The Heretic Order have recently released their latest album, Volume III, with a renewed vigor and intensity, ushering in a faster, heavier era of the band than ever before.
Formed by Danny Felice from Breed 77 in 2014, Felice soon adopted the title Ragnar Dominus for the project and going a long way to separating the two musical identities.
The Heretic Order has its roots firmly entrenched in the traditional metal stronghold, albeit with a modern twist.
On Volume III the band pushed their brand of Occult Metal even further, maximizing the guitar output while dialing every other knob past 10 in an effort to capture the raw intensity that is inherent in the bands live shows.
Ragnar Dominus sat down with HEAVY this week to run us through the new album and its heavier direction.
"Basically, it's metal for the new generation,” he offered. “It has very classic foundations. We believe in songs and structures and the guitar riffs, but it has a modern edge to it. We're not a death metal band or anything. We're just a plain metal band. Classic, good, old metal but just played in a modern approach and I think many people are getting it bit by bit. The press is liking what we are doing. The theme of what we do is very encrusted in the occult and very dark lyrics. Look at the world we live in around us... What else is the subject? We've got songs taken from history like Children Of The Sand, which talks about the Mayan aspect and sacrifices, to King Of The Damned which talks about the London Tower and tortures and how the Kings of old in medieval times used to be tyrants and how they had a torture place in the tower. Then we have stuff like Dark Shadows and Spirits Of The Night that talk about the ancient alien mystery that some people think about - a theme line from religion to if we were made by alien beings and them coming to visit us. We have a bit more modern society and more modern mentality so hopefully we won't be burned at the stake (laughs)."
In the full interview Ragnar talks more about the songs on the album, the heavier direction, the guest artists and what they bring to each song, working through COVID, the early days of the band and more.