"Well" deadpans Zeal & Ardor frontman Manuel Gagneux midway through their set "Heriot are an angry band aren’t they!”. He goes on to admit that that anger means his band have had to up their game every night to keep up the ferocity of these fast-rising youngsters. Heriot are fuelled by rage, but it is not indignant or nihilistic fury. Theirs is peppered with passion and exasperation.
Read MoreOf Metal’s many traits, the one I adore the most is its ability to continually evolve. Most other musical genres have a fixed shelf life. As soon as they surface in the mainstream, they are made instantly obsolete by whatever scene is bubbling up in the underground behind them. Metal’s secret for survival has been simple, but highly effective. Namely, it assimilates what is set up to replace it and absorbs that into its own collected being.
Read MoreThe question of where Metal goes next is something, we fans debate frequently as there are very few genre's left that Metal hasn't sidled up to and fluttered it's eyelashes at. Zeal & Ardor have taken a very unique direction by looking for inspiration from the musical cornerstones that shaped the Blues, namely Gospel and Afro-spiritual. By combing the raw power of Black Metal with these two equally earthy and guttural influences they have managed to create something that sounds completely and utterly unique.
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