The United Kingdom's Bolt Thrower have been around the metal scene since the late 1980's, and their eighth studio album Those Once Loyal sees the return of lead singer Karl Willetts, replacing the recently departed Dave Ingram. Willetts' trademark gutteral growls will be a welcome aspect of Those Once Loyal for die-hard followers of the band, and the hard hitting, groovy extreme metal contained on the CD's nine cuts provides a solid accompaniment.
Bolt Thrower play straightforward, down and dirty grindcore/death metal-not much in the form of intricate riffs or complex arrangements, but plenty of head banging mania and heart pounding excitement. A song like "The Killchain" is a great example of the bands style, with its catchy, groove-laden guitar riffs supported by plodding rhythms and Willetts' growls. If you like things speeded up a bit, there's the chunky galloping riffs of "Granite Wall", the raging thrash of "Anti-Tank (Dead Armour)", or the brutal death metal attack of "Last Stand Of Humanity". The guys even throw in some melody on the closing number "When Cannons Fade", a real workhorse for guitarist's Barry Thomson and Gavin Ward.
Bolt Thrower aren't breaking any new ground with Those Once Loyal, but what they do they do well, and that is deliver solid extreme metal with plenty of chunky guitar riffs and catchy grooves. After 20 years they are still going strong.
Track Listing
1. At First Light
2. Entrenched
3. The Killchain
4. Granite Wall
5. Those Once Loyal
6. Anti-Tank (Dead Armour)
7. Last Stand Of Humanity
8. Salvo
9. When Cannons Fade
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