrome, but out on those shows it felt like we’d earned our place. Coming away from that tour felt different. It’s exciting to feel we can do anything we put our minds to.”

Does it feel like Heriot have come of age in the last 18 months or so since DBTMOH came out?
Debbie: “There will sometimes be certain situations, especially with touring, where I’ll pinch myself. It feels crazy to be speaking as brazenly as we do about some of the things we’re doing. Like, to be going out with Converge on tour this summer? That’s crazy. They’re one of me and my boyfriend’s favourite bands. We met playing Converge covers together. He’s got a Converge tattoo. We’ve got Converge prints all over our flat. So to be going out on tour with them is mental. And it’s crazy to find yourself in situations like when you get the message that you’re doing the tour and you just think, ‘Oh, that’s sick!’ rather than rolling around in your garden sobbing with excitement, deliriously crying, ‘Oh my god, I’m going on tour with Converge!’ I have to remind myself not to get too used to it because this is crazy. We’re getting to live out so many of our dreams.”

Aside from Converge, you’re also scheduled to play with Kublai Khan TX in Ireland, with other gnarly shows still to be announced. Does it feel like you’re more ready for those gigs now?
Julian: “As Deb said about coming out of the tour with Trivium playing the best we’d ever played, we are playing stronger than ever as a unit. As much as those opportunities are massive and exciting, we’re also in a better position than ever to get out there and smash them.”
Debbie: “As long as the Trivium tour was, I came out of it not able to wait to get back out on the road. Like, if we can tour with Trivium, what else can we do? I sometimes wish that we could go back to shows that we’ve done before to play them as the band that we are now. Because this is the strongest version of Heriot. And that is a very nice feeling to have.”

Beyond that, when can we expect album number two to roll around?
Debbie: “We’re writing music and we’re thinking about the next steps, but we don’t want to commit to anything too quickly. We’ve learned that rushing does you no favours. So that’s something we’re absolutely not about to do…”

Master Of Deceit and the deluxe edition of Devoured By The Mouth Of Hell are out now via Century Media. Heriot tour the UK from February 25-28 and will play Slam Dunk on May 23-24 – get your tickets now.

Read this next:

• Heriot: “I want us to bring a new style of metal, with the same values we started with, making heavy, abrasive, immersive music”
• From Converge to Paramore: The icons who inspired Heriot’s Debbie Gough
• Heriot: “The UK scene is so rich with amazing bands – we’re beyond grateful to be part of it”