Heirs

There is more than one artist with this name: 1) Melbourne-based quintet Heirs returns with their second album Fowl. Hailed as one of the best post-metal albums of 2009, the band's debut, Alchera, established Heirs as one of Australia's foremost instrumental acts. Released by German label Denovali Records, the album contained distant ripples of industrial metal deviants Godflesh and the misanthropic catharsis of early Swans, but these influences are something they have been steadily outgrowing.

1) Melbourne-based quintet Heirs returns with their second album Fowl.

Hailed as one of the best post-metal albums of 2009, the band's debut, Alchera, established Heirs as one of Australia's foremost instrumental acts. Released by German label Denovali Records, the album contained distant ripples of industrial metal deviants Godflesh and the misanthropic catharsis of early Swans, but these influences are something they have been steadily outgrowing.

The album's accompanying tour saw the band play 69 shows across Europe and Japan, cementing their reputation for delivering an engulfing and all-consuming live experience. On stage, the band maintains a relentless, ear-splitting offensive, defying audience expectations by refusing to offer an immediate sense of resolution.

The band's new album, Fowl, displays a shift towards a broader sonic palette. Incorporating a pugilistic rhythmic foundation with coarse, threatening guitar textures and a stronger electronic presence, Fowl is a great leap forward for Heirs, taking them beyond genres into a realm that is almost hermetic in its vision. Intensely focused yet expansive, the album is technically complex, yet uncluttered and sparse in its execution; simplicity, self-discipline and restraint are the keys to Fowl's success.

Thematically, Fowl deals with the human processing of the ornery and the filth intrinsic to the human condition, the nourishment it provides and the way we excrete it back into the world, calling into question the notion of morality and its place in an increasingly faithless populace. Announced visually in the artwork by guitarist Brent Stegeman, the album's exploration of cultural decay is played out through its wheezing blasts of industrial steam and weeping passages of gothic suspense.

Having completed their second European tour, Heirs is set to release Fowl on CD/LP/digital in the United States on Monday April 4 2011.

Brent Stegeman: Guitar/Synth/Electronics/Programming
Damian Coward: Drums/Electronics
Laura Bradfield: Bass Guitar/Synth
Ian Jackson: Guitar/Synth
Miles Brown: Theremin/Synth/Electronics

WWW.DENOVALI.COM / WWW.HEIRS.COM.AU


2) Heirs was an indie-rock band from Port Huron, Michigan (USA). They were born in 2004 and split up in 2008.

Nothing can convey the amount of soul these four boys and the music they make can offer your ears. Nor is their any finger that can slide around and be put on the genre they portray. The music of Heirs has a very distinct but uncompromising sound.

Formerly known as With Rescue Breathing, Heirs has gone through some very serious changes. Not just in their music, but in their line-up as well. The people who have known With Rescue Breathing in the past will be pleasantly shocked to hear the music of Heirs. The core of the band is still survived by Robert Lenz on guitar, vocals, bells, and strings, and Chad Nicefield on lead vocals, guitar, and keys. But a new layer of the band gives way to an astounding rhythm section that steers the music in an entirely new direction. With the addition of bassist, Corey Reid, who has played with Chad and Robert since 2004 under the name With Rescue Breathing, the bass guitar has a whole new purpose. Corey takes his writing into swirling leads without compromising a sturdy foundation, giving the group a more complete sound. While these three members have found comfort in each other and the music they have been creating, they were forced to deal with changes in their line-up as the former drummer, Kyle Kremser, left the band for the Navy in the summer of 2005. With Kyle's departure they knew it would be almost impossible to replace him, but the door opened and in walked long-time friend and previous band mate to Corey, Chris Herbert. Chris is the type of percussionist any musician would die to play with. His style and influences are so versatile that he could play drums in a thrash metal band or lay back and groove to melody driven bands such as Death Cab for Cutie or Pinback. With the addition of Chris, Heirs is a whole, and one hell of an unstoppable force.

Expect only the best and most honest music from Heirs. They write beautifully crafted songs with delicate lulls to driving distortion, and so much more in between. With comparisons to Jimmy Eat World, Lovedrug, Pinback, and Cursive, the band takes pride in the fact that they can never be properly placed on a bill. This leaves the door open for them to make huge impact in the way we view music today.

Heirs is an independent band and a fully functional business on their own. They produce, record, and even package their own music, while guitarist, Robert Lenz provides the artwork and new media design. Booking and distribution is also handled in the majority by Heirs, themselves. This band members pour their hearts and souls into every little thing that they do. They are a standing mega force, proving that you will need them before they need you.

Look for their self-produced, self-engineered, and self-packaged debut EP, ? Our Bodies and the Ocean? released on January 3rd, 2006. Keep your eyes and ears on Heirs right now, because if you blink or turn down your stereo you might miss what everyone will be talking about in the very near future.

www.heirstheband.com // www.myspace.com/heirs