Heimat

“Heimat” = German for “home / homeland / native land” – a term that merely refers to a relationship between people and spaces but has nevertheless always been highly emotionally charged. Often misused, it sometimes causes discomfort, lively discussions and battles over interpretation. Maik Weichert (guitar) comments: Heimat is not meant as the narrow-minded end point in the sense it has been used by agitators and populists, but the starting point for observations and perspectives. The album is about a much wider sense of the term ‘Heimat’ the homelands for many different people and also about the spiritual home, something that shapes and determines our thoughts and actions. Heaven Shall Burn took their time with the follow-up to “Of Truth And Sacrifice”, which reached number 1 in the Official German Album Charts in 2020. Heimat was produced at the band’s own studio, The Dude Ranch, which is run by guitarist Alexander Dietz. Like in the past, Danish producer Tue Madsen took care of the mixing and mastering. The Thuringians enlisted the renowned artist Eliran Kantor for the artwork, who previously crafted the artwork for Of Truth And Sacrifice. The centrepiece of the impressive triptych is a rearing stag – in its roaring variant a classic motif of wildlife painting, the epitome of kitsch and trivial art from the 19th and 20th centuries and interpreted by some as a symbol of patriarchy and capitalist competition, but here placed as a vital allegory of resistance amid an apocalyptic scene. He is flanked by a hunting lynx and a watchful owl, which complete the highly symbolic artwork concept as further elements of the triptych.