Stereo Six: Heedless Elegance Slice Up Some of Their All-Time Favourite Albums

A new chapter is just beginning for Hungarian metal masters Heedless Elegance. The quartet re-emerged in the springtime with the release of their blistering and beautiful new single “The Way of Every Loss,” and they have recently followed it up with “The Threads,” a powerful new duet featuring Tom Barber of Chelsea Grin. Both songs are glimpses into the storyline behind the band’s upcoming concept album, an ambitious new record that will carry forth that expansive, electric sound they started to create with their sophomore record, Libra.

Musically, the members of Heedless Elegance aim to create cinematic-like melodies and soundscapes, along with that vintage metal power and a more modern nu-metalcore sound. They have been gaining a lot of critical acclaim since the release of their 2019 debut record, Wanderer. Not only have they started to become a household name in their native Hungary, but it’s spreading across Europe, thanks to their dedication to touring and getting out to as many audiences as possible.

Joining us today are the members of Heedless Elegance for a Stereo Six, in which they discuss some of their favourite and most influential songs and records that heavily contributed to the writing and recording of this spat of new music.

1. Ennio Morricone – “Gabriel’s Oboe” (1986, Virgin Records)

“I always loved classical music and a lot of artist from the contemporary composers as well. The way how emotions can grow from a single note, and become something epic multi-instrumental madness is always makes me amazed. I always tried to transfer those epic moments and melodies to the metal music. With our new record it is the same procedure for me. This piece of music will always remind me what I’m looking for.” (Samuel Konter)

2. Slipknot – Iowa (2001, Roadrunner Records)

“For me, this album is one of the heaviest records of all time; the raw anger with deep depressing feelings almost perfectly told by the lyrics of the amazing Corey Taylor is something different in this world. From our album Libra, I was trying to understand how you can recreate that heaviness in balance with the melodies of some classical music. With the new album, we are continuously trying to expend this duality, but with something new as well.” (Samuel Konter)

3. Monuments – In Stasis (2022, Century Media Records)

“What I’m looking for in music is something which can include technic, aggression, and big melodies. This album, for me, is the perfect example for it. The way this group can deliver professionalism is very respected in my eyes. When we were writing the new material, it was a constant reminder for me to focus on the details of the songs, to reach for the professionalism that they can deliver.” (Mátyás Erős)

4. Vola – Witness (2021, Mascot Records)

“For me, this album is a game changer, it was a long time ago that something affected me that much musically. I was lucky to see them live not long ago, and it was mesmerizing. I can say the same as Mátyás, I’m looking for something that can be heavy, epic, and technical in the same time, and they truly can bring it. One of my main things was to pay attention on the samples/keyboards in the songs because of Vola. They can create such an amazing atmosphere, and I wanted the same for the new record.” (Zsolt Forgó)

5. Stray Fderom the Path – Euthanasia (2022, UNFD)

“The structure/the liveness of the groves and the breakdowns made me feel like I want to punch through the walls. As a drummer, I always looking for those patterns which can make a grove alive, which hits you differently. In this album, you can find several high points for that. Before we started the progression of the new material, I was listening to this non-stop and I knew I wanted to bring the heaviness, the liveness of the groves to our new songs somehow. I hope it will catch up to my expectations.” (Albert Csobán)

6. Devin Townsend – Empath (2019, Inside Out)

“Devin is a genius. I think we can agree to that. The mixture of genres, ideas, and instruments are amazingly well produced by Devin, especially in Empath. As we all said, basically, we are looking for balance in our music, we are trying to bring both ends of a topic/idea. There is no better reference for that than the music of the maestro. You can find many little things, little details which can make you think how to bring balance to your own songs. From Libra to the new album which we are making now, we are determined to focus on how we can deliver our ideas to hit the level of the creative ideas of Empath.” (Samuel Konter)

Heedless Elegance ‘The Way of Every Loss’ album artwork