ALBUM REVIEW: Of Truth and Sacrifice – Heaven Shall Burn

23 years, eight albums, and countless personal and professional achievements are the bare bones that make up the story thus far of HEAVEN SHALL BURN. The German quintet took a well earned break following the release of their 2016 banger Wanderer (read our review here), but they’re now back with a vengeance – and making up for lost time! Of Truth and Sacrifice, the ninth addition to HEAVEN SHALL BURN‘s discography, is their most ambitious to date clocking in at 19 tracks and 100 minutes long – but ambition aside, does their newest effort continue the band’s trend of greatness, or is this where the German’s fall off course?

Right off the bat, HEAVEN SHALL BURN quash any doubts that the ambition behind Of Truth and Sacrifice is beyond their capabilities. March of Retribution introduces the album before Thoughts and Prayers crashes in mixing their iconic border-walk between metalcore and melodic death metal with a healthy dose of melody and progressive experimentation. Highlight track and future live favourite Eradicate offers up some instantly catchy moments and blinding solo work while video singles Protector and Übermacht keep the momentum and aggression turned to 11 in hook-heavy fashion – the latter even throwing some wildcard techno touches into a mix in a not-unwelcome left turn.

Moving into the second half of Of Truth, the first disc of Of Truth and Sacrifice, My Heart and the Ocean sees HEAVEN SHALL BURN leaning heavily into the European melo-death of their sound, with huge melodies carving their way to the forefront of the sound amid the energetic tremolo picking and guttural barks. Another guaranteed live favourite, the hooks flow fast and constant until the final notes of My Heart and the Ocean fade to silence. What follows is perhaps one of the most incredible songs HEAVEN SHALL BURN have ever put to tape. Expatriate starts soft, with a subtle touch of electronica before heart-wrenching pianos and a sombre string section take centre stage, building a melancholic and tear-jerking soundscape. The gentle nature of the opening minutes of Expatriate doesn’t last, but the emotion certainly does as the orchestral instrumentation is juxtaposed by Marcus Bischoff‘s harsh vocals and the crushing riffwork lead by Maik Weichert. What Expatriate lacks in fist-pounding aggression it more than makes up for in truly overwhelming emotion.

From here, the quintet rarely ease the intensity before the end of Of Truth. What War Means swaggers in with a CANNIBAL CORPSE-esque level of brutality and groove, coming as a stark contrast to the preceding Expatriate, while Terminate the Unconcern marks itself as another immediate highlight, oozing classic HEAVEN SHALL BURN vibes at every turn. CALIBAN‘s Andreas Dörner harmonises beautifully with Bischoff, and the spoken word outro proves to be unsettling in the best possible way. Further demonstrating their seemingly new-found love of orchestration, The Ashes of My Enemies closes off the first half of Of Truth and Sacrifice in spectacular fashion.

Kicking off the second half of Of Truth and Sacrifice, Of Sacrifice, Children of a Lesser God showcases a somewhat more restrained – but no less intense – brand of aggression from HEAVEN SHALL BURN. Here, we see Weichert and co. delve into melody-heavy, melancholic riff-work amid the melo-death stylings to great effect. La résistance brings the techno back to the fore, blending dance beats with furious aggression and groove-heavy riffs so well it’s likely to give genre purists a brain aneurysm. Meanwhile, The Sorrows of Victory continues to bring surprises, making use of some doomy clean vocals to double down on the melody in one of the most unexpected twists of Of Truth and Sacrifice. Another immediate highlight.

Stateless is a far simpler affair, bringing speed and aggression back to the forefront in a furious burst that pushes the momentum forwards once more. Tirpitz and Truther drive forward in the same fashion – not quite as foot-to-the-floor as much of Of Truth, but still relentless nonetheless, while a cover of NUCLEAR ASSAULT‘s Critical Mass proves to be a thrashy blast of levity. HEAVEN SHALL BURN are no stranger to cover tracks, but this may be one of their best. The vicious one-two of Eagles Among Vultures and Weakness Leaving My Heart end Of Truth & Sacrifice on just as a high a note as it begun – though powering through from start to finish is a monumental test of endurance.

Throughout their decade spanning career, HEAVEN SHALL BURN have been no slouches – the consistent strength of their discography is something most bands could only dream of achieving this far into their career. But for all their past strength, Of Truth and Sacrifice is another beast entirely. Ambitious to a fault, unrelenting and emotionally eviscerating, this is HEAVEN SHALL BURN‘s magnum opus.

Rating: 9/10

Of Truth and Sacrifice is out now via Century Media Records. 

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