Bolt Thrower - Who Dares Wins [Compilation] (1998)

 

Bolt Thrower were formed in September 1986 as a thrash/punk band, influenced largely by bands such as Slayer, Crass and Discharge. The band was founded by bassist Gavin Ward and guitarist Barry Thomson in a Coventry pub toilet during a hardcore punk gig. Shortly thereafter Andrew Whale and Alan West joined on drums and vocals respectively. In April 1987 the In Battle There Is No Law demo was recorded with this line-up.

Their second recording was the Concession of Pain demo, which they made in September 1987. Gavin had switched to guitars and they recruited Alex Tweedy to play the bass. However, Alex did not show up for the recording, and so Gavin played both guitar and bass for the demo. Two weeks after the recording session, Gavin's girlfriend Jo Bench replaced Tweedy.

With this line-up they recorded their first Peel session on 3 January 1988, with John Peel, the alternative disk jockey of BBC Radio One. He had received their second demo and became enthusiastic about the band. They recorded four tracks for it, resulting in a deal with Vinyl Solution to release one album. Just before the recording of their first full-length album, they replaced their singer with their driver Karl Willetts. Their debut LP, In Battle There Is No Law is only a half hour in length and has a primitive and raw sound often categorized as grindcore.

They were not satisfied with the deal with Vinyl Solution as it was a pure hardcore label at that time. The label did little promotion for Bolt Thrower and their blend of death metal and hardcore punk, so after one album Bolt Thrower decided to leave Vinyl Solution and were signed by Earache Records.

 The production of their second album Realm Of Chaos album was poor, though it was an improvement on previous attempts. The artwork was created by John Sibbick under contract for Games Workshop for a gaming supplement they produced with a similar name to the album Bolt Thrower was about to release. After Games Workshop heard the recording of the songs for Bolt Thrower's second Peel session, which was recorded on 6 November 1988, they offered to do the expensive artwork for Bolt Thrower's album, an offer the band quickly accepted. The record was released in 1989 with the title of Realm of Chaos and with the subtitle Slaves to Darkness. Most of the lyrics to the songs were also influenced by the game, but not merely because of the deal with Games Workshop. Karl, Andy and Gavin were very much into the games Games Workshop produced and they wrote a couple of songs about these games. Some obvious examples are "Plague Bearer" and "World Eater". Most lyrics can however be projected on war, the general theme Bolt Thrower uses. After the recording of Realm of Chaos, they went on the Grindcrusher Tour with labelmates Napalm Death, Carcass and Morbid Angel. On the Cenotaph EP one song ("Realm of Chaos") appears that is recorded during this tour. This EP also features the two CD-bonus tracks from War Master and Realm of Chaos plus the song "Cenotaph".

In November 1998, Earache Records released Who Dares Wins, a compilation featuring various older recordings, including the Spearhead and Cenotaph EPs. The band members themselves do not approve of the compilation's release and warn not to buy it, considering it a cheap cash-in from Earache. Originally, it was titled No Guts - No Glory but the title was changed because one song on Mercenary has the same title and Metal Blade objected.

Martin "Kiddie" Kearns, who had been Bolt Thower's drummer from 1994 to 1997 and again since 2000, died unexpectedly at the age of 38 on 14 September 2015. As a result of his death, Bolt Thrower went on hiatus and cancelled their upcoming Australian tour, which would have been their first since 1993.

On 14 September 2016, the first anniversary of Kearns' death, Bolt Thrower announced on their website that they would not continue, explaining, "We spent over 20 years together, touring the world, with 3 different vocalists, but he was so much more than just a drummer to us. So when we carried his coffin to his final resting place, the Bolt Thrower drummer position was buried with him. He was, and will now forever remain The Bolt Thrower drummer, our Powerhouse and friend Martin 'Kiddie' Kearns." Rumours of the band's break-up were confirmed two days later by frontman Karl Willetts, stating, "I can confirm that Bolt Thrower are definitely over for good. There will be no reunion tours etc... no compromise."

On 7 March 2017, which would have been Kearns' 40th birthday, Bolt Thrower posted a lengthy statement on their website, which suggested that a reunion or possible new release in memory of Martin Kearns is in the works.

 

-Tracklist:

1. Cenotaph     04:04
2. Destructive Infinity  04:14
3. Prophet of Hatred     03:53
4. Realm of Chaos (live)  02:46
5. Spearhead (Extended Remix)  08:42
6. Crown of Life   05:29
7. Dying Creed    04:17
8. Lament   05:37
9. World Eater '94 (Re-recorded)   06:09
10. Overlord     04:29

 

-Line up:

  • Gavin Ward: Guitars
  • Barry Thomson: Guitars
  • Jo Bench: Bass
  • Karl Willetts: Vocals
  • Andrew Whale: Drums.

 

 

 

Label: Earache Records.

 Tracks 1-4 from the Cenotaph EP.
Tracks 5-8 taken from the Spearhead EP.
Tracks 9-10 taken from the 1994 Rareache compilation.

Tracks 1-3: recorded at Slaughterhouse Studios in 1990.
Track 4: recorded live at London, Kilburn National, November 16, 1989.
Tracks 5-8: recorded at Sawmill Studios in 1992, mixed at Fort Studios in 1992.    

This release coincided with the release of the album "Mercenary", Bolt Thrower's first album for Metal Blade Records. The band have since accused Earache of trying to cash in on the band since departing the label. Also, the album was originally intended to be titled "No Guts, No Glory"; however, because that is the title of a song on "Mercenary" Earache had to scrap that title. The band recommends not to buy this as they would never agree on releasing a compilation album.

 

Spearheads

Spearhead - Pierces through you
Fear numbs my mind, persecutes you

Spearhead - Marching onwards
Take my soul, sacrificial offering

Your initial strike taken by surprise
Now left alone, condemned by my pride
Drained of all emotion - Body now an empty shell
There's nothing left - You've taken all away

Adrenaline flows
Now filled with anger
Just what will be the outcome
Mass confusion tears my mind

Spearhead - No victory sublime
Another fallen victim - I will not beg to you
Spearhead - To which I cannot hold
With clear perceptions my destiny unfolds

I look to the reflection, fail to recognise what's seen
A figure clothed in hatred, I pray that this cannot be
Faced by this total stranger - Aware of your creation
No vision of your former self - Controlled by your instructions

Onward you advance, left in a mindless trance
Hypnotised by your will, desire is now instilled
Now staring face to face, your eyes filled with hate
Held by your contempt, both by weakness and by strength

Adrenaline flows
Now filled with anger
Just what will be the outcome
Mass confusion tears my mind

My mind

Tears my mind

Spearhead.