“I’ve never thought of myself as an artist on any level,” states the humble John Pettibone, a man whose life has revolved around a consistent output of music. He has been a key figure in aggressive music for over two decades, fronting various different bands. He is probably most known for his time in the influential straightedge hardcore band Undertow, and modern metal giants Himsa, yet while appreciative of the recognition bestowed upon him, he remains completely grounded. “I've always played in a band as a means of escape, balance, release and exploration,” he continues. “I’ve been fortunate to make my own path with some very creative people, and they've been very important in my growth.”

That path has now led him to his current band Heiress, who trade in a blend of crushing metal and atmospheric post rock, and is by far the vocalist’s most ambitious musical outing yet. Their forthcoming album ‘Made Wrong’ finds the Seattle natives at their most ferocious, which Pettibone explains is an expansion of their previous album ‘Of Great Sorrow’, which was only released little over a year ago. “It came right out of the sessions from our last album,” he says, before giving us some detail on the central theme of the album. “The title of ‘Made Wrong’ represents the feel of the record. Its theme is based on the idea of survival and growth as we live out our days in chaos and confusion.”

While ‘Of Great Sorrow’, and even their 2013 debut ‘Early Frost’ were far from easy listening, Heiress have never sounded more intense than they do on ‘Made Wrong’. “We have never been a band to force the sound of a song,” confirms Pettibone, enthusing that this was a very natural move for Heiress to make. “We keep a great pace on structures, and some riffs are salvaged, then reworked from earlier practices. We build and layer our songs as genuinely as we can.” While talking about the writing process behind Heiress, Pettibone admits that while working on each record, they are already looking ahead to the next. This is down to the constant flow of creativity that the band employs. However, don’t think that ‘Made Wrong’ has been rushed in any way. “The record has a lot of room to breathe,” Pettibone continues, confessing how that is something that stands out about ‘Made Wrong’ the most for the vocalist. “It’s very emotional sounding, and has a lot of follow through. It’s also the first record I’ve ever done where I came into it fully prepared.”

The emotion, and craftsmanship that has gone into ‘Made Wrong’ can be heard clearly throughout the record, and as well as being their most intense, it also their most refined. Heiress have drawn from a variety of influences to create a very unique sound across their back catalogue. Pettibone himself cites Integrity, Morrissey, and Joy Division as important influences, all of which had a lot of rotation on his record player growing up. “Those bands are so lyrically emotional to me, and are so important in my approach to writing and performing,” he says, before explaining how the members bring their own personal influences to Heiress. ”Collectively, we agree on Neurosis, Warning/40 Watt Sun, Enslaved, Rorschach, No Escape as some influences, along with our own surroundings and attitude.”

Through everything leading up to the conception of ‘Made Wrong’, one of the most important things to happen to John Pettibone, was the biggest life event imaginable: becoming a father for the first time. “He brings me a joy that I cannot explain,” he says, expressing a heart-warming gratitude to the impact his son has made on his life. “I’ve become a better person since I have become a father.” For many bands, this could make life on the road harder, yet currently Heiress have yet to undertake any long-term touring. However, on the back of ‘Made Wrong’, Heiress are looking to at least venture further afield at some point. “It will be very hard for me,” says Pettibone, on the subject of touring. “However, my family structure is great, and I am fortunate with the set up I have if we are able to hit the road. It won’t be anything near the scale of what I was doing with Himsa, but a week here and there can be accomplished.”

That rather fittingly leads to a brief discussion about Pettibone’s previous work, starting of course with Undertow. Once being billed as the founding fathers of Seattle straightedge, they were a prominent part of the 90’s hardcore scene, leaving behind a lasting legacy that can be heard in many of today’s current crop of hardcore bands. While many of their peers have reunited, Undertow made one brief appearance in 2009, alongside Unbroken and Converge, but have remained inactive since. “Undertow have had some offers to do other shows, fests, and tours,” he explains. “We just had no real desire to do them. That has really been put to rest now.” With regards to Himsa, a powerful metal band who called it a day at the peak of their career when the time was right, Pettibone tells us that they will be playing a local Seattle show later this year. He gives no further details than that, but with Heiress being his main concern, he understandably has his sights set on their future.

One of the reasons that Himsa came to a close, was their lack of desire to be a touring band after the release of their 2007 album ‘Summon In Thunder’. However, Pettibone doesn’t look back on anything in a negative light. ”It’s been a humbling experience, and I continue to live an incredible life,” he says with enthusiasm, recalling a life of being heavily involved with music. “I would love for Heiress to play out on the East Coast, and even across the pond. The rest of the boys deserve to see the world. “ Considering the consistent flow of music coming from them, the hopes of Heiress widening their reach are certainly attainable. He tells us that the band already have material for their next album in the works as well as two or three split EPs.

The most charming thing about talking to John Pettibone is the way in which he still sounds as enthused and just as sincere about music as ever. More often than not when people have been around music their entire life, particularly hardcore or aggressive music, they become jaded or even express regret at the choice they once made. With Pettibone that is far from the case. This is point is hammered home by way of a parting statement when asked if there was anything he would have done differently throughout his career. He very simply, and confidently says: “Nothing at all.”

‘Made Wrong’ is due for release on March 18th via The Mylene Sheath, and is available to pre-order now.