Bolt Thrower

UK grind/death legends Bolt Thrower are a monster of a rare breed — 20 years into their career they’re still thrashing like it’s 1986, while reinventing themselves within various, though hardly divergent, realms of metal. Long-time vocalist Karl Willets marks his triumphant return after an intermittent absence and the beast that is BT continues to rage through the new millennium. They’ve chosen to remain on the path characterised by their later career with more mid-tempo death metal-oriented songs, cementing a great distance from their grind roots, nonetheless evolving intelligently. Their songwriting skills are one of the most impressive aspects to this band, while their hooks leave something to be desired. Tons of straight-up head banging material is predominant throughout the course of the album and nothing is really incredibly intriguing even if it is flawlessly executed. Regardless, it’s good to hear a solid band put out a solid record, even if they are slightly past their expiry date.