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"...Of Frost and War " is a relentless display of grinding, bludgeoning power. It is almost like Hail of Bullets have ripped the rotting, gore-drenched entrails of death metal from 1991's decaying corpse and smacked us across the face with them. Composed of simple, brutal riffs that range in tempo from fast to crushingly slow, the music is well-written and memorable. The thing that sets Hail of Bullets apart is Martin Van Drunen's vocals. His tormented howl rises to the occasion time and time again to capture just the right phrasing for each part. It is nice to see one of death metal's pioneering vocalists return after so many years, and I am happy to report that Van Drunen sounds like he has not aged a day since his work with Asphyx in the early 90's.
The meat of the album is exactly what you would want from an old school death metal band, but a couple of more subtle factors really take this album to new heights. From a production standpoint, Dan Swano did a masterful job capturing the grit of early death metal while updating the sound just enough to keep things fresh. This well-executed concept also adds to my overall enjoyment of the album. "...Of Frost and War" is a free-form concept album that deals with the fighting on the eastern front during WWII. Van Drunen clearly has a passion for the subject mater and does an excellent job of conveying the utter horror of what was probably the most brutal and barbarous battleground of the last 100 years.
Hail of Bullets has achieved something great with "...Of Frost and War". Not only have they successfully recaptured the feel and atmosphere of death metal's hey-day, they have done it in such a compelling way that I will continue to spin this album for years to come. Most newer takes on this style are fun for a few months, but eventually wear thin and are replaced in my rotation by old staples Bolt Thrower, Entombed and Grave. "...Of Frost and War" has earned a place among those classics. Nearly a year after its release I still have this album in heavy rotation and if you have not given it a chance already, now is as good a time as any.
Rating: 96
Reviewed By: Garett F.