Bolt Thrower "Those Once Loyal" (Metal Blade)
By Brian Anderson
Monday. Feb 06, 12:08 AM
Same Bolt Thrower, same classic sound!

Bolt Thrower have been around forever! You would think that they were eyewitnesses to some of the ancient battles they have written about throughout the years. Formed by Barry Thomson (guitar) and Gavin Ward (guitar) in 1986, the addition of Karl Willetts (vocals) and Jo Bench (bass, who took over for Gavin when he switched to guitar in 1988), the main core of Bolt Thrower were actually forged in fire some 20 years ago. While members have left and returned, these four remain the main players of Bolt Thrower. And while almost all of the bands that formed in the same era have either changed their sound or broke up, Bolt Thrower have stuck to the same formula their entire career.

Bolt Thrower have always had lyrical content related to past wars and crusades, and Those Once Loyal is no different. This time around, Karl’s lyrics are based around World War I. My only concern is that Bolt Thrower are going to run out of wars to sing about, because they have defiantly pillaged the history books. However monotonous the song topics may get, the riffs are as catchy as they have ever been. If fact, I would stray so far as to say this is one of their greatest musical accomplishments. Even on classic albums such as Realm of Chaos, Warmaster, and The IVth Crusade, there were only a few memorable songs with a lot of average ones. Those Once Loyal, however, has catchiness throughout the entire album, while adding some of the aspects from their previous releases such as the fade-in on “The Killchain” and the eerie intro to “At First Light.” Fans are not going to be disappointed with this release, but on the other hand those expecting something different are not going to be happy. Then again, you can’t please them all!
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Brian Anderson

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