Author: Primož Novak
Artist: Heaven Shall Burn
Label: Century Media
Release: year_month
Length: 58:40
Rating: 3.5/5
After more than 15 years of hard graft, German metalcore outfit Heaven Shall Burn have finally managed to win over bigger crowds outside Germany and Austria too. The main culprit was their previous album Veto (2013), which was well thought out and generally a lot friendlier on the ears. The HSB recipe didn’t change much there. The band didn’t start reaching for syrupy choruses with clean vocals. Power is still front and center, with the emphasis simply shifted toward melody, which the band managed to bring out with a polished production. So Veto was packed with punch, melody and epic scale. And it was precisely the melody and the epic scale that pulled in a bigger audience, which ultimately showed in Slovenia too. In 2014 HSB were one of the headliners at Metaldays and wowed thousands. Before that, the band played to a half-empty hall at Štuka in Maribor, and in the blazing heat at Metalcamp 2006. Years of hard work and constant touring have clearly paid off.
On Wanderer, Heaven Shall Burn remain socially critical in a way, but this time they put the spotlight on an individual wandering through nature, far away from civilization. Through the songs, HSB mark out his journey, and the cover art and booklet back that up.
Wanderer doesn’t hit you right away with maximum destruction. The Loss of Fury works more as an intro that flows into Bring the War Home, which serves up industrial metal-style guitars, and the chorus already brings in the melody that signals where the emphasis will be. But this is also where the trouble starts, because all that melody is pretty dry and at times feels forced. Above all, there are few standout moments, which is reminiscent of the monotony of Amon Amarth. To be fair, the band clearly put effort into some of the songs, and the album is put together sensibly enough up to a point. Downshifter stands out more than well: as an HSB song should be, it’s punchy, melodic and epic. The band shows its real »bite« on Prey To God, where George »Corpsegrinder« Fisher (Cannibal Corpse) adds extra vocal brutality. The track is followed by a Sodom cover, Agent Orange, which doesn’t convince quite as much as some of their earlier covers, but HSB’s mighty sound makes the Sodom classic pretty impressive anyway. With »My Heart Is My Compass« HSB calm things down and get you ready for the rest of the album, which doesn’t offer anything special apart from the melodic Corium. To close, they serve up one more cover, this time a tribute to My Dying Bride with The Cry Of Mankind. The song wraps up the album on a more melancholic note, and you could say the band carried it off solidly to the end.
Wanderer can once again boast a great production, something the band has been paying more attention to in recent years. The record has power, a modern feel and mass appeal. The instruments are crystal clear, and Marcus Bischoff’s vocals remain strong and distinctive.
Wanderer, Heaven Shall Burn’s eighth studio album, is a solid continuation of its predecessor. At times the band sounds short on inspiration, and with the heavier focus on melody it’s obvious they want to widen their fan base, but that pulls them away from what made them original. Still, in principle the album should satisfy the band’s current fans.
Lineup
- Marcus Bischoff – vocals
- Alexander Dietz – guitar, production
- Maik Weichert – guitars, co-production
- Eric Bischoff – bass
- Christian Bass – drums
Production
Alexander Dietz, Maik Weichert
Tracklist
1. The Loss Of Fury
2. Bring The War Home
3. Passage Of The Crane
4. They Shall Not Pass
5. Downshifter
6. Prey To God
7. Agent Orange
8. My Heart Is My Compass
9. Save Me
10. Corium
11. Extermination Order
12. A River Of Crimson
13. The Cry Of Mankind
