Bolt Thrower (band)
Encyclopedia
Bolt Thrower are a British
death metal
band from Coventry
, England
. They formed in 1986 and released their first album with Vinyl Solution
in 1988. The band then shifted to a new record label
, Earache Records
, soon becoming one of the best selling bands on that label. Their current label is Metal Blade Records
. The band has had a succession of members and have toured Europe
, the United States
, and Australia
.
The band takes its name from a weapon in the popular tabletop strategy game Warhammer Fantasy Battle
. The lyrics and artwork of their second, third and seventh albums were based on Warhammer Fantasy Battle and its futuristic companion Warhammer 40,000
, with much of the art actually being provided by the game's publisher, Games Workshop
. The general theme of their lyrics is war and its consequences.
band, influenced largely by bands such as Slayer
, Crass
and Discharge
.
The band was founded by bassist Gavin Ward
and guitarist Barry Thomson in a Coventry
pub toilet during a hardcore punk gig
. Shortly thereafter Andrew Whale and Alan West joined on drums and vocals respectively. In April 1987 the In Battle There Is No Law demo was recorded with this line-up.
Their second recording was the Concession of Pain demo, which they made in September 1987. Gavin had switched to guitars and they recruited Alex Tweedy to play the bass. However, Alex did not show up for the recording, and so Gavin played both guitar and bass for the demo. Two weeks after the recording session, Gavin's girlfriend Jo Bench
replaced Tweedy.
With this line-up they recorded their first Peel session on January 3, 1988, with John Peel
, the alternative disk jockey of BBC Radio One. He had received their second demo and became enthusiastic about the band. They recorded four tracks for it, resulting in a deal with Vinyl Solution
to release one album. Just before the recording of their first full-length album, they replaced their singer with their driver Karl Willetts. Their debut LP, In Battle There Is No Law
is only a half hour in length and has a primitive and raw sound often categorized as grindcore
.
They were not satisfied with the deal with Vinyl Solution
as it was a pure hardcore
label at that time. The label did little promotion for Bolt Thrower and their blend of death metal and hardcore punk, so after one album Bolt Thrower decided to leave Vinyl Solution and were signed by Earache Records
. Earache Records had also signed many other death metal bands including Carcass
and Napalm Death
. The production of this album was poor, though it was an improvement on previous attempts. The artwork was done by Games Workshop
as a gaming supplement they produced had a similar name to the album Bolt Thrower was about to release. After Games Workshop heard the recording of the songs for Bolt Thrower's second Peel session, which was recorded on November 6, 1988, they offered to do the expensive artwork for Bolt Thrower's album, an offer the band quickly accepted. The record was released in 1989 with the title of Realm of Chaos and with the subtitle Slaves to Darkness. Most of the lyrics to the songs were also influenced by the game, but not merely because of the deal with Games Workshop. Karl, Andy and Gavin were very much into the games Games Workshop produced and they wrote a couple of songs about these games. Some obvious examples are "Plague Bearer" and "World Eater". Most lyrics can however be projected on war, the general theme Bolt Thrower uses. After the recording of Realm of Chaos they went on the Grindcrusher Tour with label mates Napalm Death
, Carcass
and Morbid Angel
. On the Cenotaph EP one song ("Realm of Chaos") appears that is recorded during this tour. This EP also features the two CD-bonus tracks from War Master and Realm of Chaos plus the song "Cenotaph".
Continuing, they recorded their third and final Peel session on July 22, 1990. On this three songs from the upcoming album were performed in raw versions as well as "Lost Souls Domain" off Realm Of Chaos. Next step in the history of Bolt Thrower was the album titled War Master
. It was recorded, as the previous album, in the Slaughterhouse studios, which burned down two weeks after the recordings were completed. Again Games Workshop offered to do their artwork; however as it was considered too expensive, Bolt Thrower declined the offer. The former head-designer of Games Workshop would do the artwork, resulting in quite similar artwork as that of Realm of Chaos. For the U.S.
tour they did to promote the War Master album, they used an old U.S. school bus as tour bus, loaded with many computer games. All three Peel sessions were then released on one CD named The Peel Sessions 1988–90 in 1991.
Their next step was the album The IVth Crusade
. The title has a double meaning, as it was their fourth studio album (not counting the Peel sessions), but the album title also refers to the Fourth Crusade
and the capturing of Constantinople
. The cover artwork is a painting from Eugène Delacroix
, showing "The Entry of the Crusaders in Constantinople".
They downtuned their guitars even more and wrote slower songs which were heavier and more bombastic. It leans more towards doom metal
influenced by bands like Candlemass
, in combination with their own massive death metal sound. The album was followed by the tour World Crusade with the Polish
death metal act Vader
and the Swedish
death metal band Grave
in Europe. The band toured the U.S.
again as well as Australia
. During this time a single was released called Spearhead containing a very heavy, extended remix of the CD track "Spearhead" plus two new tracks and "Dying Creed" off the album.
Their next album is called ...For Victory
and was released in 1994. It was the final album with Karl Willetts and Andrew Whale. Both left the band because of changing life directions. The latest American tour did not go well, they returned home prematurely and by this time the band was quite fed-up with touring. A limited edition of the album exists containing a bonus live CD, called War (sometimes called Live War). After the album release Karl Willetts was replaced by former Pestilence
singer Martin van Drunen
, and Martin Kearns
, who took over the drum kit.
long time friend Dave Ingram
stood in. Martin Kearns decided to leave. The position at the drum kit
is now taken by Alex Thomas. Karl Willetts temporarily rejoined the band to do the vocal duties on the next album. The band switched record labels from Earache
to Metal Blade Records
, because since the U.S. ...For Victory tour they had seen a lack of success with Earache. Earache had also wanted to get rid of them and Bolt Thrower wanted to leave Earache as soon as possible, so they parted company.
The album titled Mercenary
was released on September 8, 1998 in Europe
and on November 10, 1998 in the USA, and features 9 tracks. It is over all a bit slower than its predecessors. However, it is definitely very heavy and sounds very much Bolt Thrower. And Karl returned to perform his previous style of singing; the hardcore punk influences have disappeared again. After the album recording, Karl left the band again and the band recruited Dave Ingram permanently after he left Benediction
.
In November 1998, Earache Records released Who Dares Wins, an album featuring various older recordings, including the songs from the Spearhead EP and Cenotaph EP. The band themselves do not agree with the release of this album and warn not to buy it as they consider it a cheap cash-in from Earache. Originally, it was titled No Guts - No Glory but the title was changed because one song on Mercenary has the same title and Metal Blade
objected. Following the release of the album a European tour was done, called Into the Killing Zone with Dave Ingram
on vocals. Alex Thomas departed since he lacked interest in the musical direction of Bolt Thrower.
After a short European tour in 2001 (which only 5 dates), they started to work on a new album. Honour - Valour - Pride
was released in late 2001 on Metal Blade
and shows a progression from the direction taken on Mercenary. It contains 9 tracks; the digipak
has one bonus track. Martin Kearns is now back with the band after he settled his things in his life.
In 2004 the band began working on new material for their latest album. They intended to record it in the May 2004, with the release set to the end of the year by Metal Blade. Meanwhile a European tour and a U.S. tour were prepared. Unfortunately, right before the recording could begin, Dave Ingram decided to leave, due to health and personal issues. This put off the new record and tours, and priority was set to finding a new singer. On November 18, 2004, the band announced the return of Karl Willetts. Recording of the album, titled Those Once Loyal
, started in May 2005; it was released on November 11 in Germany, November 14 in the rest of Europe and November 15 in the United States, 2005. It has been met with widespread critical acclaim from magazines such as Rock Sound
, Rock Hard
and Metal Hammer
. A European tour followed in January and February 2006. A second leg followed in April, with dates in Scandinavia
, UK, Spain
and more. A U.S. tour was planned to take place later in the year, however lack of financial support from the label forced the band to cancel these plans. The band are now considering leaving Metal Blade, although they are currently continuing to work on an (as yet untitled) new album.
Meanwhile, Earache has coincided the release of Those Once Loyal with a re-release of the Realm of Chaos featuring new artwork. The band encourage people not to buy it as (like Who Dares Wins) it was released without their consultation let alone consent. Furthermore, it has been alleged that the band has not received royalties from Earache for a number of years.
Bolt Thrower recently announced that as they were totally satisfied with the Those Once Loyal
album, they will be indefinitely postponing the recording of another LP, as their goal was always to stop after releasing "the perfect Bolt Thrower album". However, Karl Willetts has mentioned work on a ninth album.
Since releasing Those Once Loyal
Earache has released a remastered version of the 1989 album Realm of Chaos featuring alternate artwork of John Sibbick
, the artist responsible for the original artwork of both Warhammer 40,000
Rogue Trader cover design and Realm of Chaos - Slaves to Darkness 1989 album.
Former members
Extended plays
Live albums
Compilation albums
Demos
Video clips
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
band from Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. They formed in 1986 and released their first album with Vinyl Solution
Vinyl Solution
Vinyl Solution was a record label of the late 1980s and early 1990s, the offshoot of an independent London based record store based at 231 Portobello Road . The label signed many unconventional acts in a number of uncompromising genres, such as skatepunk thrash band The Stupids, Britcore rappers...
in 1988. The band then shifted to a new record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, Earache Records
Earache Records
Earache Records is a heavy metal-oriented record label based in Nottingham, UK and New York, USA. It helped to pioneer extreme metal by releasing many of the earliest grindcore and death metal records in the period 1988-1994.-History:...
, soon becoming one of the best selling bands on that label. Their current label is Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records is a record label which was founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The U.S. corporate office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Arizona, Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony BMG Music...
. The band has had a succession of members and have toured Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
The band takes its name from a weapon in the popular tabletop strategy game Warhammer Fantasy Battle
Warhammer Fantasy Battle
Warhammer: The Game of Fantasy Battles is a tabletop wargame created by Games Workshop. It is the origin of the Warhammer Fantasy setting....
. The lyrics and artwork of their second, third and seventh albums were based on Warhammer Fantasy Battle and its futuristic companion Warhammer 40,000
Warhammer 40,000
Warhammer 40,000 is a tabletop miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop, set in a dystopian science fantasy universe. Warhammer 40,000 was created by Rick Priestley in 1987 as the futuristic companion to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, sharing many game mechanics...
, with much of the art actually being provided by the game's publisher, Games Workshop
Games Workshop
Games Workshop Group plc is a British game production and retailing company. Games Workshop has published the tabletop wargames Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000...
. The general theme of their lyrics is war and its consequences.
Early history: 1986–1988
Bolt Thrower were formed in September 1986 as a thrash/punkCrossover thrash
__FORCETOC__Crossover thrash, often abbreviated to crossover, is a form of thrash metal that contains more hardcore punk elements than standard thrash. The genre lies on a continuum between heavy metal and punk rock...
band, influenced largely by bands such as Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
, Crass
Crass
Crass are an English punk rock band that was formed in 1977, which promoted anarchism as a political ideology, way of living, and as a resistance movement. Crass popularised the seminal anarcho-punk movement of the punk subculture, and advocated direct action, animal rights, and environmentalism...
and Discharge
Discharge (band)
Discharge is a British hardcore punk band formed in 1977 by Terry "Tezz" Roberts and Roy "Rainy" Wainwright. They are often considered among one of the very first bands to play hardcore punk, and to mix punk with metal...
.
The band was founded by bassist Gavin Ward
Gavin Ward (musician)
Gavin Ward is one of the two founding members of Bolt Thrower. He started out as the bass player early on in the band in 1986, and so can be heard on the first demo. For the second demo, he switched to playing lead and rhythm guitar. He plays lead and rhythm guitar on all albums, save Mercenary and...
and guitarist Barry Thomson in a Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
pub toilet during a hardcore punk gig
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
. Shortly thereafter Andrew Whale and Alan West joined on drums and vocals respectively. In April 1987 the In Battle There Is No Law demo was recorded with this line-up.
Their second recording was the Concession of Pain demo, which they made in September 1987. Gavin had switched to guitars and they recruited Alex Tweedy to play the bass. However, Alex did not show up for the recording, and so Gavin played both guitar and bass for the demo. Two weeks after the recording session, Gavin's girlfriend Jo Bench
Jo Bench
Jo-Anne Bench is a death metal bass player from Leamington Spa, England. She plays bass in Bolt Thrower on all albums, but not on the demos. She has been vegetarian since 1984....
replaced Tweedy.
With this line-up they recorded their first Peel session on January 3, 1988, with John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
, the alternative disk jockey of BBC Radio One. He had received their second demo and became enthusiastic about the band. They recorded four tracks for it, resulting in a deal with Vinyl Solution
Vinyl Solution
Vinyl Solution was a record label of the late 1980s and early 1990s, the offshoot of an independent London based record store based at 231 Portobello Road . The label signed many unconventional acts in a number of uncompromising genres, such as skatepunk thrash band The Stupids, Britcore rappers...
to release one album. Just before the recording of their first full-length album, they replaced their singer with their driver Karl Willetts. Their debut LP, In Battle There Is No Law
In Battle There Is No Law
In Battle There Is No Law is the debut album of Bolt Thrower. It is recorded at Loco studios by Andrew Fryer, and mixed at Clockwork by Alan Scott. It was released on Vinyl Solution as Sol 11 in 1988 and re-released on Vinyl Solution as Sol 11 in 1992, with a different album sleeve...
is only a half hour in length and has a primitive and raw sound often categorized as grindcore
Grindcore
Grindcore is an extreme genre of music that started in the early- to mid-1980s. It draws inspiration from some of the most abrasive music genres – including death metal, industrial music, noise and the more extreme varieties of hardcore punk....
.
1989–1994
They were not satisfied with the deal with Vinyl Solution
Vinyl Solution
Vinyl Solution was a record label of the late 1980s and early 1990s, the offshoot of an independent London based record store based at 231 Portobello Road . The label signed many unconventional acts in a number of uncompromising genres, such as skatepunk thrash band The Stupids, Britcore rappers...
as it was a pure hardcore
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
label at that time. The label did little promotion for Bolt Thrower and their blend of death metal and hardcore punk, so after one album Bolt Thrower decided to leave Vinyl Solution and were signed by Earache Records
Earache Records
Earache Records is a heavy metal-oriented record label based in Nottingham, UK and New York, USA. It helped to pioneer extreme metal by releasing many of the earliest grindcore and death metal records in the period 1988-1994.-History:...
. Earache Records had also signed many other death metal bands including Carcass
Carcass (band)
Carcass are an extreme metal band from England, who formed in 1985 and disbanded in 1995. A reunion was enacted in 2008 without one of its original members, drummer Ken Owen, due to health reasons....
and Napalm Death
Napalm Death
Napalm Death are a death metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent for most of the band's ...
. The production of this album was poor, though it was an improvement on previous attempts. The artwork was done by Games Workshop
Games Workshop
Games Workshop Group plc is a British game production and retailing company. Games Workshop has published the tabletop wargames Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000...
as a gaming supplement they produced had a similar name to the album Bolt Thrower was about to release. After Games Workshop heard the recording of the songs for Bolt Thrower's second Peel session, which was recorded on November 6, 1988, they offered to do the expensive artwork for Bolt Thrower's album, an offer the band quickly accepted. The record was released in 1989 with the title of Realm of Chaos and with the subtitle Slaves to Darkness. Most of the lyrics to the songs were also influenced by the game, but not merely because of the deal with Games Workshop. Karl, Andy and Gavin were very much into the games Games Workshop produced and they wrote a couple of songs about these games. Some obvious examples are "Plague Bearer" and "World Eater". Most lyrics can however be projected on war, the general theme Bolt Thrower uses. After the recording of Realm of Chaos they went on the Grindcrusher Tour with label mates Napalm Death
Napalm Death
Napalm Death are a death metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent for most of the band's ...
, Carcass
Carcass (band)
Carcass are an extreme metal band from England, who formed in 1985 and disbanded in 1995. A reunion was enacted in 2008 without one of its original members, drummer Ken Owen, due to health reasons....
and Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel is an American death metal band based in Tampa, Florida. UK music magazine Terrorizer ranked one Morbid Angel album in its “Top 40 greatest death metal albums”, with their 1989 debut Altars of Madness appearing at number 1...
. On the Cenotaph EP one song ("Realm of Chaos") appears that is recorded during this tour. This EP also features the two CD-bonus tracks from War Master and Realm of Chaos plus the song "Cenotaph".
Continuing, they recorded their third and final Peel session on July 22, 1990. On this three songs from the upcoming album were performed in raw versions as well as "Lost Souls Domain" off Realm Of Chaos. Next step in the history of Bolt Thrower was the album titled War Master
War Master
War Master is a Bolt Thrower album, recorded at Slaughterhouse studios in September 1990, produced by Bolt Thrower and Colin Richardson. It was released on Earache Records: Mosh 29 in 1991....
. It was recorded, as the previous album, in the Slaughterhouse studios, which burned down two weeks after the recordings were completed. Again Games Workshop offered to do their artwork; however as it was considered too expensive, Bolt Thrower declined the offer. The former head-designer of Games Workshop would do the artwork, resulting in quite similar artwork as that of Realm of Chaos. For the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
tour they did to promote the War Master album, they used an old U.S. school bus as tour bus, loaded with many computer games. All three Peel sessions were then released on one CD named The Peel Sessions 1988–90 in 1991.
Their next step was the album The IVth Crusade
The IVth Crusade
The IVth Crusade is the fourth studio album by the British death metal band Bolt Thrower. It was recorded at Sawmill Studios in August 1992 and produced by Bolt Thrower and Colin Richardson. The album was engineered by John Cornfield and mixed at Fon studios. It was also engineered by Alan Fisch...
. The title has a double meaning, as it was their fourth studio album (not counting the Peel sessions), but the album title also refers to the Fourth Crusade
Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was originally intended to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christian city of Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire...
and the capturing of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. The cover artwork is a painting from Eugène Delacroix
Eugène Delacroix
Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school...
, showing "The Entry of the Crusaders in Constantinople".
They downtuned their guitars even more and wrote slower songs which were heavier and more bombastic. It leans more towards doom metal
Doom metal
Doom metal is an extreme form of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other metal genres...
influenced by bands like Candlemass
Candlemass
Candlemass are an influential Swedish doom metal band established in 1984 by Leif Edling , their leader and songwriter. The band is originally from Stockholm. After releasing five full-length albums and touring extensively throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Candlemass disbanded in 1994, but...
, in combination with their own massive death metal sound. The album was followed by the tour World Crusade with the Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
death metal act Vader
Vader (band)
Vader is a Polish death metal band from Olsztyn, formed in 1983. According to Piotr Wiwczarek, the band's founding singer and guitar player, the band's name was inspired by Darth Vader from the Star Wars film series. Lyrical themes include stories by H. P. Lovecraft, WW2, horror and anti-christian...
and the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
death metal band Grave
Grave (band)
Grave is a Swedish death metal band that formed in 1986 by vocalist and guitarist Ola Lindgren, who is their only constant member. The band had particular success in the early 1990s, and their first four albums, Into the Grave, You'll Never See..., Soulless and Hating Life, cemented their...
in Europe. The band toured the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
again as well as Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. During this time a single was released called Spearhead containing a very heavy, extended remix of the CD track "Spearhead" plus two new tracks and "Dying Creed" off the album.
Their next album is called ...For Victory
...For Victory
…For Victory is a Bolt Thrower album. It was recorded at Sawmill studios in 1994, produced by Colin Richardson and Bolt Thrower. A limited edition contains a live CD titled Live War....
and was released in 1994. It was the final album with Karl Willetts and Andrew Whale. Both left the band because of changing life directions. The latest American tour did not go well, they returned home prematurely and by this time the band was quite fed-up with touring. A limited edition of the album exists containing a bonus live CD, called War (sometimes called Live War). After the album release Karl Willetts was replaced by former Pestilence
Pestilence (band)
Pestilence is a death metal band from the Netherlands founded in 1986. Later they incorporated more jazz and fusion elements into their music. After disbanding in order to pursue other musical directions in 1994, Pestilence has reunited in 2008...
singer Martin van Drunen
Martin van Drunen
Martin van Drunen is a Dutch death metal vocalist, who started out in the band Pestilence. In this band, he also performed the bass duties live. He recorded two albums with them, Malleus Maleficarum and Consuming Impulse. After his departure from Pestilence, he joined Asphyx as the singer and bass...
, and Martin Kearns
Martin Kearns
Martin Kearns is an English Drummer, specializing in Death Metal, known for his association with Bolt Thrower.Martin joined Bolt Thrower when Andrew Whale left in 1994....
, who took over the drum kit.
1995–present
In 1995 and 1996 the band did two European tours. Then in 1997, Martin van Drunen decided to leave the band again as he had never felt he really became a part of Bolt Thrower, and also because he got a disease that made his hair fall out due to which he felt insecure on stage. For at least one show in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
long time friend Dave Ingram
Dave Ingram
Dave Bjerregaard Ingram is a death metal vocalist from Birmingham, England. He started out replacing Mark "Barney" Greenway in UK death metal band Benediction when he later decided to be only the singer of Napalm Death. He stayed with Benediction until March 1998, when he joined Bolt Thrower. Also,...
stood in. Martin Kearns decided to leave. The position at the drum kit
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
is now taken by Alex Thomas. Karl Willetts temporarily rejoined the band to do the vocal duties on the next album. The band switched record labels from Earache
Earache Records
Earache Records is a heavy metal-oriented record label based in Nottingham, UK and New York, USA. It helped to pioneer extreme metal by releasing many of the earliest grindcore and death metal records in the period 1988-1994.-History:...
to Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records is a record label which was founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The U.S. corporate office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Arizona, Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony BMG Music...
, because since the U.S. ...For Victory tour they had seen a lack of success with Earache. Earache had also wanted to get rid of them and Bolt Thrower wanted to leave Earache as soon as possible, so they parted company.
The album titled Mercenary
Mercenary (album)
Mercenary is an album by the British death metal band Bolt Thrower. It was recorded at Chapel Studios, Lincoln, England, December 1997 to January 1998. The album was produced by Bolt Thrower and Ewan Davis...
was released on September 8, 1998 in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and on November 10, 1998 in the USA, and features 9 tracks. It is over all a bit slower than its predecessors. However, it is definitely very heavy and sounds very much Bolt Thrower. And Karl returned to perform his previous style of singing; the hardcore punk influences have disappeared again. After the album recording, Karl left the band again and the band recruited Dave Ingram permanently after he left Benediction
Benediction (band)
Benediction is a British death metal band from Birmingham, England. They were formed in February 1989.-Biography:The Birmingham-based death metal band Benediction were formed in February 1989 by Paul Adams , Peter Rew , Darren Brookes , and Mark "Barney" Greenway...
.
In November 1998, Earache Records released Who Dares Wins, an album featuring various older recordings, including the songs from the Spearhead EP and Cenotaph EP. The band themselves do not agree with the release of this album and warn not to buy it as they consider it a cheap cash-in from Earache. Originally, it was titled No Guts - No Glory but the title was changed because one song on Mercenary has the same title and Metal Blade
Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records is a record label which was founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The U.S. corporate office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Arizona, Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony BMG Music...
objected. Following the release of the album a European tour was done, called Into the Killing Zone with Dave Ingram
Dave Ingram
Dave Bjerregaard Ingram is a death metal vocalist from Birmingham, England. He started out replacing Mark "Barney" Greenway in UK death metal band Benediction when he later decided to be only the singer of Napalm Death. He stayed with Benediction until March 1998, when he joined Bolt Thrower. Also,...
on vocals. Alex Thomas departed since he lacked interest in the musical direction of Bolt Thrower.
After a short European tour in 2001 (which only 5 dates), they started to work on a new album. Honour - Valour - Pride
Honour - Valour - Pride
Honour – Valour – Pride is an album by the British death metal band Bolt Thrower. It was recorded and mixed at Sable Rose Studios in Coventry, England, June to September 2001. It was produced by the band and Andy Faulkner, and was released on Metal Blade Records in 2002...
was released in late 2001 on Metal Blade
Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records is a record label which was founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The U.S. corporate office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Arizona, Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony BMG Music...
and shows a progression from the direction taken on Mercenary. It contains 9 tracks; the digipak
Digipak
Digipak is a patented style of CD, DVD or BD packaging, and is a registered trademark of AGI World Ltd., an Atlas Holdings company.-Features:...
has one bonus track. Martin Kearns is now back with the band after he settled his things in his life.
In 2004 the band began working on new material for their latest album. They intended to record it in the May 2004, with the release set to the end of the year by Metal Blade. Meanwhile a European tour and a U.S. tour were prepared. Unfortunately, right before the recording could begin, Dave Ingram decided to leave, due to health and personal issues. This put off the new record and tours, and priority was set to finding a new singer. On November 18, 2004, the band announced the return of Karl Willetts. Recording of the album, titled Those Once Loyal
Those Once Loyal
Those Once Loyal is an album by the British death metal band Bolt Thrower. It was released on 11 November 2005 in Germany, 14 November 2005 in the rest of Europe and 15 November 2005 in the USA by Metal Blade Records. It was recorded and mixed at Sable Rose Studios in Coventry, England...
, started in May 2005; it was released on November 11 in Germany, November 14 in the rest of Europe and November 15 in the United States, 2005. It has been met with widespread critical acclaim from magazines such as Rock Sound
Rock Sound
Rock Sound is a British magazine which champions rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, whilst also giving coverage to more well known acts.-History:...
, Rock Hard
Rock Hard
Rock Hard is an EP by the Beastie Boys, released by Def Jam Records on 12" in 1985. The song, and the accompanying songs on the 12", feature the band's debut rap effort....
and Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer is a monthly heavy metal music magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. Metal Hammer articles feature both mainstream bands and more unusual acts from the whole spectrum of heavy metal music...
. A European tour followed in January and February 2006. A second leg followed in April, with dates in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, UK, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and more. A U.S. tour was planned to take place later in the year, however lack of financial support from the label forced the band to cancel these plans. The band are now considering leaving Metal Blade, although they are currently continuing to work on an (as yet untitled) new album.
Meanwhile, Earache has coincided the release of Those Once Loyal with a re-release of the Realm of Chaos featuring new artwork. The band encourage people not to buy it as (like Who Dares Wins) it was released without their consultation let alone consent. Furthermore, it has been alleged that the band has not received royalties from Earache for a number of years.
Bolt Thrower recently announced that as they were totally satisfied with the Those Once Loyal
Those Once Loyal
Those Once Loyal is an album by the British death metal band Bolt Thrower. It was released on 11 November 2005 in Germany, 14 November 2005 in the rest of Europe and 15 November 2005 in the USA by Metal Blade Records. It was recorded and mixed at Sable Rose Studios in Coventry, England...
album, they will be indefinitely postponing the recording of another LP, as their goal was always to stop after releasing "the perfect Bolt Thrower album". However, Karl Willetts has mentioned work on a ninth album.
Since releasing Those Once Loyal
Those Once Loyal
Those Once Loyal is an album by the British death metal band Bolt Thrower. It was released on 11 November 2005 in Germany, 14 November 2005 in the rest of Europe and 15 November 2005 in the USA by Metal Blade Records. It was recorded and mixed at Sable Rose Studios in Coventry, England...
Earache has released a remastered version of the 1989 album Realm of Chaos featuring alternate artwork of John Sibbick
John Sibbick
John Sibbick is a British freelance illustrator, perhaps best known for his reconstructions of prehistoric life in several media.Sibbick studied Graphics and Illustration at Guildford College of Art in the south of England...
, the artist responsible for the original artwork of both Warhammer 40,000
Warhammer 40,000
Warhammer 40,000 is a tabletop miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop, set in a dystopian science fantasy universe. Warhammer 40,000 was created by Rick Priestley in 1987 as the futuristic companion to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, sharing many game mechanics...
Rogue Trader cover design and Realm of Chaos - Slaves to Darkness 1989 album.
Members
Current line-up- Barry "Baz" ThomsonBarry ThompsonBarry Thompson plays lead and rhythm guitar in Bolt Thrower on all albums. He co-founded the band in 1986. He is also the main songwriter of the band. Thompson also did some backing vocals on the Benediction album, Grind Bastard.-Equipment:...
– rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
(1986–present) - Gavin WardGavin Ward (musician)Gavin Ward is one of the two founding members of Bolt Thrower. He started out as the bass player early on in the band in 1986, and so can be heard on the first demo. For the second demo, he switched to playing lead and rhythm guitar. He plays lead and rhythm guitar on all albums, save Mercenary and...
– rhythm guitar, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(on demos) (1986–present) - Jo BenchJo BenchJo-Anne Bench is a death metal bass player from Leamington Spa, England. She plays bass in Bolt Thrower on all albums, but not on the demos. She has been vegetarian since 1984....
– bass guitar (1987–present) - Martin KearnsMartin KearnsMartin Kearns is an English Drummer, specializing in Death Metal, known for his association with Bolt Thrower.Martin joined Bolt Thrower when Andrew Whale left in 1994....
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(1994–1997, 2000–present) - Karl Willetts – vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(1987–1994, 1997-1998, 2004–present)
Former members
- Alex Tweedy – bass guitar (1987)
- Alan West – vocals (1986–1988)
- Dave Ingram – vocals (1997, 1998–2004)
- Martin van DrunenMartin van DrunenMartin van Drunen is a Dutch death metal vocalist, who started out in the band Pestilence. In this band, he also performed the bass duties live. He recorded two albums with them, Malleus Maleficarum and Consuming Impulse. After his departure from Pestilence, he joined Asphyx as the singer and bass...
– vocals (1995–1997) - Alex Thomas – drums (1997–1999)
- Andy Whale – drums (1986–1994)
Discography
Studio albums- In Battle There Is No LawIn Battle There Is No LawIn Battle There Is No Law is the debut album of Bolt Thrower. It is recorded at Loco studios by Andrew Fryer, and mixed at Clockwork by Alan Scott. It was released on Vinyl Solution as Sol 11 in 1988 and re-released on Vinyl Solution as Sol 11 in 1992, with a different album sleeve...
(Vinyl Solution, 1988) - Realm of Chaos – Slaves to Darkness (Earache Records, 1989), remastered and re-released in 2005
- War MasterWar MasterWar Master is a Bolt Thrower album, recorded at Slaughterhouse studios in September 1990, produced by Bolt Thrower and Colin Richardson. It was released on Earache Records: Mosh 29 in 1991....
(Earache Records, 1991) - The IVth CrusadeThe IVth CrusadeThe IVth Crusade is the fourth studio album by the British death metal band Bolt Thrower. It was recorded at Sawmill Studios in August 1992 and produced by Bolt Thrower and Colin Richardson. The album was engineered by John Cornfield and mixed at Fon studios. It was also engineered by Alan Fisch...
(Earache Records, 1992) - ...For Victory...For Victory…For Victory is a Bolt Thrower album. It was recorded at Sawmill studios in 1994, produced by Colin Richardson and Bolt Thrower. A limited edition contains a live CD titled Live War....
(Earache Records, 1994) - MercenaryMercenary (album)Mercenary is an album by the British death metal band Bolt Thrower. It was recorded at Chapel Studios, Lincoln, England, December 1997 to January 1998. The album was produced by Bolt Thrower and Ewan Davis...
(Metal Blade Records, 1998) - Honour – Valour – PrideHonour - Valour - PrideHonour – Valour – Pride is an album by the British death metal band Bolt Thrower. It was recorded and mixed at Sable Rose Studios in Coventry, England, June to September 2001. It was produced by the band and Andy Faulkner, and was released on Metal Blade Records in 2002...
(Metal Blade Records, 2001) - Those Once LoyalThose Once LoyalThose Once Loyal is an album by the British death metal band Bolt Thrower. It was released on 11 November 2005 in Germany, 14 November 2005 in the rest of Europe and 15 November 2005 in the USA by Metal Blade Records. It was recorded and mixed at Sable Rose Studios in Coventry, England...
(Metal Blade Records, 2005)
Extended plays
- The Peel Session (Strange Fruit, 1988)
- CenotaphCenotaph (album)Cenotaph is an EP by Bolt Thrower. Track 1 and 2 are recorded at Slaughterhouse studios in September 1990, Track 3 is recorded at Slaugherhouse studios in July 1989. All three are produced by Colin Richardson and Bolt Thrower. Track 4 is recorded live at Kilbum National, November 16, 1989...
(Earache Records, 1990) - SpearheadSpearhead (album)Spearhead is an EP by Bolt Thrower. It is recorded at Sawmill studios, produced by Colin Richardson and Bolt Thrower, engineered by John Cornfield. Mixed at Fon studios September 1992, engineered by Alan Fisch and Steve Harris...
(Earache Records, 1993)
Live albums
- WarWar (Bolt Thrower album)War is a live album by Bolt Thrower recorded in Manchester 1992, on an 8-track tape. It was originally recorded by the band members in order to have some of their own live recordings for posterity. Later on Earache Records wanted to release a special edition of the ...For Victory album, thus it was...
(Earache Records, 1994)
Compilation albums
- The Peel Sessions 1988–90 (Strange Fruit, 1991)
- Who Dares WinsWho Dares Wins (album)Who Dares Wins is a compilation of various rare Bolt Thrower tracks from EPs and other sources: Tracks 1–4 are from the Cenotaph EP, tracks 5–8 are from the Spearhead EP and the tracks 9 and 10 are from the same session as "...For Victory", previously released on "Rareache" and the Japanese...
(Earache Records, 1998)
Demos
- In Battle There Is No Law (self-released cassette, 1987)
- Concession of Pain (self-released cassette, 1987)
Video clips
- The IVth Crusade (1992)
- ...For Victory (1998)
- Inside the Wire (2000)
- Cenotaph (2001)
Audio files (mp3)
- MercenaryMercenary (album)Mercenary is an album by the British death metal band Bolt Thrower. It was recorded at Chapel Studios, Lincoln, England, December 1997 to January 1998. The album was produced by Bolt Thrower and Ewan Davis...
(1997) - Honour - Valour - PrideHonour - Valour - PrideHonour – Valour – Pride is an album by the British death metal band Bolt Thrower. It was recorded and mixed at Sable Rose Studios in Coventry, England, June to September 2001. It was produced by the band and Andy Faulkner, and was released on Metal Blade Records in 2002...
(2001) - Those Once LoyalThose Once LoyalThose Once Loyal is an album by the British death metal band Bolt Thrower. It was released on 11 November 2005 in Germany, 14 November 2005 in the rest of Europe and 15 November 2005 in the USA by Metal Blade Records. It was recorded and mixed at Sable Rose Studios in Coventry, England...
(2005)