New York’s Northern Heretic this week unleash their fourth single “And One More…,” and on May 16, the three-piece will open at Le Poisson Rouge (the ol’ redfish) for Paradise Lost and Trouble in Manhattan. Hot shit, what a slot. That’d be a good get for a band who’s been around for 20 years, let alone one that just has soon-to-be-four songs publicly released — but it’s also their first show. Imagine that for a minute.

The context of the band’s pedigree gives some explanation. Guitarist/vocalist Ken Wohlrob, who leads a chugging march in the early verses of “And One More…” and makes a hook of the key lyric, “Throw one more on the fire,” was in Eternal Black and now handles guitar in End of Hope, in which bassist Davis Schlachter also features, while drummer Rob Sefcik — now also of Thinning the Herd — is in Begotten and Kings Destroy besides. But this is the part where I tell you Northern Heretic doesn’t really sound like any of those, and that’s true for the most part. “And One More…” feels more obscure in its atmosphere than Sept. 2024’s “Ghosts in the Hills” (premiered here), or the prior “Angrboda” (premiered here) and 2023’s “Killing Floor” (premiered here), stretching across the 10-minute mark with a raw presentation, avant lumber in its first half and a dark-feeling-but-maybe-because-of-the-cover-art (not a complaint) psychedelic jam that comprises most of the second.

You could call it consistent with its predecessor singles since it comes from the same 2023 session, but as Wohlrob says in the ‘wheres and whys’ below, part of the point of “And One More…” is that it’s open. Whether it’s in the repetitions earlier on or the meditative exploration of the jam later, “And One More…” sounds like the kind of piece that might be different every time a band plays it — it feels malleable in its structure, able to shape itself to suit a moment’s interpretation. The recording, then, is one example. Perhaps Le Poisson Rouge will get treated to another next Thursday.

And then I assume their second show will be opening for Judas Priest at some arena or other.

Get your head right and dig in. And you should know that despite the band’s urbane origin story, “And One More…” makes an oddly fitting complement to screaming coyotes in the middle of the night.

Enjoy:

NORTHERN HERETIC to release 4th single “And One More…” on May 9, 2025.

Making their live debut opening for Paradise Lost and Trouble in New York City on May 22, 2025.

NORTHERN HERETIC – the New York-based heavy rock trio with members of Kings Destroy, Eternal Black, End of Hope, and Begotten – are releasing their fourth single “And One More…” on Friday, May 9, 2025 via all streaming platforms and their Bandcamp page (northernheretic.bandcamp.com). The band will make their live debut as the opening act for doom legends Paradise Lost and Trouble at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City on May 22, 2025.

Formed in April 2022, NORTHERN HERETIC consists of Rob Sefcik (Kings Destroy, Begotten) on drums, Davis Schlachter (Reign of Zaius, End of Hope) on bass, and Ken Wohlrob (Eternal Black, End of Hope) on guitar and vocals. “And One More…” follows three previous singles: “Killing Floor,” “Angrboda,” and “Ghosts In The Hills,” which were released on November 10, 2023, April 12, 2024, and September 27, 2024, respectively.

THE WHERES AND WHYS AND WHAT FORS (AS TOLD BY NORTHERN HERETIC)

“Simple words remind me of ###t” – Pepper Keenan, 1994

Damn straight. Keep it simple. Say a lot with a little. Pepper has always been a wise man. So we followed his advice. This one goes all the way back to Birmingham circa 1969, but it doesn’t try to sound retro. It is us, here and now, reflecting what we see and hear out in the world. The goal was to draw you in with simple elements that carry great weight.

“And One More…” is different every time we play it. It starts with a meditative structure, then goes where it wants to go. What you hear is one version recorded live in the studio, as if you were standing there with three of us on that day in April 2023. This one is near and dear to us because of its unique qualities. We hope you feel the same.

The track was recorded at Suburban Elvis Studios in New York State. Once again, we worked with Joe Kelly, who helped us to achieve the sonic nuance we wanted for this song. The cover art for “And One More…” is by New York artist Melissa Pracht, who also created the paintings and illustrations for all our releases and merchandise.

~~

“And One More…” written by Northern Heretic
Produced, mixed, and mastered by Joe Kelly
Spiritual Advisor: Kol Marshall
Recorded at Suburban Elvis Studios, April 2023
Cover art by Melissa Pracht
© 2025 Northern Heretic / All Rights Reserved
Golgotha Records

Northern Heretic is:
Davis Schlachter (Reign of Zaius, End of Hope): bass, backup vocals
Rob Sefcik (Kings Destroy, Begotten): drums
Ken Wohlrob (Eternal Black, End of Hope): guitars, vocals

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Tomorrow, Sept. 27, is the release date for the third single from New York’s Northern Heretic. Dubbed “Ghosts in the Hills” and given to a moody, languid flow in its verse, it follows behind April’s “Angrboda” (premiered here) and late-2023’s first offering, “Killing Floor” (premiered here), and if the links didn’t make it clear enough, yes, it’s the third in a row being premiered in this space. I’ll tell you outright that isn’t a coincidence.

Neither is it purely a result of the component members’ pedigree either. Plenty of bands around with dudes who’ve been in other bands not starting out by unveiling three tracks in a row here. Each of the three pieces Northern Heretic have released to-date — and mind you, I don’t know that they’re ‘pieces’ of anything as regards an album release or whatever, I just don’t like using the word ‘song’ 75 times in the same post — adds something to the picture of who the band are going to be separate from the past work of guitarist/vocalist Ken Wohlrob, bassist Davis Schlachter and drummer Rob Sefcik in bands like Eternal Black, Reign of Zaius and Kings Destroy, let alone other collaborations any of them have going on, whether that’s Wohlrob and Schlachter in the hardcore-crossover outfit End of Hope or Sefcik playing in Thinning the Herd. Specifically in terms of mood.

At over eight minutes long, “Ghosts in the Hills” is the most substantial of the three thus-far tracks Northern Heretic have presented, if not by a ton. It’s more about how the time is used. “Ghosts in the Hills” isn’t particularly brash, and it’s not as outwardly aggressive as “Killing Floor,” but it finds a baseline and dwells there in order to create a sense of drudgery. Its lumber comes not from sounding huge, but from meditating on its central riff the way it does, letting it evolve into an atmosphere across its span. This is something Northern Heretic haven’t really done yet in this way, and though it has its moments of pickup in the chorus and ends with an effects-laced drawling slowdown — not quite Echoplex, I think, but not far off — the fuller impression the song makes is one of digging in a bit deeper and seeing where they end up, rather than just getting there. A focus on verse over hook, resonant vibe over immediate impact.

“Ghosts in the Hills” further underscores the purposeful nature in which Northern Heretic‘s material has surfaced up to this point. I’m not sure it would have worked as a first single, but set against the backdrop of the other two, it has a fuller context in which to be understood for what it’s doing in expanding the band’s stylistic take. When and if there’s a fourth single to come, I don’t know that I’d get to premiere it (though I would; I kind of like how there’s a thread in these posts so far), but I’ve appreciated the chance to experience “Killing Floor,” “Angrboda” and now “Ghosts in the Hills” as part of a distinct and increasingly complex narrative, and I’m curious to hear where it’s all leading. Are they going to keep getting weirder and more brooding, or is this an aberration? Maybe we’ll find out in a few months.

Please enjoy:

Northern Heretic on “Ghosts in the Hills”:

“Ghosts In The Hills” is the song we’ve been most excited for everyone to hear. From the rhythmic patterns of the drums, to the character of the vocal parts, to the different guitar riffs, to the way the overall complexity builds as the song moves forward, “Ghosts In The Hills” sounds far from anything we’ve ever done before.

This track freed us up, allowing us to move past the guardrails of the current heavy music scene. We think that comes across in the energy and dynamics of the song. It can be laid back, but it can also pummel you. It can be simple, yet incredibly complex. “Ghost In The Hills” became a culmination of everything we set out to do differently as a band.

“Ghosts In The Hills” was recorded at Suburban Elvis Studios in New York State, the same studio where 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.

“Ghosts In The Hills” is the third of four singles to be released this year. 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’ll release songs as they’re ready.

The cover art for “Ghosts In The Hills” is by New York artist Melissa Pracht, who also painted the covers “Killing Floor” and “Angrboda.” She will be creating art for all four NORTHERN HERETIC singles released in 2024. Each cover will be unique, but there will be a shared thematic feel to them.

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. “Ghosts In The Hills” follows two previous singles, “Killing Floor” and “Angrboda,” which were released on November 10, 2023 and April 12, 2024.

“Ghosts In The Hills” written by Northern Heretic
Produced, mixed, and mastered by Joe Kelly
Recorded at Suburban Elvis Studios, April 2023
Cover art by Melissa Pracht
© 2024 Northern Heretic / All Rights Reserved
Golgotha Records

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

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If you only know New York’s Ken Wohlrob from his work in doom crunchers Eternal Black or projects like Northern Heretic and the hardcore-minded End of Hope or the pandemic-born Swarm of Flies, “Variac” is likely going to seem pretty far out from all of that, but the guitarist’s second solo single behind this Spring’s “Simulacrum” (posted here) follows suit with the guitar-based drone methodology proffered in that track. I get a distinctly Tribes of Neurot impression from the near-seven-minute “Variac” — some of the violin-aimed effects and guitar-in-vacuum feel remind me of Grace, but can certainly be related to any according number of ambient works — but no question Wohlrob is exploring the form, and the result of his work is an evocative and immersive standalone piece.

I asked Wohlrob after “Simulacrum” whether these songs were leading to an album and the answer I got rounded out to a solid “maybe.” Fair enough. Of course, if the material in question hit a nerve with listeners and the demand was made, I don’t imagine there’d be much argument about putting out an LP, but such ethereal sounds are a form of extremity in music and so almost always have a limited reach, so I wouldn’t bank on that. It’s up to him, then, and probably part of the whether-or-not will come down to how the songs flow when there are enough of them to comprise an LP. We’ll see when we get there, and there’s a ways to go.

But for now, this track is out today through various streaming outlets, and I’ve got both singles at the bottom of this post for those feeling low-key bold enough to take them on. If that’s you, enjoy:

KEN WOHLROB – “Variac”

niku-zuki-no-men (肉付きの面, mask with flesh attached)

Our brains are a strange lockbox. What we choose to keep in there is inexplicable. I was watching Kaneto Shindō’s Onibaba. The soundtrack by Hikaru Hayashi utilizes a sharp sound to heighten the tension, possibly a bow being drawn rapidly across a violin or viola for a quick instant, especially when a character appears wearing the demon-like Hannya mask. The velocity of that single note was strangely compelling. It stuck, much like the flesh to the mask in the film. I don’t know why. But at odd moments it would rise up from my subconscious. I would hear that high-velocity note. And I would see the mask from the film…

“Variac” started with that sound. Or rather, creating my own version of it. Can we be haunted by a musical sound?

But like all the soundscapes I’m creating, it grew into something else…

Memories are not like movies. They don’t have story beats. Or a three-act structure. They’re more fluid. One bleeding into the next with no rhyme nor reason. Layer upon layer triggered by the devil knows what. Ever found yourself saying, “It’s weird, but I just thinking about…”?

I can’t tell you what you should feel when listening to “Variac.” It’s probably going to be different because I haven’t lived your life. And I don’t know what you’ve got tucked away in the subconscious behind the mask.

releases August 23, 2024
Performed and produced by Ken Wohlrob
Recorded at Quatre Cagne, Mohegan Lake, NY
June-July 2024
Obsidian Sky Records #010

https://www.instagram.com/kenwohlrob/
https://soundcloud.com/kwohlrob/
linktr.ee/kwohlrob

To my knowledge, “Simulacrum” is the first single that New York’s Ken Wohlrob — known for his work in defunct doomers Eternal Black as well as the hardcore-minded End of Hope, the pandemic-era remote project Swarm of Flies and the nascent riffery of Northern Heretic‘s two-to-date singles (posted here and here) — has issued under his own name.

Released today through Bandcamp and probably a bunch of other scattered digital outlets, “Simulacrum” swells from its initial fade-in to a six-plus-minute procession of melodic guitar drone, neither minimal in construction or dispassionate as that kind of thing sometimes can be. And while the release info I’ve cut and pasted below is somewhat abstract, so is the song, and that I assume is part of the (friggin’) point. More aural sculpture than soundscape, it howls around synthesizer complement and leaves no shortage of room for the listener to get lost in its contemplative spaces, but has a defined course and forward progression in addition to offering something different from anything any of Wohlrob‘s bands have done before. I take the fact that “Simulacrum” makes me curious about both it — how many layers of guitar/keys are there, which layer was built on first, how long did it take for it to be recorded, when did it feel done and why, on and on — and about what’s to come from Wohlrob as good signs.

Maybe you’ll feel the same, but there’s only one way to find out. Take a pause to open your mind and focus your attention, then hit play and enjoy:

KEN WOHLROB – “Simulacrum”

A song can be a slippery thing.
It can have no structure while still being bound to consistency.
It can be sinister, but also beautiful.
It can allow you space to think, moving into the background, but it can still enforce its presence.
It can feel immovable, while it can feel as if it’s slithering away, unable to be held.
Its components can be distinct, while its layers can melt into one another.
It can sound familiar, yet unlike anything you’ve ever heard.
It can have roots, but be unmoored from the past.
It can borrow, cheat, and steal, while being pure and unique.
It is a sum of its parts, but the parts don’t define it.
It can engage the brain, but defy understanding.
It can be one thing one minute, another thing the next
But it should infect you…

Otherwise, what’s the friggin’ point?

There are guitars. They are synthesizers. They are effects. Slivers of old songs and styles that have been lurking in my brain, sitting in the unconscious, waiting to be deployed. Some influences overt, others indistinguishable. This was where my brain was at during the moments the song was recorded. It was not planned. Nor written. It was cobbled together from rapid impulses and dredged old thoughts.

Hope you dig it.

releases May 3, 2024
Written, performed and produced by Ken Wohlrob
Recorded at Quatre Cagne, Mohegan Lake, NY
February 2024
Obsidian Sky Records #009

https://www.instagram.com/kenwohlrob/
https://soundcloud.com/kwohlrob/
linktr.ee/kwohlrob

This Friday marks the release of Northern Heretic‘s new single, “Angrboda.” It is the second offering from the New York three-piece of guitarist/vocalist Ken Wohlrob, bassist Davis Schlachter and drummer Rob Sefcik — whose collective NY-doom-tinged pedigree as you can see below includes Eternal Black, Reign of Zaius, Kings Destroy, Begotten, End of Hope, and so on — and like the preceding “Killing Floor” (premiered here), it offers a low-slung swing and moody vibe as part of what will be a series of four individually-issued tracks that one assumes will be compiled at some point onto an LP or CD or I don’t know just tape ’em off the computer speakers or something. Whatever, man. Format wars are over; no gods no masters no pressing plants no distro. DIY and die. The future’s already terrible. What’s more plastic?

Anyhow.

Something about the way “Angrboda” crashes in, lays out its groove and saunters into its verse reminds me of Soundgarden, but the abiding message in “Angrboda” is that Northern Heretic know who they are and what they’re about musically. The shift from verse to chorus isn’t overblown, and in the steady flow from one to the other and back, there’s a flourish either of keys or another layer of guitar — maybe even acoustic? — that adds to the tension building up to the solo, which finds Wohlrob underscoring pulled notes with shred in the classic Iommic dance. The title “Angrboda” comes from Norse mythology — she’s Loki’s special lady, a giantess, and a mother of monsters, reportedly; thanks, internet — and that the song’s six minutes pass with such fluidity is testament to the even-keeled production and the sense of their digging into a structure born out of a riff-following jam. Not to spoil it, but what happens is doom.

I consider the hypnosis cast in “Angrboda” a strength on the part of the band, and with two songs out, I’m curious what the corresponding next pair of singles will bring when they arrive. No clue when that is beyond ‘this year,’ but fair enough. If they follow a similar course of low-key swagger and unpretentious, take-it-for-a-walk vibes, you won’t hear me complain about it. I like these guys and I like their band. Could hardly be more straightforward than that.

Comment from Northern Heretic and more PR wire info follows “Angrboda” on the player below.

Please enjoy:

Northern Heretic on “Angrboda”:

“Angrboda” predates Northern Heretic. Ken originally wrote this song during the pandemic while working on songs for what was supposed to be the third Eternal Black album. The song always had something different about it. It never quite felt like an Eternal Black song. It was going in a different direction than EB’s grittier doom. Once rehearsals began for Northern Heretic, “Angrboda” found a home. It was the first song that we all locked in on and in many ways it became ground zero for where the band wanted to go.

The track was recorded at Suburban Elvis Studios in New York State, the same studio where 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. The cover art for “Angrboda” is by New York artist Melissa Pracht, who also painted the cover for the “Killing Floor.” She will be creating art for all four NORTHERN HERETIC singles released in 2024. Each cover will be unique, but there will be a shared thematic feel to them.

NORTHERN HERETIC – a new heavy rock trio made up of members from Kings Destroy, Eternal Black, End of Hope, Clothesline, and Begotten – are releasing their second single “Angrboda” on Friday, April 12, 2024 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. “Angrboda” follows the band’s first single, “Killing Floor, ” which was released on November 10th, 2023.

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

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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

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Northern Heretic on Bandcamp