It’s no secret that Martin Van Drunen is a legendary death metal vocalist. Also, most people that would approach this release are doing so due to the fact of his inclusion in the band’s lineup. If I do say so myself; his strangled, sick, sick, sick voice is in its most harmonious (only figuratively, mind you) home with Hail Of Bullets. It just so happens to be a perfect fit with the compositions of these Bolt Thrower-meets-Dismember-esque instant classics. So, those yearning for an actual studio recording of Van Drunen’s brief stint in Bolt Thrower need fret no longer. This is better than that would have been. Take my word for it.
With Of Frost And War, I am delighted to boast of the best “chainsaw”-styled Swedish death metal production my opinionated ears have heard since Dismember‘s Massive Killing Capacity (except, this time on a remarkable body of work). I ‘m not sure if it’s the compression or what, but the overall sonic experience is almost pleasant compared to the bleeding-ears effect of more popular Scandinavian death metal classics. Every damned instrument is presented at optimum display. This is also refreshing for an album of this style that is fronted my the larynx shredding of Martin Van Drunen. A smoother backdrop, in my imaginative opinion, is a much better idea than going for the deliberately unpleasant sound that some (if not most) metal eardrum rapists of the north go for.
As for songwriting, I need not elaborate too extensively, given the comparisons mentioned earlier. Just take those aforementioned comparisons, take away the disposable songs that mildly infest those groups’ catalogs (chill…you know that I’m not making that up), and polish it with magic tarnish-remover. Sounds pretty killer, huh? Go on. You know you want to go find this. You’ll thank me, if only silently.
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