Live report HEAVEN SHALL BURN, THE HALO EFFECT, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER & FROZEN SOUL, Inselpark Arena, Hamburg – February 27th, 2025

German metallers Heaven Shall Burn recently released the album “Heimat”, and after playing some release shows at smaller venues, the five-piece band is currently touring larger venues. The band will perform at Hamburg’s Inselpark Arena tonight, and they aren’t alone on this tour. They are joined by The Halo Effect, The Black Dahlia Murder and Frozen Soul. This line-up has the potential to shake the foundations of the Inselpark Arena.

Doors open early on this sunny Friday evening, with Frozen Soul taking to the stage first. The Texas-based band is renowned for its intense riff-driven sound, providing the perfect introduction to this evening of extreme metal.

While everyone in the greater Hamburg area is enjoying the warmer spring-like weather, Frozen Soul brings back the icy glacier spirit while the temperature at the Inselpark Arena slowly rises.

Heavy traffic on a Friday afternoon and public transport on strike mean that I arrive at the venue right on time for Frozen Soul. The band delivers a no-nonsense set, getting this evening off to a roaring start. Frontman Chad Green’s massive stage presence immediately captures the attention of fans. His barking vocals add to the intensity, and combined with aggressive death metal riffs, Frozen Soul do a great job of getting the crowd into the right mood. The band plays a 30-minute set that includes “No Place of Warmth”, preceded by a touching speech from Green.

Frozen Soul delivered an excellent performance, and even though some fans were enjoying the warm evening outside or gathering at the merchandise stand, everyone in the hall seemed to be enjoying Frozen Soul.

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The next band to take to the stage are The Black Dahlia Murder. I haven’t seen the band perform live before, so I’m rather curious to experience it. My expectations were high, but they are only partly met. The Detroit-based metal band start their show with “What a Horrible Night to Start a Curse”. There is nothing wrong with this performance, and as many of the other metalheads in the Wilhelmsburg Inselpark Arena are seeing The Black Dahlia Murder for the first time too, the band may well gain some new fans. However, while The Black Dahlia Murder deliver a professional performance, the heart is missing a bit in comparison to Frozen Soul tonight. It might be the 60s/70s TV show samples played occasionally between songs that take away some of the intensity. I can’t tell. It feels like the brakes aren’t fully loose. Nevertheless, The Black Dahlia Murder deliver a 35-minute show mainly built around the 2024 release “Servitude”, while also going back to 2005 with “A Vulgar Picture”. After the last note of “Utopia Black” faded away, the fans show their appreciation with some applause.

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Mikael Stanne seems to be a man who is constantly on the road, immersed in music. He tours with Dark Tranquility, Grand Cadaver and, this time, The Halo Effect. The ‘group of friends’ are joining the tour today as special guests. With a 45-minute slot, the Swedes have enough time to focus on the highlights of their two albums so far. The setlist is equally divided between songs from “Days of the Lost” and “March of the Unheard”. Both albums contribute four songs to tonight’s show, and there is also a live premiere. The Halo Effect have added “Our Channel to the Darkness” to their setlist, which is a much-appreciated moment for fans. This is obvious when you look at the guys in front of the stage having a lot of fun and starting small circle pits.

The Halo Effect’s melodic interpretation of death metal contrasts with the brutality of Frozen Soul and The Black Dahlia Murder’s more surgical approach to the genre. This line-up showcases the diversity of the death metal spectrum.

The Halo Effect have many excellent songs and it is the well-known tracks from their debut album that create a frenzy in the hall. “The Needless End”, “Gateways” and “Shadowminds”, the latter of which is the closer tonight, are songs that captivate with their great melodies and rawness, which is even more intense live than on the album.
The five-piece band from Gothenburg are back on stage and enjoying the momentum. This infectious vibe spreads to the audience too, and when the band leaves the stage, there is warm applause and an excited fanbase looking forward to tonight’s headliner.

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Equipped with the new songs from “Heimat”, Heaven Shall Burn open the set with a new tune. “War Is the Father of All” kicks off the evening, and the fans are wild from the moment the first riff fills the room. Over the next 90 minutes, the band performs a carefully curated setlist featuring new songs and classics such as “Armia” and “Counterweight” from the “Deaf for Your Prayers” era. The two songs are introduced by guitarist Mike Weichert with a short speech about their relevance today. It’s about maintaining one’s beliefs in the face of populist influences and not just within one’s own bubble.

A highlight tonight is “Endzeit”. After the intro “Awoken” fades away, the blasting riff of “Endzeit” blows fans away and everyone goes wild. The chorus, ‘We are the final resistance’, is sung by almost everyone in the hall, and the circle pit grows in size.

Tonight’s show also features two unexpected moments. The first comes with “Übermacht”. The surprise is not the song itself. Everyone expected “Übermacht” to be on the setlist. However, the surprise is that Britta Görtz (Hiraes) joins Heaven Shall Burn on stage. She replaced Marcus Bischoff during the 2025 festival shows when the singer was dealing with health issues. Today feels like a kind of reunion, but the party cannot fully unfold as there is a medical emergency. A fan has hurt himself in the pit and needs medical attention. After a while, there is a thumbs-up to show that the fan is OK, which is answered by the loudest applause of the night. It is also a moment of taking care about each other. It is a moment of helping each other. It is a moment of being one community.

Since everyone is OK, Heaven Shall Burn continue with their show, restarting “Übermacht” after reminding the fans to be surprised when Britta Görtz enters the stage. She also stays on stage for the Edge of Sanity cover, “Black Tears” and leaves to huge applause.

Heaven Shall Burn end their regular set with “Thoughts and Prayers”, before returning to the stage for “The Weapon They Fear” and the classic “Valhalla” originally by Blind Guardian.

As usual, Heaven Shall Burn deliver a massive set full of bursting energy and excellent music. It was a true headliner show, and one could not have asked for more. This evening marked the spectacular beginning of the European leg of the ‘Heimat Over Europe’ tour, which will continue until the end of March this year.