Has it really been three years since ‘On Divine Winds’?! That epic took us away from Europe and into the Pacific theatre of World War Two. Stylistically it was much more polished than the band’s grim debut ‘…Of Frost and War’ yet it still more than lived up to monstrous death metal expectations. Instead of focusing on a specific theatre this time, Martin Van Drunen and his fellow commandos have decided to work around the chronology of one of the most famed generals of the Second World War: his rise, successes, failures and ultimate death at the hands of the regime he served.
‘Swoop of the Falcon’ begins the story with a faded snippet of some old German (army?) song before the familiar thundering mechanised death is unleashed. There’s a steady pace in the driving drums and crushing riffs as MVD recounts Rommel’s beginnings (“1891, the year of a legend…”) through to his distinguished service in World War One on the Western Front, when this falcon first swooped. Musically the opener is controlled throughout; the straining end guitars breaking form as if to presage a coming storm… Which would be the heavily strummed riffs and sneaky guitar runs of ‘Pour le Mérite’ belted out at irresistible pace. Although prefiguring his WW2 service, there’s a real sense of the desert to this First World War tale. At the closing stages of track two, we also get the first epic harmonies drifting across the battlefield, continuing the band’s trademark meshing of brutality and pathos. In contrast, the opening riffs of ‘DG-7’ are like noxious exhaust fumes spat forth from an armoured beast in the run-up to the invasion of Western Europe in 1940.
‘To the Last Breath of Man and Beast’ further recounts the Wehrmacht’s Blitzkrieg storm through France and the Low Countries as it mercilessly drove the BEF off the Continent; the fast tempo reflecting pursuit and decisive victory. As if we need reminding, HOB’s music conveys the scene better than most words. ‘DAK 5’ (or Deutsches Afrikakorps 5) then steers us to Rommel’s most famed arena. Grinding, slow riffs, rueful notes and a generally hulking presence reinforce just why HOB has managed to attract reverential comparisons with the likes of Asphyx and Bolt Thrower after two albums and an EP. Symptomatic of much of the material here (and indeed the man himself’s career) ‘The Desert Fox’ is relentless, with some ominous tones at its end. Come ‘Tobruk’ and we are thrown into the maelstrom of siege warfare before Rommel and his panzers are themselves hunted down in ‘Farewell to Africa’. Some of the tempo shifts and solos are masterful; none more so than in ‘The Final Front’ (referring to Rommel’s hopeless task at the Atlantic Wall).
‘Death of a Field Marshall’ closes the book with Rommel’s forced suicide – an event encapsulating the paranoia and nihilism of the Hitler era. Musically, the ending track is sombre until a grind of riffs stamps a sense of rage and betrayal firmly in this scene. The death throws are signalled by dialogue, a strummed outro and a last caress of the wind – completing what is probably the best song on the album.
As a whole, ‘III The Rommel Chronicles’ serves as a fine continuation of HOB’s mission. While it might not match the debut as far as I’m concerned (not much does), it still bloody rules.
World War Two subject matter + terrifying death metal = just what the doctor ordered.
(8.5/10 Jamie)
01/11/2013 at 4:28 pm
hailS bells! This is JUST what I wanted to hear. Cheers Jamie. p.S.: There’s a typo in here somewhere.
01/11/2013 at 7:30 pm
Hey John! Yeah, I think it’s impossible not to be blown away by this juggernaut. In terms of the typo, I think I might have an idea of which bit you’re referring to but would you mind (literally) spelling it out?