Hail Of Bullets - Biography
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2006-
Biography
Hail Of Bullets were formed at the end of 2006 when guitarist Stephan Gebédi approached singer Martin van Drunen, drummer Ed Warby, bass player Theo van Eekelen and guitarist Paul Baayens with the idea to join forces in an old school death metal band. The band members already knew each other from their previous and present bands like Asphyx, Gorefest, Thanatos and Houwitser. From the start it was crystal clear there was a mutual love for true death metal bands like Autopsy, Massacre, Bolt Thrower, early Death as well as Celtic Frost.
The metal started flowing and in July 2007 the band decided to record four songs for a promo CD. Swedish death metal guru Dan Swanö produced the four songs at his Unisound Studios and the result turned out pretty monstrous. Metal Blade Records didn't hesitate to sign the band and Hail Of Bullets' debut album ...Of Frost And War was released in May 2008. Apart from the thundering drums, scorching guitars and tormented vocals, the lyrical concept about the battles at the Eastern front during World War II made the album's impact even bigger. The reactions of the press and fans were amazing and the band played countless festival dates and club shows all over Europe.
The debut album was followed by a six-track mini album in July 2009, entitled Warsaw Rising which featured two brand new songs, a cover version of Twisted Sister's 'Destroyer' plus three live tracks recorded at 2008's Party.San Open Air festival. More shows followed and the band even made their first visit to the USA at 2009's Maryland Deathfest.
In the beginning of 2010 the band started work on their second full length album, another massive chunk of war-themed death metal. Singer/lyricist Martin van Drunen managed to come up with a new, intriguing concept. The rise and fall of the Japanese empire. The album was produced by Ed Warby and like before the monstrous mix was in the capable hands of Mr. Swanö. On Divine Winds was released in October 2010 and once again the reactions were overwhelming. The album even entered the German album charts and was voted 'album of the month' in various leading metal magazines like Rock Hard, Legacy, and Terrorizer to name but a few.
2011 saw the band playing most of the prestigious European summer festivals like Hellfest, Wacken Open Air, Summer Breeze, Party.San, Brutal Assault and many more. The band also played Maryland Deathfest for the 2nd time.
In the second half of 2012 the band started writing songs for their third album, which sees the band approaching things a bit differently lyric wise. Instead of describing a certain campaign or theatre of war, this album focuses more on a particular person who made his mark in WWII. Music wise this third album slightly harks back to the debut album. The songs are faster, rawer, more aggressive and direct than On Divine Winds which had a more epic, heroic feel. Once again production duties were handled by Ed Warby and the album was mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö. A new lyrical approach also asked for a different type of artwork, which was provided by Dutch artist Erik Wijnands.
After playing some selected shows at the end of 2013 to present the new album, 2014 will see the Hail Of Bullets war machine return to the live front at full combat strength.
(Source: Facebook, 29.11.2015)
The metal started flowing and in July 2007 the band decided to record four songs for a promo CD. Swedish death metal guru Dan Swanö produced the four songs at his Unisound Studios and the result turned out pretty monstrous. Metal Blade Records didn't hesitate to sign the band and Hail Of Bullets' debut album ...Of Frost And War was released in May 2008. Apart from the thundering drums, scorching guitars and tormented vocals, the lyrical concept about the battles at the Eastern front during World War II made the album's impact even bigger. The reactions of the press and fans were amazing and the band played countless festival dates and club shows all over Europe.
The debut album was followed by a six-track mini album in July 2009, entitled Warsaw Rising which featured two brand new songs, a cover version of Twisted Sister's 'Destroyer' plus three live tracks recorded at 2008's Party.San Open Air festival. More shows followed and the band even made their first visit to the USA at 2009's Maryland Deathfest.
In the beginning of 2010 the band started work on their second full length album, another massive chunk of war-themed death metal. Singer/lyricist Martin van Drunen managed to come up with a new, intriguing concept. The rise and fall of the Japanese empire. The album was produced by Ed Warby and like before the monstrous mix was in the capable hands of Mr. Swanö. On Divine Winds was released in October 2010 and once again the reactions were overwhelming. The album even entered the German album charts and was voted 'album of the month' in various leading metal magazines like Rock Hard, Legacy, and Terrorizer to name but a few.
2011 saw the band playing most of the prestigious European summer festivals like Hellfest, Wacken Open Air, Summer Breeze, Party.San, Brutal Assault and many more. The band also played Maryland Deathfest for the 2nd time.
In the second half of 2012 the band started writing songs for their third album, which sees the band approaching things a bit differently lyric wise. Instead of describing a certain campaign or theatre of war, this album focuses more on a particular person who made his mark in WWII. Music wise this third album slightly harks back to the debut album. The songs are faster, rawer, more aggressive and direct than On Divine Winds which had a more epic, heroic feel. Once again production duties were handled by Ed Warby and the album was mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö. A new lyrical approach also asked for a different type of artwork, which was provided by Dutch artist Erik Wijnands.
After playing some selected shows at the end of 2013 to present the new album, 2014 will see the Hail Of Bullets war machine return to the live front at full combat strength.
(Source: Facebook, 29.11.2015)