Heaven Shall Burn

Since 1995, Germany's Heaven Shall Burn have specialized in politicized death metal fused with metalcore, melodic death, and deathcore. Their lyrics typically express support for anti-racism and anti-fascism as well as resistance and animal rights. The group's brutalizing sonic onslaught has drawn comparisons to traditional death metal bands but is much more frenetic. Their second LP, 2002's Whatever It May Take, took them to festival and club stages abroad. 2006's Antigone showcased a more chug-worthy riffing style, and their Iconoclast trilogy (2008's Iconoclast I: The Final Resistance, the live Iconoclast II: Bildersturm, and 2010's Iconoclast III: Invictus) landed inside Germany's Top 25 and established them as one of the most consistent seat-filling acts in heavy metal. 2013's Veto charted in the U.S. (number 14, Top Heatseekers Albums), while 2016's Wanderer became their most commercially successful album. It placed inside the Top 20 on five European charts, including Germany's Top Three.