Rather quietly, it seems, Hail of Bullets put out a new album last year. Either that or news travels to me about as fast as it did to the folks back home during World War II, which just happens to be the period during which the title character, German Field Marshall Erwin Rommel rose to prominence. Amazing the coincidences that can occur when you’re just making shit up. Is it possible that I’m the only person whose knowledge of Rommel is limited to that he was half of the inspiration for the computer classic Patton Vs. Rommel? After all, history is written by the winners, so why would the average history class in the United States go into any great detail about a man who led the forces of the enemy? Why am I asking so many questions?
So I looked into it a little bit and found Rommel to be an interesting individual. He was a highly decorated officer in World War I before becoming a Field Marshall in World War II and one of its most able commanders. Despite the more horrific actions of the Nazi regime, he is regarded as a humane and professional officer who didn’t buy into what it stood for: captured soldiers were treated humanely; orders to kill Jewish soldiers, civilians, and captured commandos were ignored; and eventually he was linked to the conspiracy and failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Yet, his status as a national hero led to his involvement being kept secret, “sentenced” to death by suicide, and burial with full military honors. When someone you try to kill still holds you in high regard, you’ve done something right.
The above was provided just to lay to rest any suspicions that Hail of Bullets had taken a dark turn and is now some sort of NSDM band. No, this is the same Hail of Bullets we’ve come to know and applaud from two previous World War II-themed albums crafted with the mud, blood, and booze of death metal’s old school. But what else should we have expected from the band whose collective resume includes Asphyx, Pestilence, and Gorefest?
The album plays out like an audio biography, starting out with his time as a soldier in World War I (a.k.a. The Great War) when he received Germany’s highest honor, the “Pour Le Merite” for his leadership, a commendation that is accompanied here with riffs befitting a battlefield victory. Fast-forwarding to World War II, “DG-7” details the surprise invasion of France by Rommel’s ‘Ghost Division’, and is appropriately more musically subdued and methodical. Then it’s off to Africa, where Rommel earned his nickname “The Desert Fox.” But, his victories turned to defeats with the entrance of the United States and increased Allied opposition. He was eventually removed from command, which coincided with a growing bitterness towards Hitler. Later, he agreed to support the conspiracy against Hitler, although he wanted him arrested and tried rather than assassinated (in line with his general ethos). When the infamous bomb plot failed, his name was revealed as a conspirator, which led to his arrest, and ultimately, the “Death of a Field Marshall” (a heavy, mournful dirge). When given the option of a public trial and execution or suicide, he chose suicide. In honor to his service, his family received his full pension, and he received a state funeral with full military honors.
I admit that’s a pretty broken history, but you get the idea. Rommel was probably more fascinating a figure than The Rommel Chronicles is an album. It isn’t boring by any means – there just isn’t much difference between this and the two preceding it. It’s all simply solid old school death metal made by a bunch of guys who used to make it, moved on, and decided they wanted to make it again. I’ve got a friend who teaches high school history and uses Iron Maiden songs as aids when appropriate. I should encourage him to use the Hail of Bullets catalog the same way during the World War II section, including The Rommel Chronicles – opinions of Middle America be damned.
