Those Once Loyal - Bolt Thrower

Bolt Thrower have been turning out quality war and -only- war themed death metal albums for many years now, and although their material has been of a consistantly high quality, it would be fair to say that it has tended not to vary much from one release to another. Their 2005 release 'To Those Once Loyal' is a stunning step forward however, managing to retain the essence of their older work whilst imbuing it with a tremendous newfound energy. As the cover would suggest, the album is based around the First World War- perhaps the perfect theme for Bolt Thrower's grimly relentless brand of grinding death metal- and opens with an ominous fugue reminiscient of ...  Read the complete review

'Those Once Loyal' is a peculiar title for Bolt Thrower's comeback album of sorts, seeing the return of (apparently disloyal) vocalist Karl Willetts and a marked improvement in the band's sound that hasn't sounded this good for a decade. The same ingredients are all there: guttural roared vocals, medium-speed guitars and lyrics devoted entirely to war (interestingly in this case, the First World War), but it's executed with greater style and energy than anything since the band's early days, even if it still falls short of their finest releases. Bolt Thrower have earned themselves a reputation for consistency to the point of endless repetition, but this album ...  Read the complete review