HAIL OF BULLETS

We are not glorifying war

-OK, go back to your new album. It was recorded at Excess Studios in Rotterdam, then mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö at his own studio in Sweden. And it sounds like thunder! Was it hard to build up such a massive wall of sound without loosing quality of it?
Dan had already done a great job on the promo-CD so we knew he was the right man. He has some little secrets for that huge guitarsound, and he won’t tell us, but obviously we’re very happy with the result.

-Danny stating upon the album completion said: "If this promo doesn't get you guys a good record deal, I will eat my laptop!". Is your deal with Metal Blade good enough, to preserve Danny from serious gastric complications?
Hehe, yes it sure is; Metal Blade has put a lot of energy into the promotion of the album and the communication with the guys at the label has been great and very easy-going so far... definitely no complaints so far...

-Let's focus on the lyrical content of „...Of Frost And War” for a while. I've noticed (following the titles) you are overly obsessed with history of World War II, Eastern front especially. What does that obsession come from? Is „...Of Frost And World” a concept story album? Are those songs connected to each other, lyrically? Is that a subject matter you are going to continue on your next releases?
I wouldn’t call it an obsession. Martin –who wrote the lyrics- is simply very interested in this topic, He had already been reading many books about this subject and when he heard the first HOB songs, he knew his lyrical concept would fit perfectly with the music. So yes it’s a concept album which describes the battles at the Eastern front in a chronological order. First you get a few songs from the German point of view and then some from a Russian point of view. I have no idea yet about the next album, but I’m pretty sure war will play a big part again in the lyrics

-By the way... What do you think about the idea of preparing some special elements for the upcoming shows of HAIL OF BULLETS, just to make them visually a little more spectacular? Like using some pyros and FX or at least wearing military uniforms?
When we get bigger as a band and can ask for higher fees, we will definitely think about stage bombs and pyros... wearing military uniforms is definitely not going to happen though. We’re not glorifying war, we simply sing about it...

-This year you appeared on some famous summer festivals like Party San or Summer Breeze. How did the crowd respond to your shows? What has been the most memorable gig of HAIL OF BULLETS to date?
The crowd response has been great at all shows/festivals we played this year (in Germany and Holland mainly) but Partysan was definitely one of the absolute highlights; a great festival, great show, great people, great organisation... except for the rain at our show (ONLY at our show!) everything was perfect, and even the rain didn’t bother most people in the crowd...

-Ok, we are pretty close to end of this interview, so could you tell me something about your future plans? Another album of HAIL OF BULLETS would be possible next year?
There definitely will be another HAIL OF BULLETS, but we’re not sure yet when we start recording... A new album at the end of 2009/ beginning 2010 could be well possible though


-"...Of Frost And War" is the first studio album of HAILL OF BULLETS, and although you’ve come a long way in metal industry with other bands, there’s always room to grow. Do you feel this band would open doors that may not have been opened to your other acts before?
For me personally, that’s definitely true. With THANATOS we have always been struggling to get attention and get a proper record deal and with HAIL OF BULLETS things are running more smoothly... But hey that’s life, nothing we can change about those things

-That's all, thanks for your time, thanks for a good piece of music and good luck for the future! Any last words?
Thank you for showing interest in the band, we hope to see everybody at our shows... meanwhile, check out our MySpace page and website for news/updates/merchandise etc...

www.hailofbullets.com


Line Up:
Martin van Drunen - vocals
Paul Baayens - guitar
Stephan Gebedi - guitar
Theo van Eekelen - bass
Ed Warby - drums

Discography:
...Of Frost And War (2008)