Herzschlager – Deep in the Heart | EP Review

The best things really do come to those who wait, and Herzschlager deliver a modern hardcore masterpiece with misanthropic vocals and distortion aplenty, all crammed into six memorable tracks.

Herzschlager is a hardcore punk and d-beat side project from Allfather, a band that encourage and celebrate all things heavy, take inspiration from bands and genres of yesteryear, and modernise a classic sound that’s loved by thousands of metalheads worldwide. The diverse influences are clear on Herzschlager’s second EP, Deep in the Heart; taking inspiration from hardcore greats such as Hatebreed and Discharge whilst also mixing up their sound by adding Judas Priest inspired solos.

“The Ruin” is a thundering album opener, with an epic drum intro and dual guitar solos that rival Iron Maiden’s early work. Although the guitar riffs are extremely polished, Herzschlager’s production is a lot more rough around the edges, which makes Deep in the Heart an essential modern deep cut that many hardcore fans would find enjoyable. “Kill All Your Heroes” is also a standout track; a two-minute tirade that’s lyrically about icons of the past abandoning their ethics as soon as they make enough money to comfortably live, which is an extremely bold, yet refreshing attitude for a modern band to make and will surely hit home for a lot of people who grew up listening to heavier genres.

However, one may argue that that Deep in the Heart lacks lyrical variety and depth, but Herzschlager’s latest entry is twenty-five minutes of pure, unbridled rage, yet final track “Burning Herz” has an almost dreamlike sound to its introduction, but still remains true to its genre whilst also modernising the classic d-beat sound.

Although Deep in the Heat’s production is perhaps more polished than previous Hertzschlager EP All The Nights Are Done, their latest effort is pretty much everything you could want in a hardcore release; DIY ethics, all-encompassing distortion and distinctively agitated vocals. If you’re looking for a slice of self-produced anger, then look no further.