Heaven Shall Burn Wanderer Review

Heaven Shall Burn sind längst eine Institution in der deutschen Metal-Landschaft. Vor rund 20 Jahren gegründet, legt das Quintett aus Saalfeld in Thüringen mit „Wanderer“ am 16. September 2016 sein mittlerweile achtes Studioalbum hin. Ursprünglich aus der Hardcore-Szene kommend, vermengen Heaven Shall Burn eben diesen mit Death und Thrash Metal-Elementen. Ihr politisches und ökologisches Bewusstsein und ihre kompromisslose Gesellschaftskritik lassen die haltungsstarke Band eine Sonderstellung innerhalb der Metal-
Szene einnehmen. Die fünf Mitglieder von Heaven Shall Burn leben vegan bzw. vegetarisch.
 

Heaven Shall Burn sind anders, gehen neue, gehen vor allem eigene Wege. Die Band kollaborierte zum Beispiel auf einigen Alben mit dem isländischen Songwriter Ólafur Arnalds.
Auf ihrem letzten Album „Veto“ befand sich das Jäger-kritische Stück „Hunters Will Be Hunted“. Single und Musikvideo riefen Jagdvereine und konservative Politiker auf den Plan. Zuletzt sorgte die Band durch ihr Auftreten als Trikot- und Hauptsponsor des Fußballvereins Carl Zeiss Jena über die Metal-Szene hinaus für Aufsehen.
 

Dass Heaven Shall Burn musikalisch eine Klasse für sich sind, darüber gibt es in der Fachpresse keinerlei Zweifel. Auch kommerziell sind Heaven Shall Burn längst in der ersten Liga angekommen: ihr letztes Album „Veto“ verpasste die Spitzenposition der deutschen Albumcharts nur knapp. Am 16. September erscheint das neue Album „Wanderer“. Nach einer überaus erfolgreichen Festivalsaison mit Auftritten bei z.B. Rock Am Ring, Rock Im Park, Highfield, Deichbrand, Graspop, Nova Rock und Hellfest begeben sich Heaven Shall Burn zum Album-VÖ auf eine kleine Club-Tournee bevor sie Anfang 2017 auf eine Hallentour gehen.
 
 

HEAVEN SHALL BURN are opening the stunning booklet for their eighth studio album, “Wanderer”, with a quote which sums up the overall idea of the album: During confusing and troubled
times you occasionally need to retreat from all the madness that surrounds you in order to gain new perspective, energy and focus, so you can attack change with a refreshed and strengthened mindset. Modern life has become so complex that choosing simplicity and solitary can be the healing powers that will allow you to conquer the chaos around and within you. “Wanderer” isn’t just offering interesting and historical stories, but it also works as a travel log of a journey into one’s inner self and a safe haven for our stressed out souls as well as an outlet for negative feelings and aggression. For its breathtaking artwork HEAVEN SHALL BURN sent their friend and photographer Christian Thiele on a quest and asked him to capture the beauty of mountains, plains and shorelines.
 

Yet again the album was produced by guitarist Alexander Dietz and co-produced by guitarist Maik Weichert. While the drums were tracked by Eike Freese at Chameleon Studios in Hamburg
the rest of the album was recorded at Dietz’s own Chemical Burn Studios in Bad Kösen. Tue Madsen mixed and mastered “Wanderer” at Chemical Burn Studios as well as his Antfarm
Studios in Aarhus, Denmark. Much like the artwork ranging from impressive and monumental landscapes to some intimate close-ups of nature HEAVEN SHALL BURN felt it was time to explore
different sonics. After the crushing and mighty heaviness of “VETO”, which landed on No 2 of their native German album charts, HEAVEN SHALL BURN aimed for a slightly more transparent
sound on “Wanderer” that is keeping the trademark intensity and aggression of the previous albums.
 

For the “Too Good To Steal From”-CD the band compiled all cover versions they ever recorded since the band started their co-operation with Century Media Records in 2003. After its release
on HEAVEN SHALL BURN’s breakthrough album “Iconoclast” the cover of Edge Of Sanity’s classic “Black Tears” quickly became a crowd favourite. Popularity has never been the driving
force for their choice of covers, but rather paying tribute to some of their favourite artists and songs – no matter if they were coming from the realms of metal, alternative, punk or hardcore. HEAVEN SHALL BURN invited Frank Blackfire for a guest solo on their blistering cover of Sodom’s “Agent Orange”, which is available on all formats, but the standard Jewelcase and standard Digital Album.
 

For their version of My Dying Bride’s atmospheric “The Cry Of Mankind” they got support from Aðalbjörn Tryggvason who added hauntingly beautiful melodic vocals to the final track on “Wanderer”. George “Corpsegrinder“ Fisher co-handles the vocals on “Prey To God” with Marcus Bischoff while their friend Nick Hipa recorded some extra shredding for “Save Me”. The luxurious coffee-table Artbook comes with an extended 60 pages booklet as well as the „Too Good To Steal From“-CD. On top fans get an alternative mix, entitled “Dark Purity Mix”, of all original songs done by Eike Freese at Chameleon Studios, Hamburg that is giving “Wanderer” a whole new perspective – and an extended soundtrack for your own “Wanderer” journey.
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