Band:	Hail Of Bullets
Album:	III: The Rommel Chronicles
Style:	Death metal
Release date:	October 25, 2013
A review by:	ScreamingSteelUS

Disc I [CD]
01. Swoop Of The Falcon
02. Pour Le Mérite
03. DG-7
04. To The Last Breath Of Man And Beast
05. DAK
06. The Desert Fox
07. Tobruk
08. Farewell To Africa
09. The Final Front
10. Death Of A Field Marshal

Disc II [limited edition bonus DVD]
01. Bullets Over Europe

A concept album about Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel? Count me in! I'm always up to get down with the Desert Fox.

Martin van Drunen's vocals are welcome as always; his ragged, raw-throated growls serve as an effective method of conveying the legend of Rommel. "Swoop Of The Falcon" and "Pour Le Mérite" immediately catapult the listener into a world of thunderous, explosive noise that sounds like the proper soundtrack to an armor battle. War is definitely one of the most popular subject matters for metal bands, and it is easy to hear why. Hail Of Bullets sound like a tank column grinding through clash after clash, with tons of metal plating crashing on all sides. I'm pretty sure that "Tobruk" is what it feels like to have a Tiger Tank crush your spine.

III: The Rommel Chronicles is basically one solid chunk of death metal. The songs move from one to the next without much change of pace or direction. You get two speeds: "steady march" and "blitzkrieg." Thick, hefty slabs of crushing rhythm guitar and bass lie overtop the pounding war drums, while eerie siren lead guitar lines add some dismal wartime atmosphere. The album is a seamless work of death metal, with a dark edge tinged by desperation that suits the themes very well.

The mournful march of "Death Of A Field Marshal" closes the album and the life of the Desert Fox on a solemn but no less heavy note. III: The Rommel Chronicles may be fairly uncomplicated and wholly lacking in pretense, but it is not boring; it leaves a strong taste of blood, iron, and North African grit in your mouth. You only need one listen to discern all the facets; any more facets, however, might obstruct the sleek war machine that is Hail Of Bullets's monstrous sound.

The only real problem I have with this album is that they didn't sample this clip. Other than that, Hail Of Bullets have unleashed a forceful third album.