• About
    • Comments Policy
    • The Staff
  • Features
    • Articles
    • Staff Playlists
    • Staff Picks
    • PSA
  • Reviews
    • Reviews – Books
    • Reviews – Audio
    • Reviews – Classics
    • Reviews – Visual
    • Reviews – Live
    • Reviews – Vinyl
  • Blogs
  • Contact Us
Hellbound.ca - FOR THE LOVE OF METAL FOR THE LOVE OF METAL
  • Features
    • Staff Playlists – November 2020
      Staff Playlists – November 2020
    • Round Eye – Culture Shock Treatment
      Round Eye – Culture Shock Treatment
    • The Texas Gentleman – Floor it!
      The Texas Gentleman – Floor it!
  • Interviews
    • A chat with IRON VOID
      A chat with IRON VOID
    • Jungle Rot interview – Dave Matrise, May 2019
      Jungle Rot interview – Dave Matrise, May 2019
    • Interview: NECROT
      Interview: NECROT
  • Live
    • Monuments in Manchester, March 2020
      Monuments in Manchester, March 2020
    • Thrice – Feb 28 in Pomona
      Thrice – Feb 28 in Pomona
    • MOUNT AIRY CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF GEOFF TATE’S “EMPIRE”
      MOUNT AIRY CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF GEOFF TATE’S “EMPIRE”
  • Audio
    • Jamie Wyatt – Neon Cross
      Jamie Wyatt – Neon Cross
    • Art Bergmann – Christo Fascists
      Art Bergmann – Christo Fascists
    • Serpents of Secrecy – Ave Vindicta
      Serpents of Secrecy – Ave Vindicta
  • Video
    • Shellshock Rock: Alternative Blasts From Northern Ireland 1977-1984
      Shellshock Rock: Alternative Blasts From Northern Ireland 1977-1984
    • Mean Gene’s favorite movie releases of 2019
      Mean Gene’s favorite movie releases of 2019
    • L7: Pretend We’re Dead (DVD/Blu-Ray)
      L7: Pretend We’re Dead (DVD/Blu-Ray)
  • Classics
    • Greenslade – Sundance
      Greenslade – Sundance
    • Wally – Martyrs and Cowboys
      Wally – Martyrs and Cowboys
    • Vice Squad – The Albums 1981-84
      Vice Squad – The Albums 1981-84
  • Vinyl
    • Jamie Wyatt – Neon Cross
      Jamie Wyatt – Neon Cross
    • The Full Counts – Next Up
      The Full Counts – Next Up
    • The Full Counts – First Out
      The Full Counts – First Out
  • Books
    • Shellshock Rock: Alternative Blasts From Northern Ireland 1977-1984
      Shellshock Rock: Alternative Blasts From Northern Ireland 1977-1984
    • Irish Service Women In The Great War: From Western Front to Roaring Twenties by Barbara Walsh
      Irish Service Women In The Great War: From Western Front to Roaring Twenties by Barbara Walsh
    • North Vietnam 1972 Easter Offensive by Stephen Emerson
      North Vietnam 1972 Easter Offensive by Stephen Emerson
By Gruesome Greg Canadian metal, Reviews, Reviews - Audio May 7, 2018

Heron – A Low Winter’s Sun

Rating

This Sludgelord Records signing outta Vancouver namedrops Isis, Sleep and Corrupted in their Bandcamp bio, so you know it’s gonna be heavy. Heron’s debut full-length album features six tracks clocking in at just under 40 minutes, with shades of all the aforementioned.

The awesomely titled “Of Gods and Goats” kicks things off with a slow, sludgy, Corrupted-style riff, crawling along at a snail’s pace, moving into a more Noothgrush verse complete with brutal, bludgeoning death-metal vocals. An instrumental section picks up the pace around the 4:30 mark, but not too much—this is still some slow-mo sludge.

“The Great Attractor” is the longest song on here at 8:43. This one does have a bit more of a post-metal, NeurIsis vibe, with a notably lighter tone and a little more room to breathe between notes, although it picks up the pace with a 30-second black-metal sounding riff about three and a half minutes in. Vocals are just as brutal as ever, too. “A Gnawing Worry” begins with a one-minute piano interlude, but proceeds to deliver some of the heaviest riffs on this record for the next two-and-a-half, even throwing in some blast beats for evil measure.

“Uncomfortable Silence” slows things down and spaces things out again, with one riff that reminds me of Zoroaster’s “Tualatin,” although the overall effect is marginally more mellow. Things slow down and mellow out considerably around the midway mark, with a lone guitar ringing out over the sound of running water. From there, we get some brighter, post-rock sounds, before the riffs return slower and heavier than ever past the five-minute mark, albeit still with some brighter accents. The next track, “Parallels of a Knife Fight,” continues in a somewhat similar vein, throwing in some spoken-word clips as well. Considering the relative lack of proper post-sludge acts in this country, this release is well worth checking out.

heronvan.bandcamp.com/album/a-low-winters-sun

thesludgelord.bandcamp.com/album/a-low-winters-sun

Gruesome Greg

Gruesome Greg

Seahawks/Stamps/Flames/Zags/Jays/Raptors fan and lifelong metal head with a beer gut and a self-deprecating sense of humour. Reviewer/blogger (Yon Senior Doomsayer) for Hellbound.ca.

  • Share on:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +

7.5 Rating

Read more about...

death metaldoomHeavyHeronpost metalpost-rockpost-sludgereviewsludgeVancouver
Previous article
Fallen Legion – Downfall
Next article
Wykan – Solace

Stay Connected

Want Hellbound delivered straight to your inbox? Signup to receive our weekly newsletter!


Recent Posts

  • Jamie Wyatt – Neon Cross
  • Art Bergmann – Christo Fascists
  • Serpents of Secrecy – Ave Vindicta
  • Staff Playlists – November 2020
  • The Full Counts – Next Up

Recent Comments

  • Jason Bouchard on Wardruna in North America
  • Shawn Martin on Heavy metal in 2017 by Adrien Begrand
  • The Metal Pigeon on Heavy metal in 2017 by Adrien Begrand
  • Berenice Ramìrez on Ghost: The Hellbound Interview
  • Gruesome Greg on Perturbator + Bulkhead @ The Velvet Underground, 1 October 2017

More Stories

Devin Townsend

Epic Kings and Idols: Devin Townsend Project / Katatonia / Paradise Lost / Stolen Babies @ The Opera House, Toronto ON, September 19, 2012

“With tour line-ups so diverse – much like metal in general – it’s not that common to run into a show where every band demands your equal attention (in anticipation, if not necessarily in performance). But the Epic Kings and Idols tour might have been custom designed for a metalhead like me, and even without a perfect execution this one ranks high amidst my favourite concerts of the year.”

Live review by Laura Wiebe, concert photos by Adam Wills

About Hellbound.ca

Hellbound is one of Canada's leading online magazines featuring heavy metal in all its glorious forms. Hellbound is written by fans for fans.

Sign up for our weekly digest!

Want Hellbound delivered straight to your inbox? Signup to receive our weekly newsletter!


Copyright © 2009-2019.

Latest Comments

  • Avatar
    1

    Jason Bouchard

    Wardruna in North America
    I will have to admit: I actually only heard of Wardruna last year when I saw through the Evenko Facebook page that Wardruna would play in Montreal. I was impressed…
  • Avatar
    2

    Shawn Martin

    Heavy metal in 2017 by Adrien Begrand
    Cool list. I'll be sure to buy Pallbearers new album. I haven't listened to many new albums from this year, but really like "Incorruptible" by Iced Earth and "The Grinding…
  • Avatar
    3

    The Metal Pigeon

    Heavy metal in 2017 by Adrien Begrand
    Enjoyed reading this, particularly the "My 2017 in Metal" section. As a distressed American metal writer who's had more than my fair share of freakouts over the current political situation,…

More Posts on Hellbound

  • Jamie Wyatt – Neon Cross
  • Art Bergmann – Christo Fascists
  • Serpents of Secrecy – Ave Vindicta
  • Staff Playlists – November 2020
  • The Full Counts – Next Up
  • The Full Counts – First Out
Powered by WordPress.
Back to top