Review by Felix on June 2, 2020.

Bolt Thrower, we miss you. No other band can or could write such riffs that appear as the perfect melting pot of melancholy and menace, sadness and heaviness and, last but not least, majestic feelings. It goes without saying that the opening title track is precisely kicked off by such a riff. It’s great to press the start button and being catapulted into the sonic battlefield of the British legend in a matter of seconds. Just 10 minutes later, their signature riff opens 'Embers' and honestly speaking, I do not know any better acoustic Deja-vu.

The IVth Crusade was another step in the evolution of the band. Of course, they did not change the style after their third album. The modifications between the debut and Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness marked the ultimate change. But the band was in search of perfection within its self-chosen, narrow stylistic frame. The girl and the boys intensified their music more and more and each and every tone reflects the dedication of the protagonists. Tracks like the almost epic 'Spearhead' with its partly tribal / militaristic drumming and the all-swallowing riffs form a steamroller that rolls evenly over the listener without – and that’s probably one of the magic moments in the art of the band – lacking dynamic. Another exciting element is that the war correspondents prefer traditional song patterns and intersperse only a few breaks and tempo changes, but these things are not at the expense of excitement or quality. Of course, some of the eleven tracks are “only good” and not outstanding, but that’s not the crucial factor here. What really counts is that Bolt Thrower have written another homogeneous and authentic work. They stay loyal to their supporters and to themselves and the overall standard of the here presented tunes will not disappoint any follower of the quintet.

On the other hand, I’m pretty sure that the quintet did not get many new fans with this output. The riffs do not differ significantly, tradition kills any trend and Bolt Thrower present exactly what they are - just themselves. No frills, no gimmicks, no bullshit. Precisely this attitude made the band to something special. The entire album can be summed up with the first line of 'Celestial Sanctuary'. Karl Willets growls “as the sky turns black” and even though many extreme metal bands create certain blackness, the one of Bolt Thrower is probably the most holistic one. The headstrong approach almost leads to a love-it-or-hate-it situation, but only fools would vote for “hate”. Thus, it’s just an effort everybody with at least one living brain cell enjoys.

If there is a detail that separates this release from the remaining discography of the group, then it is the non-puerile artwork. But their music has never been childish – and so The IVth Crusade marks one more soundtrack for a terrible military conflict. Perhaps the band is possessed by the war themes, but the - incomplete - list of wars which is presented in 'Through the Ages' makes clear that this topic is sheer endless. And so I can assure you that the disc is a typical Bolt Thrower work, full of tragic moments, ever-flowing pain, will to live in view of piles of corpses, mainstream-despising heaviness, grinding and simultaneously accusing guitars, pretty monotonous yet solid vocals and an appropriate, dense and guitar-dominated mix. Where is the death metal combo that can release comparable stuff? Just Before Dawn from Sweden comes to mind, not only because of the temporary involvement of Dave Ingram, the substitute of Willets on Honour – Value – Pride. However, one thing is for sure. Bolt Thrower, we miss you.

Rating: 8.4 out of 10

Review by Felix on June 2, 2020.

Bolt Thrower, we miss you. No other band can or could write such riffs that appear as the perfect melting pot of melancholy and menace, sadness and heaviness and, last but not least, majestic feelings. It goes without saying that the opening title track is precisely kicked off by such a riff. It’s great to press the start button and being catapulted into the sonic battlefield of the British legend in a matter of seconds. Just 10 minutes later, their signature riff opens 'Embers' and honestly speaking, I do not know any better acoustic Deja-vu.

The IVth Crusade was another step in the evolution of the band. Of course, they did not change the style after their third album. The modifications between the debut and Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness marked the ultimate change. But the band was in search of perfection within its self-chosen, narrow stylistic frame. The girl and the boys intensified their music more and more and each and every tone reflects the dedication of the protagonists. Tracks like the almost epic 'Spearhead' with its partly tribal / militaristic drumming and the all-swallowing riffs form a steamroller that rolls evenly over the listener without – and that’s probably one of the magic moments in the art of the band – lacking dynamic. Another exciting element is that the war correspondents prefer traditional song patterns and intersperse only a few breaks and tempo changes, but these things are not at the expense of excitement or quality. Of course, some of the eleven tracks are “only good” and not outstanding, but that’s not the crucial factor here. What really counts is that Bolt Thrower have written another homogeneous and authentic work. They stay loyal to their supporters and to themselves and the overall standard of the here presented tunes will not disappoint any follower of the quintet.

On the other hand, I’m pretty sure that the quintet did not get many new fans with this output. The riffs do not differ significantly, tradition kills any trend and Bolt Thrower present exactly what they are - just themselves. No frills, no gimmicks, no bullshit. Precisely this attitude made the band to something special. The entire album can be summed up with the first line of 'Celestial Sanctuary'. Karl Willets growls “as the sky turns black” and even though many extreme metal bands create certain blackness, the one of Bolt Thrower is probably the most holistic one. The headstrong approach almost leads to a love-it-or-hate-it situation, but only fools would vote for “hate”. Thus, it’s just an effort everybody with at least one living brain cell enjoys.

If there is a detail that separates this release from the remaining discography of the group, then it is the non-puerile artwork. But their music has never been childish – and so The IVth Crusade marks one more soundtrack for a terrible military conflict. Perhaps the band is possessed by the war themes, but the - incomplete - list of wars which is presented in 'Through the Ages' makes clear that this topic is sheer endless. And so I can assure you that the disc is a typical Bolt Thrower work, full of tragic moments, ever-flowing pain, will to live in view of piles of corpses, mainstream-despising heaviness, grinding and simultaneously accusing guitars, pretty monotonous yet solid vocals and an appropriate, dense and guitar-dominated mix. Where is the death metal combo that can release comparable stuff? Just Before Dawn from Sweden comes to mind, not only because of the temporary involvement of Dave Ingram, the substitute of Willets on Honour – Value – Pride. However, one thing is for sure. Bolt Thrower, we miss you.

Rating: 8.4 out of 10

Review by Felix on February 11, 2022.

Seid from Sweden seems to be overlooked by too many black metal fans, at least this is indicated by the low number of reviews. That is a bummer, because the band is getting better and better, even if only in small steps. Svartr Sól, their fourth full-length, is no perfect work, but it offers much more light than shadows and an upward trend is always pleasing.

Let’s talk about the dark spots at first. Honestly speaking, there’s not much to moan about. But if we want to be picky, we can mention the not very natural, a bit blurred sound of the album (on the other hand, I admit that this is a pretty individual production). A smaller dose of reverb on the vocals would have been better from my point of view and sometimes the unstoppable double bass drum appears somewhat mechanic – less would have been more in this context. Anyway, there is nothing that has really gone wrong, it’s rather a question of the final touch. Either way, let’s focus on the positive sides of Svartr Sól. I promise there are more than just the stylish artwork with the rolling chariot.

Seid have brewed a nice mix of strong, sometimes even very strong melody lines, a profound blackened approach, a few Viking ingredients and a proper degree of velocity. Maybe the album does not sound overly atmospheric, but it presents a good mix of the aforementioned elements. Given this situation, it does not come as a surprise that some songs leave their mark impressively. 'The Great Flame Rises' for instance, can rely on a captivating, forward rushing melody which embraces the listener right from the beginning. 'Windows Everywhere' combines pretty icy leads with very intensive parts, but there are less furious parts as well. The dudes strive to let their personalities flow into the songs and the result sounds pretty autonomous. Of course, the band did not fall to earth from a distant galaxy, but I cannot identify a dominant influence of another band on the sound of the Scandinavians. 'The Vessel' mixes very generic (and extremely good) leads at the beginning and the end with, among other things, clean, quite harmonic vocals in the middle section.

The pretty monumental and almost overlong closer embodies a dense and monolithic form of sonic desperation. Its lines have a nearly hypnotic effect and I am sure that the main melody of the song lies in close proximity to that of a song I already know - but sorry, I can't get the name of it. And I guess that’s. However, it is probably irrelevant, because the song stands on its own feet and I am sure that Seid did not have the focus on the creation of an imitation. Anyway, these nine minutes house a great variety and demonstrate the compositional progress the band has gone through. So, no doubt at all, those who belong to the curious and open-minded parts of the global black metal legions should give this output a chance. The sometimes pretty gloomy Svartr Sól is free from useless experiments, but full of ambitious material.

Rating: 7.7 out of 10

Review by Felix on June 2, 2020.

Bolt Thrower, we miss you. No other band can or could write such riffs that appear as the perfect melting pot of melancholy and menace, sadness and heaviness and, last but not least, majestic feelings. It goes without saying that the opening title track is precisely kicked off by such a riff. It’s great to press the start button and being catapulted into the sonic battlefield of the British legend in a matter of seconds. Just 10 minutes later, their signature riff opens 'Embers' and honestly speaking, I do not know any better acoustic Deja-vu.

The IVth Crusade was another step in the evolution of the band. Of course, they did not change the style after their third album. The modifications between the debut and Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness marked the ultimate change. But the band was in search of perfection within its self-chosen, narrow stylistic frame. The girl and the boys intensified their music more and more and each and every tone reflects the dedication of the protagonists. Tracks like the almost epic 'Spearhead' with its partly tribal / militaristic drumming and the all-swallowing riffs form a steamroller that rolls evenly over the listener without – and that’s probably one of the magic moments in the art of the band – lacking dynamic. Another exciting element is that the war correspondents prefer traditional song patterns and intersperse only a few breaks and tempo changes, but these things are not at the expense of excitement or quality. Of course, some of the eleven tracks are “only good” and not outstanding, but that’s not the crucial factor here. What really counts is that Bolt Thrower have written another homogeneous and authentic work. They stay loyal to their supporters and to themselves and the overall standard of the here presented tunes will not disappoint any follower of the quintet.

On the other hand, I’m pretty sure that the quintet did not get many new fans with this output. The riffs do not differ significantly, tradition kills any trend and Bolt Thrower present exactly what they are - just themselves. No frills, no gimmicks, no bullshit. Precisely this attitude made the band to something special. The entire album can be summed up with the first line of 'Celestial Sanctuary'. Karl Willets growls “as the sky turns black” and even though many extreme metal bands create certain blackness, the one of Bolt Thrower is probably the most holistic one. The headstrong approach almost leads to a love-it-or-hate-it situation, but only fools would vote for “hate”. Thus, it’s just an effort everybody with at least one living brain cell enjoys.

If there is a detail that separates this release from the remaining discography of the group, then it is the non-puerile artwork. But their music has never been childish – and so The IVth Crusade marks one more soundtrack for a terrible military conflict. Perhaps the band is possessed by the war themes, but the - incomplete - list of wars which is presented in 'Through the Ages' makes clear that this topic is sheer endless. And so I can assure you that the disc is a typical Bolt Thrower work, full of tragic moments, ever-flowing pain, will to live in view of piles of corpses, mainstream-despising heaviness, grinding and simultaneously accusing guitars, pretty monotonous yet solid vocals and an appropriate, dense and guitar-dominated mix. Where is the death metal combo that can release comparable stuff? Just Before Dawn from Sweden comes to mind, not only because of the temporary involvement of Dave Ingram, the substitute of Willets on Honour – Value – Pride. However, one thing is for sure. Bolt Thrower, we miss you.

Rating: 8.4 out of 10