Band:	Herod
Album:	Iconoclast
Style:	Math metal, Post-metal
Release date:	May 2023

01. The Icon
02. The Girl With A Balloon
03. The Edifice
04. The Ode To ...
05. The Becoming
06. The Intergloom
07. The Obsolete
08. The Prophecy

Groove metal started off as an offshoot from thrash metal, and a lot of its biggest names have been associated with either thrash or alternative metal. However, when I think of groovy metal genres, djent comes right to the forefront of my mind, and Herod deliver a consummate demonstration of why on Iconoclast.

Switzerland’s Herod and their third album come courtesy of Pelagic Records, a label that I spend quite a lot of time singing the praises of. Pelagic is principally a prog and/or post-metal label, albeit with certain exceptions. In the case of Herod, there are hints of post-metal, which turn into more than hints on two songs in particular, but overall this record lies closer to the progressive metal side of the Pelagic roster. Still, there are many styles that progressive metal can take the form of, and on Iconoclast, it is the work of Swedish heavyweights Meshuggah that is a keen influence on Herod.

Meshuggah, along with The Dillinger Escape Plan and Cult Of Luna, are openly acknowledged inspirations of Herod founder Pierre Carroz, and complex rhythmicity is a key aspect of the band’s sound for large stretches of Iconoclast. The music here isn’t always convoluted; the lead riff of “The Becoming” is a lively flat-four stormer, but that song swiftly descends into slower, gnarlier and more complex patterns, and other tracks opt to instead immediately jump into the elaborate crunching.

While volume and groove are core aspects of Iconoclast, there is compelling range across the album. For example, “The Icon” features ominous, twisted atmospheric chords and frantic, dizzying drumming early on, and later has a rowdy up-tempo energy that harks to some more classic groove metal acts. In contrast, “The Obsolete” is brooding, moving forward menacingly with nasty, bend-heavy, syncopated riffs and elaborate percussion; this is the song that highlights that Meshuggah influence most obviously. “The Edifice” offers bounce in its faster moments, and punishing bleakness when it slows down, featuring breakdowns reminiscent of moments from Gojira’s catalogue.

Beyond these songs, the influence of post-metal bands such as the aforementioned Cult Of Luna begin to permeate the sound of Iconoclast. “The Girl With A Balloon” is an early warning of what Herod have in offer later, breaking up its muscular backbone of thick riffing with more spacious passages, which are accompanied by faint yet impactful eerie clean singing. The record’s shortest song, “The Intergloom”, also reveals elements of Herod’s more subdued side; while not exactly quiet, it refrains from any real riffing and instead builds textures through ominous guitar leads and atmospheric drumming.

These are just snapshots of what the band are capable of, but it is the two longest songs here that really steal the show. Curiously enough, both feature guest vocalists; I can’t quite find who is the female singer or singers responsible for vocal duties on “The Ode To...”, but they’re the perfect accompaniment to the cleaner textures on this song. The vocals frequently harmonize, and also incorporate Middle Eastern melodies at times; the backing instrumentation shifts between quiet clean guitar-shaped passages and heavier stretches that bring the distortion, but still only use them to bring weight and depth, rather than to distract with syncopated patterns.

“The Ode To...” is a stark contrast from what comes before and after it on Iconoclast, and is one of the real highlights of the record. Its fiercest competition for the album’s best song title comes from 9-minute closer “The Prophecy”, another one that slows things down and embraces quieter soundscapes. This song features The Ocean’s Loïc Rossetti, and his distinctive singing voice is a perfect match for the more atmospheric opening stages of this song; as it progresses, “The Prophecy” increasingly dials up the aggression and intensity, but never loses its central allure. This is a song that strongly shows the connection of Herod to the kind of bands that populate the Pelagic Records roster, and is a excellent ending to a fascinating album.