Eyespy & Heartbreaktunes present:
 28/03/2008
HEAVEN SHALL BURN
ABORTED
misery speaks, morda,
Triumph and tragedy
@ Entrepot (Brugge)
After four highly acclaimed releases, German metal titans HEAVEN
SHALL BURN have returned with Iconoclast (Part1: The Final Resistance),
a scathing and pummeling assault that bludgeons the listener with
sheer intensity. The album was recorded and produced once again
at Rape Of Harmonies Studios by guitarists Maik Weichert and Alexander
Dietz with the renowned Tue Madsen (Himsa, The Haunted) handling
the mixing and mastering duties.
Maik Weichert (guitars) states: “Iconoclasts are warriors
who are sent to judge and destroy the murderers of God. With God
dead, the only thing that’s left is to take revenge for
his murder. The album works on two different levels: each song
tells a story that is rooted in reality. However, all songs are
linked with an overall story about a cast of warriors called Iconoclasts.”
HEAVEN SHALL BURN solidified their stronghold on the genre upon
signing to Century Media in 2004 with the release of Antigone,
which was their first offering to garner worldwide acclaim. The
album further showcased the band’s melodic tendencies with
the inclusion of more harmonies while increasing their scathing,
brutal edge. Their socially aware and politically committed attitude
remained prominent as they continued to forge a new exciting position
within the scene.
The group were one of the first to ultimately shatter the boundaries
that stood between the death metal and hardcore genres. Now they
have triumphantly returned with Iconoclast (Part1: The Final Resistance),
a stunning portrayal of unabashed aggression and musical technicality
that will quickly catch the attention of any extreme music fan.
With this effort the dynamic quintet have undoubtedly proved once
again that they are taking metal in a new direction that knows
no limitations.
HEAVEN SHALL BURN plays with the utmost sincerity and urgency,
touching upon topics concerning people’s behavior towards
the disabled, veganism, war and racism. The combination of melodic
death metal and crushing metalcore has never been delivered with
such conviction.
Belgian melodic/gore-grind mad scientists ABORTED have returned
with a new slab of sheer brutality that is destined to take their
special brand of aural violence to the next level. Recorded at
Denmark’s Antfarm Studios with producer/engineer Tue Madsen
(Himsa, The Haunted), and including guest vocal performances by
Jeff Walker (ex-Carcass) and Jacob Bredahl (Hatesphere), Slaughter
& Apparatus: A Methodical Overture features sickeningly infectious
guitar hooks, inhuman drumming, overwhelming intensity and crushing
hooks.
While most extreme bands depend on harsh imagery and gruesome
subject matter to obtain some sort of shock value, ABORTED relies
more on their musicianship to make jaws drop. Far more sophisticated
than your average melodic/gore-grind outfit, the band has been
refining their carnal artistry for the past decade.
Founded by vocalist Sven De Caluwe in 1995, the band went on
to record such early cult offerings as The Necrotorous Chronicles
demo (1997), The Purity of Perversion (1999), their infamous split
with Christ Denied (2000) and Engineering The Dead (2001). The
latter coincided with their first major European tour, which included
Vader, Cryptopsy, Dying Fetus, Kataklysm and Catastrophic. In
January of 2002, they would contribute to a four-way spilt CD
featuring Misery Index, Brodequin and Drowning, titled Created
To Kill.
While Engineering the Dead was a strong death metal opus in its
own right, 2003’s Goremageddon, which saw them add a more
melodic, Carcass-like influence to their destructive repertoire,
quickly started to create a buzz outside of the underground. Not
since the release of Entombed’s Left Hand Path had so many
artists scrambled to achieve a similar sound. A European tour
with Cannibal Corpse and Kataklysm soon followed, as did their
The Haematobic EP. Their 2005 platter, The Archaic Abattoir, solidified
the band as one of the brightest new stars in the extreme metal
genre, and their new album cements their status as one of the
scene’s most innovative and exciting artists.
The band has always kept their death metal roots, but at the
same time, they have never been afraid to experiment. Had Carcass
decided not to throw in the towel and progress in a heavier, tighter
and more technically advanced direction, they would probably sound
something like ABORTED. Slaughter & Apparatus: A Methodical
Overture is an astounding new album, refreshing, massive and graced
with all trademarks of an instant classic: memorable and inventive
song structures, over-the-top musicianship, a natural and warm
yet up-to-date production and a feel of timelessness rarely seen
in the genre nowadays. ABORTED are more than prepared to shatter
the boundaries of extreme metal and set new standards.
Sven De Caluwe further describes the new effort: “Expect
an album which more or less condenses what we’ve been doing
over the last three albums, with some fresh elements added in.
It's definitely a lot more extreme, with more solo mayhem than
The Archaic Abattoir, while still retaining the groove and melodies
we have been building on. We promise that you will not be disappointed.”
Tickets: FNAC, Brooklyn, Caroline Music, JJ Records, Fat Kat,
Giga Swing, Compact Center / 0900 00 600 / www.fnac.be
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