Northern Heretic Premiere Debut Single “Killing Floor”
New York doom crunchers Northern Heretic are releasing their debut single ‘Killing Floor’ tomorrow, Nov. 10, revealing themselves to the world with seven minutes of gruff, low-slung riffing and doomed roll. The procession is slow, the vibe is down — they make sure the point gets across in the second half of the song; you’ll get there — and the form is raw and exploratory at the same time. But before we get there, you should know nobody here is a stranger to each other. Guitarist/vocalist Ken Wohlrob and bassist/backing vocalist Davis Schlachter (also keys) play together in the hardcore-tinged End of Hope, and Sefcik‘s other bands, Kings Destroy and Begotten, have shared space in the NY underground with Schlachter‘s Reign of Zaius and Wohlrob‘s now-defunct Eternal Black. It’s not a band that started from random people meeting on Craigslist.
And maybe that accounts for some of the apparent ease with which Northern Heretic slink into the early verses of “Killing Floor,” seeming right at home in its hard-times, blue-ish collar rollout as it does, assured in tone and tempo, the vocals essentially a grunt but still not totally amelodic. But “Killing Floor” is more than just the band cozying up to their own riff, and the track breaks in its midsection for a more atmospheric and exploratory movement, departing the verse and chorus in a way that on paper aren’t necessarily radical — crazier shit has been put to
tape — but that speak to the intention behind Northern Heretic in relation to, say, End of Hope or Eternal Black. I won’t try to shoehorn a comparison of the crunch in “Killing Floor” and End of Hope‘s charged crossover hardcore, but I probably could if I wanted to and not get yelled at for it. If you heard the last Eternal Black record, that’s a decent place to start from, but Wohlrob, Schlachter and Sefcik are at the outset of their own progression as a band, and acknowledge that in trying something new as well as establishing the general feel they’re going for. In a word, you’d call it heavy.
If you wanted a second word, maybe preliminary? I don’t know, of course, whether or not Northern Heretic will chase after a headier or more ambient style over however long they’re together — maybe they’ll never do anything else, you never know — but in addition to the raw and doomly groove “Killing Floor” fosters, the trio make their way into some intriguing spaces and leave a broad range of directions for potential growth ahead of them. In the meantime, this initial salvo sets them forth with due lumber and presence.
PR wire info follows the track on the player below. Please enjoy:
Members of Kings Destroy, Eternal Black, End of Hope, and Clothesline join forces in NORTHERN HERETIC. First single “Killing Floor” drops on November 10th, 2023.
NORTHERN HERETIC – a new heavy rock trio made up of members from well-known acts Kings Destroy, Eternal Black, Reign of Zaius, Begotten, Clothesline, and End of Hope – are releasing their debut single “Killing Floor” on Friday, November 10th, 2023 via all streaming platforms and their Bandcamp page (northernheretic.bandcamp.com).
Formed in April 2022, NORTHERN HERETIC consists of Rob Sefcik (Kings Destroy, Begotten) on drums, Davis Schlachter (Reign of Zaius, Clothesline, End of Hope) on bass, and Ken Wohlrob (Eternal Black, End of Hope) on guitar and vocals. “Killing Floor” is the first salvo of four singles the band will be releasing in 2024.
THE WHERES AND WHYS AND WHAT FORS (AS TOLD BY NORTHERN HERETIC)
The band started after Ken and Rob both relocated to New York State during the pandemic. Ken had already written a few tracks that were very different from Eternal Black and after a couple of jams at Rob’s joint, we were digging the road we were headed down. As the new songs took shape, we quickly brought in Davis knowing he could add new layers and dimensions to the music. We found that we could still be Heavy with a capital H, and dark as hell (as this music should be), but we could step outside the boundaries and keep the listener on their toes.
The goal was to focus on dynamics and sonic space and challenge ourselves with new approaches. The more we tinkered with each song, the more the music changed, becoming something that was unique to all of us. You’ll recognize each player in the sonic landscape, but we’re all doing different things you’ve never heard from us before. And each song will show a different side of what this band can do.
“Killing Floor” is the song that best sums up the NORTHERN HERETIC sound and how we wanted to evolve. It starts somewhat traditionally with a swinging heavy groove that’s akin to what you’ve heard from some of our other bands. But then it quickly starts breaking down, following the desperation in the lyrics as the tone and dynamics of the song shift before building back up to a Heavy bridge and outro.
The track was recorded at Suburban Elvis Studios in New York State, the same studio where all the Eternal Black and End of Hope albums were recorded, as well as the last Begotten album. Once again, we worked with Joe Kelly, who produced all of those albums and helped us to achieve the big sonic boom we wanted for this new project.
We’re going to release four singles this year – one every three months. The way people listen to music has changed and we’re adapting to that. Rather than making fans wait for a whole new album, we’re going to focus on releasing songs as they’re ready.
The cover art for “Killing Floor” is by New York artist Melissa Pracht. She will be creating art for all four NORTHERN HERETIC singles being released in 2024. Each cover will be unique, but there will be a shared thematic feel to them.
Northern Heretic is:
Davis Schlachter (Reign of Zaius, Clothesline, End of Hope): bass, keyboards, backup vocals
Rob Sefcik (Kings Destroy, Begotten, Thinning the Herd): drums
Ken Wohlrob (Eternal Black, End of Hope): guitars, vocals, keyboards
Northern Heretic on Soundcloud
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