Review Summary: Warning: Not for the faint of heart
It’s a well known fact that pussies don’t listen to death metal. Death metal is brutal and fast, relentless and technical, and it requires a certain level of masculinity, if you will, to appreciate. To clarify, I’m not talking about the fairy dust melodeath ala Arsis, Neuraxis, and Dark Tranquility, not to say they aren’t great bands, but posers can pass off liking a couple of their songs and call themselves a true death metal fan. That means no technical wank metal either (I’m looking at you The Faceless). I’m talking straight up, no tricks no gimmicks, brutal death metal. The sound that Possessed created in 1985 with their legendary debut
Seven Churches; the kind that scene kids manage to make it through the first 10 seconds before they claim it’s Satanist crap, shut it off and proceed to jam A Day to Remember.
Bolt Thrower is a common name in death metal, and for good reason. They’re one of the few bands in the genre that are consistently excellent. Not releasing one bad album in their entire discography, considering they’ve been around since 1986 I’d say is a pretty big feat. Their ’88 debut
In Battle There Is No Law already shows the band off to a great start. The riffs are fast, the atmosphere is heavy and dark, and listening to it has the tendency to make you want to punch someone in the face. This album in particular has some of the fastest riffs Bolt Thrower ever conceived. Closer ‘Nuclear Annihilation’ puts you in a trance with its relentless riffage until the very end when it fades out with a drowning effect to ease you back into reality.
The best way I can describe this album is that’s raw, unforgiving, death metal. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s littered with some of the best thrash riffs the genre has to offer, and the production, while far from the genres’ best, provides an unparalleled dark and raw atmosphere that many bands strive for to this day. Bolt Thrower really separates the boys from the men on their debut – for example, you wont find a pussy-whipped Atreyu fan listening to
In Battle There Is No Law, that’s for damn sure.
Recommended Tracks
- In Battle There Is No Law
- Forgotten Existence
- Concession of Pain
