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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