A CONVERSATION WITH... HERIOT
Lining up with Jackson Guitars’ American series Virtuoso campaign, Heriot’s Debbie Gough opens up about falling in love with metal, how the genre has evolved over time, and feeling pressure as a creative.
Photo Credit: Fender PR
The earliest incarnation of Heriot began in 2015. Back then, they were playing as a three-piece after meeting in school and it was only come 2019 that they reformed, adding vocalist and guitarist Debbie Gough to their line-up. Gough, however, has always had heavy metal in her blood. Born and raised in Birmingham - a city renowned as the birthplace of the genre - Gough fulfilled Heriot’s wish to have a second guitarist; since then, the band have gone from strength to strength in a whirlwind of online single and video releases.
When we speak, it’s a few days before Jackson Guitars unleash their American series Virtuoso to the world - a campaign that Gough is part of that exemplifies the adventurous musical spirit and endless creativity in the world of metal. Joining four other musical legends - that span the history of metal - for a rare jam session where they were able to highlight the full force of the instrument's sounds, Gough touches on it feeling like a dream. “It felt a little bit surreal for me because I was playing with four guitar legends who are absolutely incredible,” Gough exclaims, grinning from ear to ear as she talks about Megadeth’s Marty Friedman, Periphery’s Misha Mansoor, Erra’s Clint Tustin, and Revocation’s Dave Davidson. “You know, to have the chance to write a song with those guys, and to put glimpses of Heriot into it, was really, really cool. It still feels very insane to me.”
Having played Jackson guitars since she was 14, Gough explains how the power of guitar, and being part of the Virtuoso campaign, has kept her in love with metal music ever since. “It definitely felt like a life event for me and whether that sounds cheesy or not, it’s definitely true,” she notes, evidently grateful for the opportunity. “You know, I’ve played Jackson guitars since I was 14 so being part of this campaign was very surreal. I’ve played their guitars for practically half my life,” she exclaims. “I also think it really cemented how much I love playing guitar,” she adds. “I was thinking about it the other day and there were loads of moments within those shoot days that just took me back to being 14. You know, all that excitement and passion was still exactly the same,” she elaborates. “Even being surrounded by musical legends, shredding it up, really took me back to how much I actually adore this,” she shares, reinforcing Jackson’s aims of having this series bring together both legendary and contemporary artists who symbolise the genres sonic diversity, evolution, and groundbreaking innovation. “Even though I’m obviously aware of all that on a daily basis, this campaign really hit home with how much it means to me.”
Heriot’s rise came at a time when the British rock and metal scene began flourishing more than it had done for quite some time; it’s led Gough to deep how healthy the scene has become compared to what it was prior. “I feel like the British metal scene is really, really healthy at the moment. It’s really strong,” she begins. “Every band has got their own kind of identity as well, which is really cool to see because people are now reinventing what they interpret metal to be today,” she adds. “You see a lot more external influences within metal, like outside of the genre, and you see quite a lot of people developing the direction of metal, especially within the British scene and, for me, it feels really cool to go down that rabbit hole where you end up being introduced to all these sub-genres,” she elaborates, kind of going down a rabbit hole herself in the best way possible. “It’s an exciting thing to be a part of,” she exclaims. “The rabbit hole feels kind of endless, and the possibilities are endless. It’s great to be within the British scene because you’re seeing it evolve in real-time. You’re seeing it from a raw perspective as it’s happening and I think that’s really cool.”
Gough also thinks that the rise in prominence of the British rock and metal scene is down to the pandemic. “I can only speak from my own experience when I say this but I feel like the scene, in comparison to how it used to be, is the safest, most inclusive to date,” she tells us. “That’s not to say that there’s not work to be done,” she quickly cuts across herself. “But, compared to where we were five years ago, we’ve overcome some massive changes and people are really taking on board constructive criticism on how we can create a safer space,” she explains. “As somebody who you might look at and say I’m part of a minority - you know, being a woman - I’ve experienced more difficult times than what I’m experiencing now,” she states honestly. “I’ve noticed attitudes change after the pandemic too and I'm really grateful for that,” she adds. “I feel as though times are much easier for a person like me now in comparison to what they were like when I started playing guitar,” she elaborates. “There’s definitely still work to be done though and I do recognise how much more work we've got to do.”
Despite their seemingly, carefully calculated rise, Heriot never expected things to go this way. They still find themselves in shock over certain situations and never take a moment for granted. “I don’t think we could have predicted the amazing route that we’ve been able to take over the last two years,” Gough proclaims. “It’s all been a real whirlwind,” she laughs in a way that makes us believe she’s yet to process their amazing journey. “Even before ‘Cleansed Existence’ came out, we were playing in very different venues to what we are now. We were playing to a lot less people and now, it’s already surpassed our expectations of what the band might do,” she states. “It’s been lovely because we’ve been so lucky to have had these experiences and we’re going to continue making plans for the future. We want to push this as far as we can because why not?” she questions. “Why can’t it go somewhere even bigger? We’re all quite settled in giving this band the absolute best shot we can and we’re going to continue putting everything into it.”
With the band’s recent evolution, the sound of Heriot has changed. There are now elements of an industrial influence, with a greater use of synths than ever before, and a variety in tone and tempo that echoes shades of Code Orange yet that will never stop them from reverting back to their beloved doom rock influences given the chance. “We wanted to write a song that was a little bit longer than our others,” Gough states after we briefly chat about how ‘Demure’ would fit perfectly on a horror film soundtrack. “On Profound Morality, all our tracks tend to be quite quick and we wanted to dive into something longer where we could touch on some doom rock influences as well,” she continues. “In the earlier days of Heriot, we used to write a lot of doom riffs whereas it doesn’t really creep into the band that exists now,” she notes. “We try to include some when we can though! It all depends on the song.”
That progression and experimentation of the bands instrumental sound doesn’t come without its pressures though. “I think that anybody who does anything creative in general feels some sort of pressure,” begins Gough. “Especially when you seem to have success from things previously. It’s something that’s always going to be there,” she adds. “It can make you feel as though you have to continue down a specific path too as you don’t want to let anyone down, you don’t want to fail,” she tells us. “You know, we’re always second guessing; there’s always that imposter syndrome,” she says, subtly admitting that it’s something she experiences too. “In a way, it’s quite healthy to have because being in a band, and doing music, you can experience some really cool things but you can’t just expect that to follow suit,” she shares. “You have to have a hard work ethic; you have to continue to view everything with a critical eye whilst learning how to better yourself and allowing yourself to get excited about everything,” she proclaims. “I think it’s all about achieving the balance of that,” she continues. “I can only speak for myself here rather than the whole band but I feel like the pressure comes in waves. Sometimes I’ll feel absolutely crippled by it and other times I’ll be taking it head on, going with the flow,” she opens up. “Maybe that’s the best way?” She questions, her eyes scrunching up almost as if she’s grappling with the thought of it being true. “I’m not saying I’ve got the best balance down but I’m coming around to it a little bit more if that makes any sense.”
As for Heriot themselves, the main focus at the moment is working on new music. “We’re working on a lot of music at the moment,” Gough beams, “I can’t really share much about that but hopefully I’ll be able to tell you a little bit about it soon,” she quickly adds. “We’ve got the debut album on our brains as that’s what’s being worked on! I just can’t share anything regarding when things will be coming out,” she elaborates before moving on to discuss how the rest of the year will see them pull back in terms of touring. “We’re really focusing on the end portion of this year now,” she begins. “We’re honing in on the creative process a little bit more, staying off the road, and writing. We have a few shows left but we won’t be doing another tour this year.”
The fierce sound of their music counteracts their demeanour in real life and, though they won’t be touring anytime soon, you can tell that this is a band that thrives on live shows. “A Heriot set is very energetic,” Gough begins. “It’s an atmospheric, moody place to be,” she laughs. “We love it when shows are rowdy because those are the shows that we enjoy most. You know, we’ve got lots of movement from the crowd and we know that they’re enjoying it too,” she smiles, almost as if she’s reflecting on a past gig. “There’s also a few people that we tend to see quite a lot,” she adds, referring to their loyal fanbase. “They come to our support and festival slots and then we see them again at our headliner shows. I think that’s really cool,” she beams. “It’s just a nice gift realising that people are sticking around for you.”