Description

Hong Kong version on white splatter vinyl with gatefold cover. Limited 300 copies

Heaven Shall Burn fans know what to expect by now — Germanys premier metalcore band has been bringing the same mix of crushing hardcore guitars, throat-slitting death vocals, and epic sung choruses for well over a decade now with little sign of progression. Iconoclast III: Invictus is the final chapter in the Iconoclast trilogy (2008s Iconoclast I: The Final Resistance and 2009s live DVD Iconoclast II: Bildersturm — The Visual Resistance rounding out the collection), and it is easily the least impressive of the three. Like all Heaven Shall Burn albums, Invictus fades in with a mix of aching strings, myopic piano strokes, and atmospheric noise, before inevitably bursting to life with an errant hardcore riff and Marcus Bischoff’s deep guttural growl. Bischoff’s death growls don’t last long, giving way to the hardcore screech that dominates the rest of the album, while the increased black metal influence is noticeable in the smooth gallop of Combat. Unfortunately, the group doesn’t explore these new influences in any great detail and, despite the pronounced electronic input on tracks like Given to Death (with female vocals courtesy of Sabine Wenger), Iconoclast III: Invictus offers little that listeners haven’t heard before, and better, from Heaven Shall Burn.

Track listing:
1. Intro
2. The Omen
3. Combat
4. I Was I Am I Shall Be
5. Buried in Forgotten Grounds
6. Sevastopol
7. The Lie You Bleed For
8. Return to Sanity
9. Against Bridge Burners
10. Of Forsaken Poets
11. Nowhere
12. Given In Death
13. Outro