Higher Power

Hailing from Leeds, the hardcore group Higher Power has built a dedicated audience through its forceful, riff-centric approach, which blends atmospheric textures drawn from 1990s alternative rock with a metal-edged guitar assault layered over a weighty punk foundation. Their first album, 2017's Soul Structure, presented this style in its most direct form as a rapid-fire storm of guitars and drums, whereas 2020's 27 Miles Underwater introduced a more shadowed and inventive direction that retained the band's hardcore intensity. Crisp production values and tighter dynamics supplied fresh impact to the songs on 2024's Absolute Bloom.

The band originated in 2014 after bassist Jimmy Wizard and his sibling, drummer Alex Wizard, relocated from London to Leeds with the goal of starting a project. Drawing influence from acts such as Subzero, Leeway, and Merauder, the brothers tracked an initial demo and began assembling players. Guitar duties went to Louis Hardy and Max Harper; after an extensive search for a vocalist proved unsuccessful, Jimmy stepped into the frontman role while Ethan Wilkinson joined on bass. Adopting a title from a Subzero song, Higher Power distributed the demo in February 2015, which led to a deal with Neutral Words Records and the release of their debut EP, Space to Breathe, half a year afterward. Steady U.K. performances followed, and in 2016 the group made its initial U.S. appearances with several East Coast shows. Soul Structure appeared in May 2017 and coincided with further American dates, after which the band spent the next two years focused on international touring. Roadrunner signed them and issued the follow-up album 27 Miles Underwater in 2020, recorded with producer Gil Norton, previously associated with the Pixies, the Foo Fighters, and Feeder. Louis Hardy exited in 2021, prompting Jimmy Wizard to handle guitar parts in the studio while Joe Williams of Big Cheese covered them during live shows. Hardy rejoined in 2022, and the members commenced work on their next record. Absolute Bloom marked Higher Power's debut output under a fresh agreement with the established heavy metal imprint Nuclear Blast.