Being a metal fan and a World War 2 history buff it will be of no surprise to many that I am already familiar with Dutch death metal historians and Rotterdam’s finest Hail of Bullets. Their previous releases covering the Eastern Front (…Of Frost and War) and Pacific (On Devine Winds) and now they are back and this time focusing on one man, the historical legend Field Marshal Erwin Rommel AKA The Desert Fox.
Quick history lesson for the un-initiated read this Wikipedia page.
But don’t worry if you don’t know or don’t like this era of history because what Hail Of Bullets do well is create highly enjoyable and hook laden death metal on its own merit, the lyrical themes merely being an additional layer of depth rather than the central selling point.
So after the brief intro of pre-recorded militaristic singing and mid-paced chug to ‘Swoop Of The Flacon’, the bark of vocalist Martin van Drunen signals the blitzkrieg (not sorry) of high tempo groove laden death metal. Existing fans may as well stop reading now as they haven’t done anything silly like make a prog folk album.
What we do have is ten top quality chunks of “old school” death metal in the vein of Asphyx, Autopsy and the likes, full of fist pumping, headbanging grooves and crunching vicious riffs underpinning the signature vocal growl of Van Drunen.
This is not to suggest it is one dimensional (except the drumming in some places) as style and tempo is mixed up from the satisfying sludge groove of ‘DG-7’, the melodic death metal tendencies of 'To the Last Breath of Man and Beast' to the full on Slayer worship on ‘Tobruk’
The album finishes with the fitting *spoiler alert* funeral march of ‘Death of a Field Marshal’
Now excuse me while I go headbang with a history book
