Review by Raphaël on July 21, 2025.

Thanks to Michael's excellent review, (go check his reviews, they're always insightful and so well written) I learned that "Heimat" can sometimes mean homeland or that refers to the German Race, which is usually not interpreted in the best way by the better of what humanity has to offer. The album is a strong statement of where the band stands, an answer to the question: which side are you on? A bit of my history with Heaven Shall Burn, they are an important band in my musical journey; their 2008 album "Iconoclast" had such an impact on young 17-year-old me! Back then, a song like Endzeit blew me away. That short string instrumental that immediately explodes in one of the most savage screams! Chills every time! The fact they always embraced their "core" influences was a big draw and made me get into more extreme forms of metal. So, in 2025, I feel like their strong anti-fascist messaging is now needed more than ever, with the spectacular fall of the "neoliberal world order" we are currently living through.

But politics aside (although, politics is a constant on the album so it will come back), how does the album sound? For fans of 2000's melodic death, this will be pure nostalgia filled joy! It's aggressive but filled with memorable melodies and has that hardcore authenticity and raw sounding energy. The album starts with a truly beautiful and emotional instrumental intro, those violin and cello does something to my cold heart, it makes you vulnerable and then; 'War Is The Father Of All' begins with an epic build up, drum rolls and choir included. The funky bass lines lead to groovy riffs and melodic leads that say "I love you In Flames". Also, the breakdowns on this one will make you headbang until your neck hurts. Lyrically already impactful, the lines: "Obliteration, Atrocities unbound, Kneel to the only one, For no man is mightier than the sword, Unerasable, It dwells within us", made me think of the military industrial complex that has overtaken what little influence we "common mortals" can have on the decisions our states take, with no regards for life. He then goes on to say: "Your gods are going down in flames, They're all material and nothing shall remain" highlighting the real reasons for all this carnage, behind religion or race, most wars are about control of the material world. That's my silly interpretation at least. The album continues with a flow of pure melodic death ragger until we get to song number five, the aptly named 'Empowerment'. Melodious punk vibes emanate from this one, filling me with hope and the will to fight! Accompanying classic melodeath leads are the line: "The time has come to choose your side, You stand or fall before their eyes, Conquer your fears, come face to face with the enemy". A song that tells you like it is, a modern Florence Reece composition, choose your side today! Another lyric that hits hard, this time from 'A Whisper From Above': "I had to walk among the brutes, and I felt nothing but disgust, Leading a double life amidst our murderous enemies, My downright lie, a bold disguise in the cruelest of all times, To save a few of the doomed". It perfectly describes reality nowadays. The mask we need to wear to go on business as usual, while watching the holocaust livestreamed on our phone. For the past 20 months and much earlier even, seeing people around you basically parroting our leader's discourse against immigrants or Palestine, can feel lonely but musicians can make us feel a bit more united with their message. To convey this message, we are transported back in time with In Flames worship leads, fast double kick drum, a tasteful short blastbeat and pure Gothenburg breaks.

Everything on this album flows in a coherent manner, even the Killswitch Engage cover is both a faithful adaptation, with guest vocal Jesse Leach, but still adds a Heaven Shall Burn twist of extremity. The heavy moments feel huge, the melodies are everywhere and impactful, down to the three instrumentals that cut the album perfectly, Marcus Bischoff's vocal performance is as savage as ever, the musicianship and song writing are on another level! This is a superb work of art with a message more important than ever, resist fascism at all cost! Let me just finish with their words: "Good or evil, there's nothing in between, I could not deny myself, We upheld life in the realm of the dead."

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Michael on June 26, 2025.

"Heimat" is a German word that can have many meanings in English. So it can stand for "homeland", "home city" or "home" whatever this might be for the one or the other. Maybe it is a place where you prefer to be, the time you spend with your friends or something completely different. What often goes along with the term "Heimat" (at least here in Germany) is a negative connotation with the word because quite often it is used in more or less right-winged circles and doesn't mean too many pleasant things in my eyes. Unfortunately quite often "Heimat" means something that refers to the "German Race" and all the things that came along with that elitist race shit from 1933 (yes, of course that fuck existed already before) on and brought devastation over the whole world. And even more unfortunately this shit becomes more and more socially acceptable once again.

Heaven Shall Burn (who come from Thuringia, one of the federal states in Germany where the right-winged Nazi-party AFD got 32,8% too many votes in the last election) have provocatively called their 10th full-length album "Heimat" and not enough to call this album that way, the beautiful German landscape is burning and one of the most significant German animals, the deer, is screaming in anguish. May it be a metaphor for the decline of social values or whatever, this is a clear statement by the band that is always positioned against fascism.

And so does the music. Were they heavily influenced by bands such as Bolt Thrower, Entombed or Earth Crisis on their previous albums, they have put on some more melodic parts this time. Still the songs kick goddamn ass and are super aggressive, but the guitar leads are sometimes more like In Flames (but not that pussy-like as they got after "Lunar Strain"). A good example for that is "Confounder" which turned out into a super-groovy melo-death track. Here and there are some heavy Bolt Thrower blast beat attacks but that's just marginally.

When I heard "Empowerment" for the first time, I had to smile because I wanted to sing "Moootheeer" while walking in the streets. The intro is just a pure copy of that fabulous Danzig song but after some seconds the reference is over and we get to hear another melodic deathcore song with some catchy lines.

"War Is The Father Of All" kicks off with some orchestral vibes and reminds me personally of a good song by Machine Head. This groove, the guitars and the aggressive basic vibes really kick ass. It starts creeping but increases the tempo in the circa 7 minutes more and more. That's a track which could have been on "Burn My Eyes" or "The Blackening", too.

"Numbered Days" is a very brutal cover of Killswitch Engages' song from their "Alive Or Just Breathing" album from 2002. It is very close to the original but I would dare to say that it is even some nuances heavier and with Jesse Leach they have the Killswitch Engage vocalist with a  guest appearance. By the way, this is maybe the most "metalcore" song on "Heimat".

For all the guys who liked the more Bolt Thrower-like influences, there are also some heavier songs on the album like "Ten Days In May" (which is a fast galloping track with many blast beats) or "Dora" that is a very gloomy, creeping track with really a lot of Bolt Thrower vibes.

This album has become a great piece of music and actually I refuse to call it metalcore. There are more death metal parts in here as on many so-called death metal bands nowadays. And apart from the music the band once again has released a significant statement against racism which seems to be more important from day to day in these dark times.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Felix on February 19, 2022.

For many years, Rob Darken follows the "more of the same" dogma. He repeats his beloved song formula again and again and this way of proceeding does definitely not reflect an adventuresome mind. But as a consumer, you know exactly what you get when buying a new Graveland album. It is therefore a matter of course that Cold Winter Blades also leads to the archaic realm of Darken's fantasy. Far from civilization, coldheartedness reigns over empathy and peace is no value in itself. The cover visualises this atmosphere in a very good way.

As expected, all of the usual ingredients of Graveland's sound show up. The dragging rhythms mirror melancholy, isolation or combativeness, Darken's conjuring voice adds a cruel note and the background choirs have been directly imported from Valhalla. Due to the broad mix, the overall impression does not lack of mightiness. There is, however, one small restriction, because the snare drum sounds powerless and thin. Aggravating this situation, the drum computer - or is it actually Darken himself, as it is written in the booklet? - sometimes seems to play a different song instead of being aligned with the other instruments ('The Morning Mist'). But who wants to be pedantic?

Due to the stylistic perseverance of Darken, the mixture of new and rerecorded tracks works in a surprisingly homogeneous way. The tracks possess the predictable yet amazing degree of coldness and hostility, albeit the third number comes as a semi-ballad. Perhaps Darken really knows only one composition scheme, but this does not mean that he works carelessly. Within the narrow limits of his approach, he tries to vary the songs. Even sharp critics must admit that he is successful in this respect. On the one hand, the 35 minutes of Cold Winter Blades do not overcharge the listener. On the other hand, they also do not appear tritely. Hence, it can be concluded that Darken has found the right balance between variety and recognisability. Only the remix of 'Dance Of Axes And Swords' fails to reveal new aspects of the song.

The publication of Cold Winter Blades makes sense with regard to the fact that two of the three newly recorded tracks originate from compilations. I doubt that these pieces have received much attention so far. But even if I am mistaken, the strong and rustic 'From The Beginning Of Time' marks another jewel in every Graveland collection. Only those of you who never felt the need to get in touch with the Polish one-man show may rest assured that they do not miss anything.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10