Hail of Bullets "III: The Rommel Chronicles" Cassette

Floga Records 2020 Pro-tape edition limited to 300 copies Death Metal from the Netherlands

Do you occasionally enjoy a menu consisting of metallic guitars as menacing as a panzer vehicle, topped off with vocals best described as rabidly possessed? Then Hail of Bullets is for you.
This is simple, Bolt Thrower styled death metal that plows along with no mercy or regard for human life. Riffs are often simple and heavy with well timed and tasteful tempo shifts when needed. The faster ones tend to sound Swedish due to the meaty guitar tone employed, while the slower ones usually are heavily muted grooves or slow tremolos. The best part about the guitars are when the heavy rhythm guitars are accompanied by semi melodic leads to bring out the atmosphere of war that the band are obviously aiming for.
The production is, just as for the other two albums, a massive wall of sound accentuating the meaty guitar tone. Dan Swanö is involved in the sound job, simple as that. The lyrics once again depicts world war events with historical precision, something that connects the band to Bolt Thrower even beyond the guitars. Vocalist Martin van Drunen is one of the people in the death metal genre that doesn't need an introduction. He sounds as he usually does, which isn't a bad thing. The hoarse thrash fueled vocals that has been here since early Pestilence are as intact and relevant as ever.
Hail of Bullets will never be a very original band, nor a genre pinnacle. However, listening to their albums and songs is always a great example of how enjoyable some solid, old school death metal can be. It is a slab of extremely heavy music delivered by people who surely know how to write good songs. I'd rate "III: The Rommel Chronicles" as equal to predecessor "On Divine Winds" and the recent couple of Asphyx albums. It's a fun listen and, while I don't find myself furiously headbanging, I'm definitely bobbing my head in enjoyment through the entire experience.

Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...