BOLT THROWER — Concession of Pain (review)

BOLT THROWER — Concession of Pain album cover Demo · 1987 · Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
2.5/5 ·
UMUR
"Concession of Pain" is the first demo release by UK, Coventry based death metal act Bolt Thrower. The demo was independently released in September 1987. Bolt Thrower formed in 1986 (originally as Bolthrower) and released a couple of demos before being signed for the release of their debut full-length studio album "In Battle There Is No Law!" (June 1988, Vinyl Solution).

"Concession of Pain" features five tracks and a total playing time of 19:25 minutes, so there is plenty of time and quantity to get to know the band´s sound and style. Original vocalist Alan West is a thrash metal/hardcore type vocalist with a raw shouting delivery, but he is far removed from the growling vocals of soon to be vocalist Karl Willets. Stylistically the material is also a thrash metal/hardcore hybrid and there´s little here to indicate that Bolt Thrower only a year down the line would sound more brutal. The most interesting thing about that is that all tracks from this demo would eventually be re-recorded and included on the debut album.

The demo features a decent sounding although very raw and unpolished production, which suits the material well. It´s not the most well sounding demo from those days, but it´s decent enough. Upon conclusion "Concession of Pain" isn´t the most interesting extreme metal demo from that that time and it´s not a release which indicates or even hints at where Bolt Thrower would go in the next couple of years. A 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.
Share this review

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Traumatica Metalcore
NO GUERRA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Within the Visceria Death Metal
NECKBREAKKER
Buy this album from MMA partners
EP 1 Sludge Metal
CHAOTIC AGGRESSION
Buy this album from MMA partners
Songs of Blood and Mire Black Metal
SPECTRAL WOUND
Buy this album from MMA partners
Everything Hurts And I'm Dying Atmospheric Sludge Metal
NEGATIVE BLISS
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us