Review by JD on December 14, 2009.

German metallists Heaven Shall Burn seem to be on the lips of many metallers for a while now... and I now have their 2006 release "Deaf To Our Prayers" to see what the big stink is about.

From the first pummelling riff of the opening track, Heaven Shall Burn takes no prisoners here. They come across as this brutal mix of sheer Thrash, manic Death, Hardcore Punk inspired music that has some shadings of Nu-Metal as well. Each part seems to emphasise the other parts equally... and does seem to be out to take your head off in one fell swoop, but it does have a couple of drawbacks that stops the juggernaut cold.

The vocals are... well... too predicable. They are delivered well, that is not the problem... they never stand out as original. It is all angst and aggression, but has no real substance to keep anyone interested. Musically, they have enough twists and turns to make the album more than just simply interested... but the all too cliché blow-torch-in-the-throat vocals are way over the top making it feel like the singer does not to fit the band as a whole.

Lyrically, they have some seriously interesting things going on, but the vocals are a huge setback for them. Things may have changed since the release of this album, I will have a closer look later on, but for now...seems like HSB is stuck in second gear and has no way of getting out of it any time soon. So close, yet so far... I am disappointed.

Categorical Rating Breakdown　

Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 7.5
Production: 7
Originality: 5.5 (vocals hurt this rating)
Overall: 7

Rating: 7 out of 10

Review by Adam M on January 2, 2015.

Necrophagia performs a form of horror death metal that is high on the fun factor and low on technical prowess. There are often crushing riffs to be found amidst what is usually a mid-paced groove. The ghoulish atmosphere and sense of enjoyment of the band heighten this foundation up to a higher level.

The music follows a similar style to Autopsy or Obituary and like those bands it’s a pretty standard dimension of sounds that the band sticks to. The horror themes that the band incorporates into their music cannot change the fact that a lot of it sounds the same and doesn’t wander off into incredibly interesting directions. These are faults that are often overcome by catchy song-writing, however. Also, the riffs are also scathingly heavy at times add to the punishing array of assets the band has. The basic ingredient that makes this band relatively successful is the fun it seems to have. The tracks are given an assortment of energy from the amount of enjoyment that this band puts into the music. This element of fun easily bypasses any lack of complexity to be found on the album. One walks away with an aura of being excited by the music after even a quick listen and this is what makes this album successful.

Necrophagia also increases the enjoyability with a crisp production job that makes the guitar riffs and drums have a hammer-like effect on the listener. The overall amalgam of sounds is closed out by the title track which is an epic finale to a horror show of evil vibes and a similar devilishly good time. Chock WhiteWorm Cathedral up as a winner for the death metal genre that has tight and addictive songs throughout.

Rating: 8 out of 10