Iconoclast

Heaven Shall Burn is a German melodic death metal/melodic metal core band out of Saalfield, Germany. The band consist of Marcus Bischoff (Vocals), Alexander Dietz (Guitar, Synthesizer, Piano), Maik Weichert (Guitar), Eric Bischoff (Bass) and Matthew Voight (Drums).

Iconoclast is the bands fifth studio album, And the first album in the Iconoclast trilogy and was released on February 5th, 2008 under Century Media Records.

Iconoclast starts off stellar, However the album quickly turns out to be just another mediocre album in the competitive melodic metal core scene. Heaven Shall Burns main downfall is the fact it lacks any real consistency as well as any substance throughout the album. Although Heaven Shall Burn attempt to change the metal core aspect of the music by adding more of a melodic death metal vocal approach, While avoiding clean vocals all together. They do manage to find the right balance between the two styles on a few tracks, But for the most part of the album they do have trouble finding that perfect harmony.

Now I don’t want to ruin the album before you give it a listen, I will however tell you about my favorite stand out tracks on the album, And why it gives me hope for the band in the future. The next three tracks I will tell you about are the stand out tracks, I will even say they may be some of the best melodic metal core tracks recorded because they are very heavy, As well as written in the sense of technicality and lyrically. The First track on the list I will tackle is Endzeit, A magnificent song to open an album with. Alex and Maik’s ability to make the guitar bend to their will is clearly noticeable. They lead the way with Matthews drumming which carries the beat and manages to mesh well with Marcus’s melodic screaming. This song turned out to be one of the best on the album and you will most certainly want to give it a listen. Next up on the list is Forlorn Skies, My personal favorite is one of, If not the best Heaven Shall Burn track recorded to date. It has lightning fast guitars, Thunderous drums as well as very brutal but melodic screaming. Lyrically the song is very well written, Containing lines such as” Burnt by the sun, Drowned in the rain, Buried alive in this cold, Scorched earth”.

In conclusion Iconoclast is still a well made album, Even though it could have been far better if the band had decided to approach the rest of the album with the mindset of Endzeit and Forlorn Skies. If you decide to pick this album up you will not be disappointed, However you won’t be missing much if you decide to grab something else. Overall the band made a good album, Just not a memorable one. This album is recommended for fans of, Parkway Drive, In Flames and Whitechapel.

(OOPS! The review's first edition has a grave error in it!)

Heaven Shall Burn is a German melodic death metal band with metalcore tendencies. It's actually my first time hearing this band out even though they have their 6th album coming out. Well, this is their 5th album, "Iconoclast". Let's hear this one out...

First things first, the vocals are, more or less, an excellent combination of a scream and a melodeath growl. The riffs are, no doubt, Gothenburg riffs with breakdowns here and there, although the execution of those breakdowns are certainly not messy (unlike those BMTH breakdowns). Don't expect guitar solos though, you won't hear any of them here. This album is a balanced combination between melodic death metal and metalcore, which, I think, is a mixed bag of sorts. The rhythm of the songs are usually mid-tempo, as what you will hear here.

"Endzeit" is obviously a favorite here, for a song filled with a lot of fury (and also musical prowess) until the very last second. "Murderer of the Murderers" has a very nice intro, and pretty frantic too. "Joel" is quite more of a death metal song than a deathcore song. Pretty brutal and wicked. Although it slows down halfway, it regains its brutality back after. Their rendition of "Black Tears" (original version by Edge of Sanity) turned out quite beautiful, with the song becoming a melodic death metal song. "Against All Lies" might have a slow intro, but it gradually gains speed after the 1 minute mark (though not that much). The song really has a good mix of aggressiveness and melancholy. Lastly, "Equinox", though quite repetitive, is a soothing and melodic instrumental.

I think that this album is too repetitive for it's own good, though. You hear the same riff that you hear at track 4 at track 5 and such. There are also some fillers in the album, like "Forlorn Skies", which is too bland for a song. There are only a few great tracks here and only 2 excellent tracks here, namely "Endzeit" and "Black Tears". Lastly, why does this album even have 14 tracks!?

The album is mediocre anywhere you look at it. Although the musicianship is great, the same does not go for the album's songs. These guys need to put in something new and something creative. Unfortunately, this album is not worth it. Well, just hope out there that "Invictus" will be great!

Originally made for http://mystifymyserie.blogspot.com

Heaven Shall Burn are a band that I’ve been following since I first heard their second full length Whatever It May Take. They’ve been recording music since the late 90s but have failed to gain the attention of people due to the overwhelming number of metalcore bands that have exploded in recent times. This is unfortunate, because while they are relatively unknown compared to bands like Killswitch Engage, All That Remains, and the like, their music is just as potent if not more, and can hold its own against the more popular bands with ease. What Heaven Shall Burn do differently is offer testosterone-fueled, raging metal by the boatload without all of the clean crooning and radio friendly hits that the aforementioned bands spurt out. Melody is found in Heaven Shall Burn’s music, but is carefully constructed and does not sound like sappy, second rate Gothenburg cloned riffs. The band’s music can be summed up with one word; uncompromising. The music is uncompromising in its heaviness and relentlessness, seeing Heaven Shall Burn reach an intensity level that is unmatched in the metalcore realm. I use the metalcore term loosely and for convenience when describing them to others, but Heaven Shall Burn are a lot more metal than core, and much heavier than the other bands that they’re generally associated with.

For me, Heaven Shall Burn began to hit their stride with 2004’s Antigone, which combined their burly sound with a refined sense of melody, resulting in songs that were aggressive and catchy at the same time. The implied catchiness does not mean softening their sound, but rather heavy, well-written parts that you can remember after hearing it one time. Then they released 2006’s Deaf To Our Prayers, which was a little less melodic than its predecessor but heavier and more aggressive. Now comes Iconoclast, which sounds like a combination of the two, but sees the band evolving into a metal band with a noticeable decrease in the “core” sound. Yes, there are still plenty of breakdowns and Gothenburg-inspired riffage to go around, but Heaven Shall Burn have delivered their heaviest and most uncompromising disc yet, with a sonic effect akin to using a Panzer tank to crush an egg. This 58-minute beast of an album is a constant sledgehammer to your skull, persistently pounding and driving forward with no sign of letting up.

Iconoclast starts off with the unsuspecting but well-done instrumental intro “Awoken”. A soft, delicate piano line starts to creep into the speakers and is soon backed by a somber string section. The piece continues to increase in volume and emotion before briefly holding a note at the end.

This held not continues into the beginning of “Endzeit” and is a seamless transition between the classical intro and the violent metal that ensues. Once the band comes in with blast beats and screams, the strings begin an ascending melody that provides a beautiful yet devastating start to a steamroller of a track. After the blasting stops, the band begins to crush all with their heavy, powerful grooves, incessant bass drums, and multilayered vocal attack. The track alternates tempo between the mid-paced groove sections and fast, melodic parts backed by constant double bass parts. This track is very well written and definitely one of the best songs on Iconoclast. Everything about “Endzeit” is perfect; the seamless intro, many tempo changes, fast, catchy melodies, vocals, and overall heaviness and intensity combine well and come across as a natural sound. This song offers nothing new sound or stlyewise, but Heaven Shall Burn are able to pull off these attributes common of modern metal bands better than most of their contemporaries. This track sets the tone of unrelenting heaviness for the rest of the album.

The seven-minute “A Dying Ember” is another standout track. The song begins with the fast, melodic guitars backed by a double bass-driven section. The metal onslaught continues until the halfway point, where the band fades out and clean guitars are introduced, at first strumming chords, but then with layered melodies. Soon after the clean guitars appear the full band returns with the electric guitars mimicking the clean parts under vocalist Marcus’ desperate screams. The second half of this song is more calm and melodic than the first half, easing up on the tempo and constant pounding but not on intensity. The guitar melodies are highlighted along with Marcus’ vocal attack. The fast double bass returns again towards the end of the track with a soft piano line appearing in the mix, giving the listener a brief rest before the metal assault continues on the following tracks.

Another highlight is the excellent cover of Edge of Sanity’s classic “Black Tears”. The band musically is faithful to the original version, but the vocals are all aggressive in the cover as opposed to all clean in the original. The use of a different vocal style works really well for the cover.

The last track on Iconoclast, “Atonement”, marks the band’s first attempt at a legitimate instrumental excluding the classical intros and outros that they’ve done I the past. This is a full band instrumental, and while still remaining heavy, is slightly toned down in intensity for a good part of the track. The song begins with clean, melodic guitars and builds its way up to a thrash tempo, with chugging guitars and double bass pedals firing on all cylinders. When the smoke clears, the clean guitars are briefly reintroduced before being replaced by chugging electric guitars under a similar sounding melody.

The whole album contains the same elements that make up “Endzeit” and “A Dying Ember”, but are used in different degrees. The songs are distinguishable from each other and each has a particularly memorable melody or section to it. Each song has the same fast melodic parts, slower groove sections, multilayered screams, and double bass heavy sections. The intensity and heaviness remain constant throughout the entire album, which can either be great or really monotonous depending on your point of view. The music doesn’t vary much, barring the intro, outro, and cover, but Heaven Shall Burn are able to pull off their style for nearly an hour without sounding worn out or losing focus.

The Tue Madsen production on Iconoclast is stellar. Tue has handled production duties for the band before, and this is his best work with the band yet. The guitars have a full and powerful sound that somehow gets bigger in every successive release. The drums sound equally powerful, boasting a thick and appropriately pounding bass drum sound.

Heaven Shall Burn have crafted a very heavy and enjoyable album in Iconoclast. They have combined the most melodic and aggressive aspects of their sound together to create a 58-minute brute of an album that is exceptional in every department. The musicianship is a huge plus, with each member showing complete command of his respective instruments without resorting to wanking. The songwriting is also excellent, with the songs sounding better and more inspired than on similar style albums that are half of Iconoclast’s length. This is their best album yet, being heavier than Antigone and more melodic than Deaf to Our Prayers. If you are one of the people who think the heavier the metal the better, Iconoclast is the album for you.

All other things aside, I decided to check out this album after hearing about this band almost two years ago and never looking back into it. Like most metal fans, I have an extreme bias towards metalcore and the like, but in all honesty, this album is about 90% melodic death metal, and maybe 10% hardcore influences. These guys don't seem to get wrapped up in the trends that their American counterparts do, also, them being around for over 10 years gives them a tad more credibility in my book.

This album opens up with a pseudo-classical piece which smoothly transitions to the opener song, Endzeit. This is the first song I had ever heard by Heaven Shall Burn, and it's an awesome song. This song packs a lot of energy, great vocal delivery of anthem-y lyrics, the singers voice is reminiscient of Tomas Lindberg, his influence of semi-high to high growls are very prominent. The drums are what to be expected of metalcore, but they are fast and solid. Guitars, well, they're straight and to the point, adding their bit of aggression and melody here and there. Don't expect to hear any solos or any real technicality, but be sure to hear a good mix of melodic death metal trem picking, Gothenburg influenced riffs, and even a bit of Earth Crisis hardcore tinge. The bass is completely lost in the mix unfortunately.

I pretty much described the whole album here. The first song sums it up well, which is the major downfall of this record. Extremely repetitive. I enjoyed this record the first couple of times through, but that was about it. The only songs that really stood out to me of course was, Endzeit (which is really a great song), Murder of all Murderers, and Black Tears, an Edge of Sanity cover that changes the pace a bit. This band is a lot heavier and more intense than your average metalcore band, you're not going to find too many gimmicks here. They are what their influences are, take 1 part Bolt Thrower and 1 part At The Gates and smash them together and throw in a little Earth Crisis for seasoning and you get Heaven Shall Burn. This band has some good potential, I'd like to see them continue with their more metallic sound and hone it into something original and less repetitive. If you're a metalcore fan, definitely get this album, and if you're not, like me, well it's worth a listen and is fun every once in awhile.

70/100

Heaven Shall Burn are probably the premier German metalcore band, just ahead of Caliban, and in my opinion neither are recognized enough. For a band that have been in the business for more than 10 years they haven’t really made it, always been overshadowed by the more popular and more exposed American metalcore acts (unearth, the black dahlia murder etc etc). This band is definitely nothing to write home about, but they are still miles ahead of the metalcore competition, due to their energy and the meaning in their music.

HSB’s 5th studio album is a brilliant slice of metalcore, a rare beauty in this rather overrated genre. I bought the limited edition which contains a DVD showing their performance at Wacken 2007. I was rather impressed with the length of the CD, 14 tracks clocking in at just under an hour, which I very good compared to your average 25-30min metalcore releases I have seen all too much of.

the album starts with the nowadays clichéd acoustic intro, but nonetheless all is forgiven when it crashes into the pounding opening track Endzeit, which is a brilliant tune.
The vocals and lyrics are the usual HSB fare, constant screams, which has improved greatly since Antigone, but the same cannot be said for the lyrics. I don’t know if the vocalist has run out of sings to sing about, because all the songs deal with anti-war themes and anti-fascism and the usual fight against society. They repeat exactly what they have said in previous albums. This is what makes me cross the way all metalcore bands have extremely unoriginal lyrics. Though I must admit Heaven Shall Burn are better than most.

The guitars are in my opinion as a guitar player very average and uninspiring, they lack the power they had on previous albums and are very repetitive. No solos either, well what can we expect from metalcore. The bass is nonexistent, lost in the mix, overpowered by the drums and guitars.

The drums are powerful, pounding and persistent. They are in your face from the world go, bludgeoning the listener into submission!

Finally the DVD, only one world can describe this: awesome. It had to be one of the greatest DVD’s I have ever seen. The bands performance was flawless, playing all the usual fan favourites (Weapon they Fear, Counterweight etc etc). The crowd goes berserk to every song. The band manage to get the crowd to do a massive wall of death which was extremely insane. Though it was outdone by the circle pit around the sound desk towards the end of HSB’s set. It was an energetic show, a brilliant DVD!

Overall this is a rather good release by metalcore standards. It is nothing groundbreaking, not going to be classic, but nonetheless worth a listen!

Stand out tracks: Endzeit, Quest For Resistance, Murderer Of All Murderers.

Germany’s Heaven Shall Burn have been putting out quality metalcore since the late ‘90s, and with their newest offering, Iconoclast, they keep that tradition alive. Featuring 14 blistering tracks full of hardcore fury and crunching breakdowns complete with buzz saw guitar riffs, this album doesn’t fail to impress or keep you entertained.

Like many bands these days, Heaven Shall Burn start off their newest record with a somber piano/violin instrumental track. As you get lulled into a false sense of security, “Endziet” storms in and wrecks up the place; complete metallic annihilation. Pummeling machine gun drums and fast melodic riffing are nearing the level of cliché in the music world, however Heaven Shall Burn make it work on some unexplainable level. The music is so tinged with melancholy and righteous fury that, even if you’re not sure what these guys are mad about, you feel compelled to agree with them.

Most of the album follows in the same tradition of hardcore tinge Gothenburg riffs, complete with some vicious screams from Marcus Bischoff. His voice is very like fellow German metal act Fear My Thoughts’ vocalist Martin Fischer. The vocals on Iconoclast give it an identity beyond simple metalcore however. The sour shrieks define this band, much like Tomas Lindburg did for At The Gates or John Tardy for Obituary.

A standout track is the exceptional Edge of Sanity cover, “Black Tears”. I’d always wondered what that song would have sounded like if Dan Swano had decided to growl his way through the lyrics, and Heaven Shall Burn’s adaptation of the metal classic is a testament to their own skill and respect for those who came before.

This is an album that is not going to be universally accepted or appreciated. Metalcore is a blacklisted genre among today’s listeners but hopefully, Heaven Shall Burn will start to change opinions. A very solid slab of some of the most entertaining and well constructed metalcore I’ve heard in a very long time.

Iconoclast. What a great name for an album ... unfortunately the music it contains does not live up to the name. You are staring at yet another modern metalcore record. Do not expect innovation, do not except anything original. If you don't mind rehashed songs and you like modern core-ish-stuff, you will most probably enjoy this though.

The intro song is a slow piano line, with strings thrown in towards the end. After a good transition with the first song, the listener is treated with Endzeit. It's an ok (though extremely simplistic) song, a pity it is soon forgotten after hearing the rest of the songs. Almost all of them are extremely similar, ridiculously simplistic and very repetitive. When I listen to music, I either want to hear something original, or somebody with talent. These guys don't qualify for either, which causes me to give Iconoclast a low rating.

The music is best described as a watered-down version of melodic death metal, with hardcore influences and obnoxious lyrics. Vocalist Schleitzer is average, more of the same metalcore vocals they serve you in all the other records. Bassist Bischoff is simply put horrible. The bass is inaudible during most of the songs and consists of copying root notes. Few things annoy me more than bassists who don't play the bass. Hell, you don't even get to be called a bass player when you disrespect your own instrument like that.

Anyway, the guitars are way too simplistic as well. I have yet to find any riff in this album that indicates guitarist Weichert has any song-writing talent. In fact, I'm starting to wonder why people praise HSB's guitar work. Pure fanboyism? Probably, though one should add that the average HSB fan’s musical knowledge is not that high, a fact that explains most of the praise. Drummer Voigt is alright; his style suits the rest of the band perfectly. Don't expect any complicated fills or runs though. Just some basic metalcore patterns, who fit in perfectly with the guitars and vocals.

Now, if you are into metalcore you will probably enjoy this. I'm saying probably, because chances are you play guitar and like well constructed songs. Or maybe you play bass and you like to hear that instrument. Maybe, you don't like people who rehash the same old music over and over again. In all of these cases, you won’t like Iconoclast.

Positive features:
- the parts with strings/piano.
- better than most of the other trendy music the industry shoves up your ass.
- hints of potential spread throughout the album. It’s possible HSB will someday realize they should try something new and come up with something great. There’s potential for it, but considering how trendy they are now they wouldn’t feel the need to ‘progress’ anytime soon.

Negative features:
- basically a crappy version of death metal.
- no originality or innovation whatsoever. No new ideas, simply rehashed songs over and over again.
- way too simplistic.

Iconoclast (i•con•o•clas•t). Though the word means “somebody who challenges or overturns traditional beliefs, customs, and values” or “somebody who destroys religious images or opposes their use in worship”. It is also termed as a heretic in Greek Orthodox Church, a member of an 8th-century movement in the Greek Orthodox Church that tried to end the use of icons. So does the album stands up to its name, I am afraid it does not even come close. At least it was better that album had no cover or at least no image or icon. But apart from its so well pondered and well thought name the album is quite better than most of big names in the genre.


Album is quite straight forward with blazing vocals and screaming guitars. At 58:17 running time it’s a good piece of art that will never make any impact on history of music or top any chart or bring any fortune to the band but all it will do is to fetch respect for its creators and a sense of satisfaction to the fans. Some may even rate it very low depending on their personnel likes and dislikes but for me it’s a fair effort and demands a well deserved 75 rating. As for Heaven Shall Burn it was their first albumin my archive and they made the entry with a good impact.


The album kicks in with a rather most conventional way of opening any album. But the real hatred explodes from the second song in album Endzeit. What follows is quite impressive with well riffed and kicked songs, but more of a continuation of the Endziet. Forlorn Skies is a good change of tempo with a simple but effective opening. As a matter of great concern the drumming in whole album is quite simple no extra combinations or use of icons (maybe as the name says that’s why).


The next point at which the album changes its tempo a bit is Black Tears. The vocalist is what makes it a melodic death metal song where as the music is quite simple. The next song carries the same sound of previous one. The most disappointing thing in the album is absence of real TALENT. Every thing seems very simple and most under performed are the guitars. It’s the vocalist who exerts every bit of his strength to make it noticed.


“Against all lies” kicks in with a very settled and well trimmed voice which is unlike of whole album. For 1st 58 seconds the song seems to be a misfit or alien to the whole album but then the same rage continues for next 45 seconds. Overall a quite noticeable song of the album with varied tempos and mature sound. For me it’s an outstanding song of the album.


The rest of the album is quite same as the previous songs. I bet if you start the album from any where you will hardly notice any change or development of album. Overall a decent effort and deserves some appreciation. For a first time listener don’t over estimate or even under estimate the band or album it’s just any other new album in your archive.

Vocals: 88
Guitars: 68
Drumming: 70

Overall: 75 (Decent Effort)