Artist: Bolt Thrower
Label: Metal Blade
Release Date: 1998
Rating: 4 Skulls
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Title: Mercenary Artist: Bolt Thrower Label: Metal Blade Release Date: 1998
Rating: 4 Skulls |
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Reviewed by Pestilence:
War and Death! What better combination could one imagine for a metal band? Mercenary is the 6th studio release from this death metal band, and they have not lost sight of whatever mission it is that they are on. They have returned with almost the entire original lineup (for the studio albums at least), and the war and death theme is present throughout this recording just as it has been on most, if not all, of Bolt Thrower's previous material. So who cares you say? I mean this is a 1998 recording, why bother when there is so much new metal to sink your fangs into? Well let me ask you this then: Do you enjoy chunky riffs? (I'll have mine extra chunky please) Do you like guitar solos? Are you a fucking METALHEAD? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this album is for you (and if you answered no, you need to ask yourself what the hell you are doing on our website in the first place). Yes this album is a few years older, and, no, these guys have not broken any new ground, but you know what? These songs will make you want to break shit and kill people! This is classic death metal at its finest. The music is a definite progression for this band, updating their sound with more clearly defined deliberate riffs than on earlier material like the classic War Master. Most of the tracks follow a pattern of mid-tempo death with catchy riffs and did I mention guitar solos? Karl belts out the warlike growls on every track, and you can even understand what he is growling about (no, not the hemorrhoids, I think he got that problem licked - pun intended!). Do yourself a favor and skip tracks 1 and 3. They are mediocre at best, but the rest of the album couldn't slam you any harder. Try out "Laid To Waste" for starters. My advice would be to listen to this at someone else's house 'cause you probably want your own things unbroken and intact. From there go to the title track and ride the metallic wave through the rest of this fantastic album. Highlights for me include… oh yeah, I already told you ALL of it. I have to knock off one skull for tracks 1 and 3, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't go buy this album. Aren't you hankerin' for a hunka, bangin' for a chunka Bolt Throwing Death? Yes you are.
Pestilence
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