J-Man
For a band with such prolific and well-respected musicians as that of Hail of Bullets, it's hard to not expect a lot from On Divine Winds. Serving as the supergroup's second full-length outing, it's clear that these guys are still all about delivering "real" death metal (which is a good thing). Unfortunately, the album rarely reaches the level of excellence that I would expect from this cast of musicians. I hate to say this, but the vast majority of On Divine Winds is dull, uninspired, and generic death metal with no innovation in any form. While I can easily look past the innovation factor, the sub-par compositions and monotonous feeling throughout the album severely blemish my listening experience. On Divine Winds has plenty of positives that may make it worth checking out for some people, but I can't call it anything more than another mediocre death metal release.
The music here is old school-styled death metal with a few touches of Swedish death metal. While that sounds like something I would really enjoy, the compositional aspect is incredibly weak. Even right after listening to the album, recalling more than a few riffs is a difficult task. The lack of memorable songwriting is really the crippling factor that On Divine Winds suffers from. Aside from a few other knocks in terms of Hail of Bullets' derivative sound and the lack of variation on the album, most everything else is excellent. I especially enjoy the war-themed lyrics, not unlike fellow-countrymen God Dethroned. The musicians are equally excellent, especially Ed Warby - what a drummer! The production also suits the music perfectly. It seems as though the delivery aspect is spot-on, but even that can't completely cover up the lack of memorable songwriting and generic tone throughout the album. If Hail of Bullets works on making more memorable tunes and a more original sound, I could forecast a very strong third album. Unfortunately, that isn't the case here.
On Divine Winds is a decent death metal album by Hail of Bullets, but not much more than that. I must confess that I was quite disappointed with this release - it could've been so much better. I'll go with a 2.5-3 star rating here. The musicians are talented, the production is great, and their lyrics are well-written, but that can't cover up sub-par songwriting and an unadventurous attitude. Fans of the band's first album may want to pick this up, though I can't say I was too impressed by it.