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The Gauntlet: Bolt Thrower |
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Bolt Thrower Album Review
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Tracklist
Disc: 1
1. War
2. Rememberance
3. When Glory Beckons
4. ...for Victory
5. Graven Image
6. Lest We Forget
7. Silent Demise
8. Forever Fallen
9. Tank (MK.1)
10. Armageddon Bound
Disc: 2
1. Ivth Crusade [Live][*]
2. Dying Creed [Live][*]
3. Spearhead [Live][*]
4. Unleashed [Live][*]
5. Ritual [Live][*]
6. Where Next to Conquer [Live][*]
7. Warmaster [Live][*]
8. As the World Burns [Live][*]
9. Cenotaph [Live][*]
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While Bolt Thrower has always maintained a particular popularity with some fans of extreme metal, the band never really achieved the type of recognition it deserved here in the US. Credit this fact to a lack of a major push to familiarize fans with the group’s aggressive combination of death and doom or to an emerging scene in the early nineties which was littered with a plethora of US acts like Deicide, Cannibal Corpse and Morbid Angel that were sucking up the attention of fans, either way – Bolt Thrower could have been a larger commercial success when the group first emerged if given the proper direction. This is not to fault Earache, the label that broke the band to worldwide audiences. The identity of the group was more difficult to market than that of the aforementioned groups, but the legacy of Bolt Thrower would become one that was more important in influencing the bands that followed later on.
Many fans see “…For Victory” as being a definitive statement in the evolution of the sound of Bolt Thrower, with the band perfecting its “war metal” sound. Tracks such as “When Glory Beckons” and “Remembrance” still resonate as powerfully as they did upon their original release, replete with foreboding sounds of hostility and bloodshed, each relaying the group’s apocalyptic vision in excellent fashion.
However, as a re-release, “…For Victory” is not without its share of problems. The album cover was a turn-off for those who enjoyed the colorful images that decorated the band’s first records – a bland, non-descript photo of soldiers emerging upon a beachfront during sunset that’s hardly powerful enough of an image to represent the thunderous power inherent in the band’s music. In terms of presentation, this reissue could have been so much better. A live disc is included in this package called “Live! War,” featuring a Bolt Thrower performance from 1992 in Manchester, England. While the group puts on a fine performance during fan favorites such as “Cenotaph,” “Warmaster” and “The IVth Crusade,” the scant crowd noise in between tracks and large amount of dead air sounds almost embarrassing. Certainly the band puts on a strong performance, but the production leaves a lot to be desired. Still, this disc should be of note to the group’s die-hard fans.
When labels reissue records, it’s often simply because the original run has sold out or remained unavailable for some time. It’s always a smart move to attempt to improve upon a product upon re-release, and while the addition of a live disc brings a certain amount of added value, it would have been cool to see better presentation and a more refined production here. Undoubtedly, Bolt Thrower was amongst the first acts to issue severely intense music of this kind and “…For Victory” still stands up as being one of the group’s strongest efforts. New listeners beware: the two discs are misprinted, with the live effort being identified as “…For Victory.” Whoops.
Review by: E.F.
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