Swiss progressive sludge metal unit HEROD will release their Sombre Dessein full-length next month via Pelagic Records. Recorded and mixed by Swiss audiophile Julien Fehlman and mastered by Magnus Lindberg from Cult Of Luna, Sombre Dessein is an album of staggering riffs, intricate yet groovy polyrhythmic patterns, and pure heaviness. The bilingual vocal approach adds an unusual but intriguing aspect to the band’s delivery of their craft. In advance of the album’s release, the band is pleased to unveil the official video for “Reckoning,” issuing of the clip, “The track ‘Reckoning’ is the first single of the upcoming album Sombre Dessein. The concept behind Sombre Dessein is ‘the rise and fall of dictatorship and benevolent dictatorship.’ This and the modern human condition/the disease of consumerism. ‘Reckoning’ is the chapter of our story where we begin to see the cracks in the foundations… the turbulence and tearing down of initial visions/misinformation. Additionally, it was the first song that has been composed for this album and was always intended to be the single. The aesthetic of the video clip is made out of old footage of ancient civilizations which have collapsed at some point. Our current civilization will not escape this statement and we might reach the end of it. “Bonus trivia,” the band continues, “this is the song that the band recorded as a pre-production in order to find the next singer. [Guitarist/vocalist] Mike [Pilat] had reached out to [guitarist] Pierre [Carroz] after a mutual friend had told him of their vacant position. He received an MP3 of the track and took that off with him to Scotland where he was staying for a week, in a rural cottage over one-hundred years old. He borrowed a friend’s mobile rig and screamed down the cottage, then walked around for about an hour outside trying to get a 4G signal to upload it. Needless to say, he got the part.” Sombre Dessein will be released on CD, LP, and digital formats February 15th, 2019 via Pelagic Records. See all preordering links below: Sombre DesseinTrack Listing: 1. Fork Tongue Intro 2. Fork Tongue 3. Reckoning 4. Don’t Speak Last 5. Silent Truth 6. Mourning Grounds 7. There Will Be Gods In related news, HEROD will join The Ocean and Downfall Of Gaia for a full European tour this spring. See confirmed dates below. HEROD w/ The Ocean, Downfall Of Gaia: 3/13/2019 Im Wizemann – Stuttgart, DE 3/14/2019 PTR/ L’Usine – Geneva, CH 3/15/2019 CCO – Lyon, FR 3/16/2019 Rex – Toulouse, FR 3/17/2019 Les Pennes Mirabeau – Marseilles, FR 3/18/2019 Le Grillen – Colmar, FR 3/19/2019 Le Poche – Bethune, FR 3/20/2019 Mama Roux – Birmingham, UK 3/21/2019 Dolan’s Warehouse – Limerick, IR 3/22/2019 Voodoo Lounge – Dublin, IR 3/23/2019 Audio – Glasgow, UK 3/24/2019 Brudenell Social Club – Leeds UK 3/25/2019 Trix – Antwerp, DE 3/26/2019 Paard – Den Haag, NL 3/27/2019 Club Volta – Cologne, DE 3/28/2019 Werk 2 – Leipzig, DE 3/29/2019 U Bazyla – Poznan, PL 3/30/2019 Tower – Bremen, DE 3/31/2019 Logo – Hamburg, DE 4/02/2019 Fryhuset, Klubben – Stockholm, SE 4/03/2019 Tradgarn – Gothenburg, SE 4/06/2019 Folken – Stavangar, NO 4/07/2019 Gregers – Hamar, NO 4/08/2019 Vega – Copenhagen, DK Initially the brain child of guitarist Pierre Carroz, 2014 saw HEROD‘s debut release They Were None via Mighty Music and a subsequent European tour. Following the departure of their original vocalist, former The Ocean (Precambrian) vocalist Mike Pilat was recruited for follow up album Sombre Dessein. Pilat also plays guitar and HEROD is now furnished with a supplementary layer of musicality to complement both the heaviness and soundscape aspects of their palette. “The concept of the album is about the end of our Judaeo-Christian and thermo-industrial civilization,” comments Carroz. “The artwork and video clip are made up from footage of Shipbreakers, people who dismantle huge container ships which end up mooring to die on Indian or Bangladeshi shores.” HERODcreates a strong musical and visual image of the abysses of the human consumption project, “which turns out to be hell on earth for these people whose every day work involves constantly risking their lives to feed their families.” Throughout their young four years of presence, HEROD has already shared the stage with such acts as Gojira, Crowbar, The Ocean, Carcass, Obituary, Napalm Death, and Voivod, attesting their repute as the busboys of King Herod, serving up whole sides of rare riffs, disposition, beauty, and authority. Fans of Scarlet, Breach, Yob, Meshuggah, Gojira, and Textures pay heed. HEROD Lineup:
Pierre Carroz – guitar
Bertrand Pot – guitar
Michael Pilat – guitar, vocals
Fabien Vodoz – drums | 
