HAIL OF BULLETS – “ON DIVINE WINDS”
METAL BLADE (2010)
Death Metal is a genre that, in the last twenty five years, has graced us with quite a few talented people, with only a handful as important and influential as the Dutch lyricist and frontman Martin Van Drunen. If this name means absolutely nothing to you, then I am afraid that your understanding and knowledge of classic Death Metal is below basic, as Martin has been a leading figure behind bands like Pestilence and Asphyx, both of which continue to this day to produce good quality releases. The last five years, however, Martin has joined forces with a few equally skillful countryment and has released more quality Death Metal under the moniker Hail Of Bullets – a power quintet which, under the protective wings of Metal Blade, is about to release its second full length release entitled “On Divine Winds” and whose lyrical concept evolved around the military operations that tookmplace in the South Pacific during WWII.
Those of you who read my review for the band’s debut release “…Of Frost And War” are already aware of my admiration towards this project, both with regards its lyrical and musical context. Well, in many ways, “On Divine Winds” is a continuation of the same approach first undertaken back in 2008 by these noisy Dutchmen, something that should not be seen as a negative thing, especially since the twelve new compositions of offer show that the band has bonded and matured significantly these last couple of years. Emphasis is once again placed on ‘the riff’, with Martin’s vocals filling in all the gaps, however, it is Ed Warby’s intelligent drumming which gives that ‘extra something’ to the majority of the compositions on this album. What Hail Of Bullets have managed to achieve here is to create a classic album with a fresh and dynamic sound which will appeal equally to both old school and young Death Metal fans alike. Impressive? You bet!
Following the much fitting short intro “The Even Of Battle” I was exposed to the rhythmical onslaught of “Operation Z” – a mid tempo head banging opus that features a dead catchy refrain; a great way to start an album. If you failed to test your neck’s flexibility with the previous song, then the mid tempo groovy riffs of “The Mukden Incident” will certainly get you going. Martin’s admiration for Motorhead is clearly audible in the Rock n’Roll sounding “Strategy Of Attrition” whereas the epic “Full Scale War” comes as a proof of the band’s musical diversity; featuring a slow doomy theme that gradually evolves into a full blown mid tempo rhythmical monster. Fans of old school Death Metal will love the catchy tunes of “Guadalcanal” while those of you who cannot imagine how a Candlemass sounding melody can feature in a Death Metal composition will be blown away by what’s on offer on “On Coral Shores”. “Unsung Heroes” is a smart rhythmical piece, but cannot really compete with the quite dramatic and claustrophobic guitar melodies of “Tokyo Napalm Holocaust” – the most epic composition of the album. Ed Warby’s intelligent drumming is again audible in “Sugar Loaf Hill” while Slayer’s influence to the band’s music is the main component in the guitar solos of “Kamikaze”, leaving the slow paced mournful guitar melodies “To Bear The Unbearable” to close this dead impressive record.
Hail Of Bullets have managed to create an album that sounds both classic and fresh and that is quite an achievement nowadays, even for the most established of bands. The focus of this band is not to impress the listener with long intricate passages and over complicated riffs, though intelligent musicianship does give an extra flavour to the album. The goal set by Van Drunen and Co was to create god honest music based on solid heavy riffs and catchy melodies that the listener would become addicted to and will seek to further invest to on the weeks/months to come. Have they achieved that? By God they have! This is the best classic Death Metal album that I have listened to so far this year and I cannot see how any other release will top in the two months that are left for 2010!
John Stefanis
Rating: ****1/2 (4.5/5.0)
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