Hail of Bullets

Just Before Dawn – A War Too Far Review

Just Before Dawn – A War Too Far Review

“Swedish war mongers Just Before Dawn are back once again to weave bloody tales of man’s inhumanity to man through their tried-and-true variant of doomy death metal. The Bolt Thower influences are never far from their chosen sound and style and after four full-lengths and several EPs, including last year’s Battle-Sight Zeroing, Just Before Dawn have done all they could to fill the massive crater left by the beloved U.K. fighting unit and battle buddies Hail of Bullets.” War is forever.

Siege of Power – This is Tomorrow Review

Siege of Power – This is Tomorrow Review

“A death metal supergroup featuring members of Autopsy, Asphyx, and Hail of Bullets floating in the promo bin unguarded? I best grab that one for safekeeping! And so Steel didith claim the sophomore outing by Siege of Power. While their debut was a very uneven affair without truly memorable moments, what these super fiends opted to do on This is Tomorrow is much more interesting. There’s still a punky crossover vibe to some of the material, but there’s also a greater willingness to cross-pollinate genres and explore different soundscapes, making for a surprisingly diverse set of tunes.” Siege perilous.

Just Before Dawn – Battle-Sight Zeroing Review

Just Before Dawn – Battle-Sight Zeroing Review

“It’s nearly Christmas and for many folks that means thoughts turn to gifts, eggnog, and goodwill toward mankind. But Just Before Dawn want to use this holly, jolly time of year to remind us that war is Hell and man cannot stop killing his fellow man. What better way to do that than with a mini-album centered thematically on the Vietnam conflict?” War for breakfast.

Obscene – From Dead Horizon to Dead Horizon Review

Obscene – From Dead Horizon to Dead Horizon Review

Obscene’s debut The Inhabitable Dark hit in the midst of a grand revival of old school death worship at the House of Steel. It packed a big, ugly punch and mined the rarefied territory of Obituary, Hail of Bullets and Asphyx for all they were worth. It had just the right amount of nastiness and extremity and the songs were short and sweet too. The WAY over-the-top vocals by Kyle Shaw were a win for me, but some of my AMG colleagues thought they were too WAY over-the-top. That was nonsense of course, and I spent a lot of time with The Inhabitable Dark. This month we got the followup, From Dead Horizon to Dead Horizon and I found myself giddy to hear what kind of vile charms they had in store.” Bring me the Dead Horizons.

Pestilence – Exitivm Review

Pestilence – Exitivm Review

“I’ll forever have a soft spot in my wrought iron heart for Dutch death act Pestilence. Their 1989 magnum opus Consuming Impulse blew my mind all over the wall with its gnarly death metal assault and I still play it regularly. I haven’t completely loved any of their second career stage releases however, as their style has parked somewhere between OSDM and prog-death with jazz elements, making things a bit too awkward for my tastes. That said, 2013s Obsideo was good if weird, and 2018s Hadeon was a respectable shift toward more straightforward death metal. Ninth album Exitivm is now set to drop with an almost entirely new lineup from last time, with founding guitarist Patrick Mameli the sole survivor.” Prog infection.

Asphyx – Necroceros Review

Asphyx – Necroceros Review

“I warned you all this would be a year of Steel on a mean death bender and here we are. Let’s kick it off in grand fashion with the brand new offering from death metal royalty, Asphyx. After shamefully overlooking 2016 release Incoming Death, I found myself needing to get my phyx of new material from a band I’ve enjoyed since my college days. Necroceros is the Dutch devils’ tenth album and the first written and recorded during a global pandemic.” Necro-Destructo.

Just Before Dawn – An Army at Dawn Review

Just Before Dawn – An Army at Dawn Review

“If you’re in the market for a death metal album that approximates the very specific sensation of being turned into a bloody pancake by an unstoppable tank division, here it is, folks. An Army at Dawn is the 4th platter of war-themed splatter from Just Before Dawn, and as on their prior battle primers, they target a sound halfway between the bulldozing punch of Bolt Thrower and the doomy, dreary war-death of Hail of Bullets.” Breaking Dawn.

Obscene – The Inhabitable Dark Review

Obscene – The Inhabitable Dark Review

“I find myself greatly missing Hail of Bullets these past few years. That Dutch band of battle-hardened warriors had a truly great sound and knew how to craft devastating death metal ditties that stuck in your brain pan like a bayonet with a serrated edge. Perhaps that’s why the full-length debut by Indiana upstarts, Obscene clubbed me so brutally about the head, neck and buttocks.” Death porn.

Siege of Power – Warning Blast Review

Siege of Power – Warning Blast Review

Warning Blast was set to be one unstoppable slab of doomy death metal. That is, until it wasn’t. Siege of Power are far more interested in playing some punk infused death-doom, or what it would sound like if death-doom musicians tried to start an old hardcore-adjacent band. Conveniently, this is almost exactly what Warning Blast represents.” Feel the crust.

Down Among the Dead Men – …And You Will Obey Me Review

Down Among the Dead Men – …And You Will Obey Me Review

“Vibrant old school death releases from Lik, Skeletal Remains and Ripped to Shreds have highlighted 2018 so far, and with an upcoming full-length from Extremity on the horizon, things are looking bright for fans of the retro style. That said, can Down Among the Dead Men raise the bar and lay waste to the standout competition?” Old dogs, deadly tricks.