HEAVEN SHALL BURN: Another New Song Available

Another new HEAVEN SHALL BURN track, entitled "Counterweight", has been posted online at this location. The song comes off the German band's new album, "Deaf to Our Prayers", due on September 5 via Century Media Records.

Maik Weichert (guitars) sheds some light on the meaning of the song: "We open-minded and responsible people can think and act for ourselves. We are not going to have our minds surrender to control and manipulation. Maybe some God has given us a brain, so we should use it and not rely on facts prepared by others. We are not against sincere and modern Christians who do good things and love 'thy neighbor.' Still, some fundamentalist religious organisations like the 'Jesus Revolution Army' are striving for power and influence and target society where it is most vulnerable: the youth. Secularisation is one of the greatest achievements of modern societies, and it needs to be defended. We are the Counterweight!"

The recording of "Deaf to Our Prayers" was once again done at Rape Of Harmonies Studios in beautiful Thüringen. "Patrick W. Engel and Ralf Müller have added their share another time and we cannot picture working on an album without them," the band said.

For the first time, HEAVEN SHALL BURN used Jacob Hansen and his Hansen Studios in Denmark for the mix. "We had a great time in Ribe, the oldest city in Denmark, and worked extremely hard on getting the maximum out of the new songs. Right from the beginning of the writing process we had the vision to record a raw and direct album. I think 'Deaf To Our Prayers' is a lot more brutal than 'Antigone' while still having some mid-tempo passages. Simply 100% HSB!"

As on their previous albums, HEAVEN SHALL BURN don't just have intense music to offer, but also food for thought. "The title 'Deaf To Our Prayers' is influenced by a line from a poem by Heinrich Heine that dealt with the situation of industrial workers from Silesia in the 19th century," the band said. "Other songs like 'Of No Avail' or 'The Final March' were influenced by Gerhard Hauptmann's drama 'The Weavers'. Especially the situation of the workers in the 19th century, the so-called Industrial Revolution, shows oppressive parallels to current developments in our society that's highly affected by globalization."

However, "Deaf To Our Prayers" is also dealing with other historic aspects. "'Armia', for example, is about the hopeless, 64-day fight that Polish partisans fought against the occupying power in the battle of Warsaw in August 1944," the band said. "Again, we stayed away from topics such as heartache, problems with parents and 'I'll kill every single one of you.' We know that there are people out there who want to use their heads for banging AND thinking — that's what we are about."

"Deaf To Our Prayers" will contain a bonus DVD featuring a 30-minute live set from last year's Hell On Earth festival along with "The Weapon They Fear" video clip.