Hail of Bullets
Interview By Mick 'the beard' Staley


MG   You guys are forging a good reputation in the Death metal genre, even entering the charts in Germany, are you surprised buy this?

Stephan: Thank you. Entering the charts is something that we really didn't expect. when we started this band we did expect a certain amount of success cause we knew we had something good going and a strong line up that could back up the initial 'hype' , but the reactions of both fans and the press on the first album and now the second one are definitely beyond expectations. I mean we did not exactly pick the most trendy or lucrative subgenre there is in metal, right?! Not many bands were doing the old school death metal thing when we started out in 2007, but this is simply the music we all love and the only type of music this band will ever play. So in a way entering the charts is a small victory for real death metal as well.

MG   What would you say is the greatest achievement for you guys so far?

S: I can not pin down one certain aspect, but playing all over Europe, playing the US and making waves all over the world with this band is pretty much the best we could ask for. A lot of people also thought this band would not last one album; they thought we'd have major ego problems because the band consists of quite a few characters who all have their own ideas and strong personalities. But so far we've proven thme wrong. There's a really good atmosphere in this band. Of course there have been some arguments, but since we're all pretty much outspoken we have survived all our little crises so far and we all get along fine...

MG   You have been snapped up by Metal Blade records, quite early on in your conception, how did all that come about and are you enjoying working with them?

S: We had the luxury of being able to choose between several labels and Metal Blade seemed the best choice. they came up with the best offer, they came across as real fans of the music and they were willing to build this band, even though we told them we're not a band that  was planning to do any big tours. So far they have really been working their asses off and we're in really good and regular contact with the guys, so no complaints so far...

MG   Where would you say is the best place you have played live so far?

S: Aw, that's hard to say, I definitely enjoyed some of the festivals we did, like Party.San and Summer Breeze in Germany, Jalometalli in Finland and Maryland Deathfest (USA), but I also enjoyed the club shows that we did very much...

MG   You were recently in the UK, were you pleased with the reaction and feedback you got from that?

S: Well, we played London in 2008 already, so that's a pretty long time ago already so we really should try to come back to the UK early next year I guess. The London show was great though; a bit chaotic but the crowd really got into it and made us feel very welcome. Last December we played the Cork Winterfest in Ireland which was also very cool. The only letdown was the cancellation of our flight back to Amsterdam because of heavy snow...

MG   Many people say that Death metal, Grindcore, Screamo etc will not stand the test of time like traditional Metal because of its niche audience, what are you’re feelings on this?

S: I would not lump these genres together actually. Death metal has already proven it can stand the test of time, and so has grind core on a much smaller level. But all the screamo, emo, deathcore shit seems more like something that it's here today but gone tomorrow... I might be wrong but I hope not. I'm not saying I can't open up to new styles or new sounds but to mix up a genre like death metal with stupid core-elements and stuff like that it's just as blasphemous as starting a punk band and adhere to organised religion and conservatism or starting a black metal band and pray to Jesus or Allah every night...

MG   So what are the worst jobs you guys have had in the none showbiz world?

S: Martin, our singer, is the only one who tries to make a living from singing in 2 bands (Asphyx and Hail of Bullets), Ed works at large merchandising company. Paul is a teacher at elementary school, Theo just started a new job, and I work about 30 hours a week at something similar to your social security benefit office and besides that I'm a free lance writer for Aardschok metal magazine.

MG   If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be and why?

S: I would love to have my long hair back! haha. I cut it off quite a few years ago because it was simply getting to thin. I have no problem at all with being bald but on stage it definitely looks better to bang your head when you have some long hair that moves along...

MG   What plans have you got for the rest of this year and what plans if any for 2011?

S: We have a couple of shows planned for the rest of this year, mainly in Holland and Belgium. we already have quite a few festivals planned for next year, but we really want to concentrate a bit more on the UK and Scandinavia next year. Maybe even do some sort of mini tour in April or May...but we have no concrete plans for that yet...

MG If you could be in a band living or dead which one would it be and why?

S: Well. KISS is still the hottest band in the world, right? So that would be my number one choice.

MG If you were granted three wishes what would you wish for?

I´d wish for a couple of million euros so I could quit my daytime job and became a lazy slob for the rest of my life.

A better climate in Holland

Peace on earth! haha, just kidding..that would put us out of business, right...

MG What gig would you like to play before you die?

S: Christ! you guys ask silly questions... We´d like to headline Download festival, OK? Since that won´t happen for quite some time I´m allowing myself some more time to live...

MG Finally tell us about you’re latest album ‘On Divine Winds’, why should we buy it and what’s so good about it?

S: we put a lot of hard work and energy in this album. Apart from being a solid, in your face slap of true, old school death metal, it also offers a little extra. If you take the time to read the lyrics you´re drawn into the story of the great Pacific conflict and it might provide 52 minutes of escapism from boredom and all those plastic metal bands around that are following the latest trends

THANKYOU GUYS!!!!!!!