While British Bolt Thrower may not play the most brutal or even original stuff available in the grindcore/death metal genre, they sure do get points for consistency. “Honour Valour Pride” is chock full of evenly well-written, slower-tempo, songs featuring grinding guitar riffs, machine-like drumming and deep, raspy vocals. The latter work less well in my opinion, due to their lack of distinguishing texture so that they just sort of fade into the background, but are more than made up for by the sheer “cool” factor of the mechanoid blasting beats and the band’s melodic excursions. Songs like “Contact Wait Out” and “Inside the Wire” lay the foundation for the rest of the album, building up the overall tempo slowly but surely with surgical efficiency.

Oh, but don’t pay much attention to that silly “war” imagery Bolt Thrower are so (in)famous for. Apparently, they took their name from some Warhammer figurine. Sheesh…Still, a solid performance by a solid band who have done little to change their original sound in the 15 or so years they’ve existed, but still show their worth at playing what they play best - foot-thumping, crusty death metal.

Year Released: 2001
Label: Metal Blade
Related Link: Bolth Thrower FAQ
Date Reviewed: 2004-01-25
Author: Andreas