On Divine Winds

Whenever I come across a newly formed band trying to bring back the classic old school sound of their past, I always approach it with caution. Most of the time it will sound like a rehash of ideas done a million times before, without ever adding anything new to the genre. However, sometimes the life will reward me with a real gem, something that truly deserves an attention because it's evident just how much hard work has been put into it. Now, you might argue with me on that, but don't be hasty, and give this a chance, will ya?

If you think war themed death metal is easy to do, I would kindly redirect you to Bolt Thrower's HQ, which haven't released anything new since 2005, but I guess it's for the better if they hadn't come up with worthwhile ideas (still, damn you Bolt Thrower, I want a new album aaaaargh!). Hail Of Bullets is composed of members of veteran death metal bands, Martin Van Drunen from Asphyx and Pestilence fame and Ed Warby from Gorefest, just to name a few. The best part of this band is that each member brings something from their bands to this band, and music sounds so powerful, brutal and original, which tells something in 2010. The doomy sequences usually associated with Asphyx are everpresent, and so we get majestic Full Scale War, On Coral Shores and Tokyo Napalm Holocaust all packed with trademark Asphyx slow, desolate riffs. The songs themselves intersect with each other very nicely and totally undistracting, making this album a great and enjoyable listen throughout. Lead guitar is also very prominent, playing an assortment of solos and leads which all sound great. The ordeal opens with an intro (a lot of bands still haven't mastered the art of putting an actually non-boring and non-unnecessary intros, and HoB are one of them unfortunately), which leads us straight into Operation Z, with a killer set of riffs right from the get-go. It also has the best breakdown on the album, during which Martin sings one of the most memorable and catchy lines in his career which I can't help but sing along to:

Capsized, capsized, sunken vessels
Defenseless, defenseless casualties!
Massacred, massacred by treason!
A date which will live in infamy...

The next track has probably one of the best groovy riffs I've heard lately, and probably stands as my favorite HoB track. Oh and I've never heard of the Mukden Incident as a real historic event, but after hearing this I got myself informed, so we could say that good musicians make good teachers, or atleast motivators. Which leads us to the major part of the album: the lyrics. If you thought music wasn't war themed enough, the lyrics are here to enhance the entire experience. Now, where in Asphyx Martin is known for his highly graphic portrayal of things going on in the song (The Rack still has some of my favorite lyrical pieces), here he is no slouch either, so a detailed war story is guaranteed. Well, not really, but you will get a pretty decent picture of soldiers getting killed, backstabbed by their comrades, people dying in flames after napalm, and in the last track, even the list of armed conflicts throughout history.

It's nice to see so many new bands, even if their members are well known, returning to their old sound. Old school death metal is pretty much one of the best things in the world, and having that sounds back, with new albums by Asphyx, Grave, Unleashed slaying the mighty once again is an enough reason for old schoolers to start paying attention to the scene once again. But forming of some new names is also more than welcome, and I am sure Hail Of Bullets is here to stay, and rightfully so.

Favorite moments: the break in Operation Z, any part of Mukden Incident when the opening riff repeats, intro riff of Tokyo Napalm Holocaust.