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Rating: Bolt Thrower are one of the many bands that brought Death Metal to life. The band, formed in 1987, produced their first studio album "In Battle There Is No Law" in 1988, and after a perfect follow-up called "Realm Of Chaos," we arrived at 1991 with this "WarMaster," which is considered by many as the masterpiece of the English band.
The album is perfect, especially considering the year of release when death metal was already in vogue and was almost about to expand into Brutal. From the first track, you can understand the spirit of this CD, straightforward Death Metal, heavily influenced by Thrash Metal, especially in solos and guitar riffs. It transitions from slow and repetitive rhythms to bursts of primordial blast beats; the bass in this sonic context finds neither solo space nor great sound elevation, functioning only as accompaniment. The vocalist's work is truly excellent, with a dark, malevolent growl, in my opinion, one of the best of those times. The band, in my opinion, has been underrated on many occasions, perhaps due to their somewhat tacky and fanatical lyrics. The band is indeed perpetually fixated on the theme of war, as can be easily understood from the covers, specially designed by Games Workshop. Despite this aspect, the band is musically excellent, and this album is proof of that.
Although it was a raw death metal album, it is extremely varied in tempo even if the sound remains unchanged; it transitions from fast to more decayed and slow moments, almost doom, as many other bands were doing at that time. Another strong point is the solos, truly perfect, with a clearly thrash metal stamped style, fast and powerful and rich in harmonics, they may not represent the pinnacle of technique, but they fit perfectly with the album's style.
In conclusion, I can only recommend this album to anyone interested in Death Metal, as it is one of the many masterpieces of this beloved genre of ours.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 What Dwells Within (04:18)
An unseen force tears through your soul
Revealing memories past life unknown
Fervent emotions from deep within
Inner transformation now begins
Life before you cannot conceive
Thoughts repressed denial to believe
Precise identity you cannot tell
Existing inside this mortal shell
Summon the powers that dominate
Grasp your inner strength seize control of hate
A forgotten past a life of normality
This sudden transition redirects your destiny
Consumed with resentment hatred you now possess
Potency awakened from eternal rest
Through invocation to an existence you detest
What has become of your humility
Corrupted through change to anguish and misery
As man's preordained fate now doses in
You're a silent witness to what dwells within
As man judges all by outward impressions
Our status is classed through amounting possessions
Whilst shrouding the truth through delightful <i>[sings deceitful]
expression
Injustice presides by mass edacious obsession
05 Destructive Infinity (04:13)
You never thought life could come to this
Man reborn to die upon the altar of war
And now we stand, to face the truth
This world now enslaved, bound by hate
In fear of life, now that the mindless control
As the flame of hope for mankind now burns away
For now you stand alone to die
Whilst visions of horror infest your mind
Destructive - Man's lust for power
Infinity - A lifetime of war
Destroying your world, again and again
Suffering in torment, through agonising pain
Killing for pleasure, only the strong shall remain
An arising slaughter, as hatred and terror now reigns
Destructive - The world now ripped apart
Infinity - A never ending fear
07 Cenotaph (04:03)
Cenotaph
Alone you stand - The final parody
Destined to silence - A memorial to mortality
Carved in stone - A tribute to the dead
For nameless victims - Whose litany is unread
Never forgotten - Wars memory lingers on
A dark reminder - To mankind's oblivion
This solemn image - Constructed with resolution
A monument - To wars terminal conclusion
Cenotaph
10 Afterlife (06:00)
Afterlife
As you feel your soul depart from this world
Prepare for a journey to regions of the unknown
Your life has now ended
You fear the conclusion
Cast into the dark realms
Destined to the afterlife
As terror grips your soul
Direction is uncertain
Fear clouds your mind
Ignorance your burden
Afterlife
Within the dominion of the lifeless, you plead to die in peace
Now despair for total forgiveness, imprisoned in this land
All is silent
Held within
Existing forever
New life begins
Eternal desolation
Your soul to give
Enslaved for all existence - Perpetual endless torment
Reality is now dormant - Within the afterlife
Afterlife
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