The Formative Years - Bolt Thrower
Claiming that Bolt Thrower is an influential death metal band would be an understatement par excellence as with their own brand of their uncompromising, grim sound, there is a myriad of bands that have been influenced by them.
Bolt Thrower was one of the metal bands that instantaneously clicked with me due to them being as much inspired by early crust punk as by Bay Area thrash and Black Sabbath, thereby seamlessly bridging the divide between scenes with their hectic, refreshingly chaotic energy and confrontational onslaughts.
Their early emissions on Earache Records differed from the other cliché-ridden apolitical death metal acts on the label’s roster as Bolt Thrower lyrically focussed on politics and frustrations with the status quo, along with thinly hidden Warhammer fantasy worship, rather than gory and satanic themes that started to become en vogue.
Apart from their punk mentality and ethos, especially their early recordings from their Peel Sessions sound like they started off as band in the vein of Discharge, before they evolved with their classic and unique sounding album In Battle There Is No Law from 1988, which constituted a release that still honoured their punk roots but infused them with the frenzy and speed that should later on become the trademark of grind core without ever running danger of losing their groove.
Realm Of Chaos from 1989 is an album that saw Bolt Thrower getting darker, dirtier and tighter – in essence more deliberate and clearly defined – as they seem to have grown comfortable with their own style and pace and it is an album that will always stand the test of time.
