Finally, the beloved Germans have returned with their eight full-length album, three years after “Veto”. If you familiar with them, you know that this is a band that will not disappoint you. If you are not familiar with them, this is the best European metalcore band, although their sound is more close to melodic death metal.
“Wanderer” sets the mood early, just by looking the simple but beautiful cover and reading the song titles. The lyrics describe the journey of the common man to his inner self in order to get away from all the daily confusion, anxiety and negative feelings that might affect his personality with the goal being to face his problems with a clear mind. As for their music, the recipe of success is here again as we know it. Terrific leads, excellent melodies, beatdowns and the characteristic vocals of Marcus Bischoff are the pieces of their music puzzle. Christian Bass makes his studio debut behind the drum kit, getting a very good overall grade. The producers were once more their guitarists Alexander Dietz and Maik Weichert and their job is slightly different than their previous releases. It seems that they achieved a clearer sound, not in the bad way, that helps their songs to be heard as they should. If I had to pick some songs, that would be “Downshifter”, “Bring The War Home”, “Extermination Order” and “Prey To God”, a song that has a special guest in the face of George “Corpsegrinder” Fischer (Cannibal Corpse) making a deadly duet. Also, used to strange but always successful covers, Heaven Shall Burn pay tribute to Sodom covering “Agent Orange” with special guest Frank Blackfire (ex-Sodom, ex-Kreator) and to My Dying Bride covering “The Cry Of Mankind” with special guest Adalbjorn Tryggvason (Solstafir).
Finally, “Wanderer” will be released in various formats with many bonus stuff like a cd full of covers and a different mix for the album.
For the fans of: Neaera, As I Lay Dying, Darkest Hour
