Customer Reviews

Realm of Chaos

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

OK, granted the CD is what, at least 13 years old now ... but when it came out, it was worth 5 stars, if not more.

Think of Bolt Thrower like this:

If you are strolling through the desolate wasteland that is the death metal genre, you will eventually come upon a mighty citadel, which houses the legends ... Death, Coroner, Entombed, etc. Guarding that citadel with much vigilance is a massive war machine, with the words "Bolt Thrower" emblazoned on the side, threatening violence to all who don't show their proper respects.

And that shows in their music, too. Buy ANY Bolt Thrower CD you can get your hands on. I guarantee it.

Ahh, Bolt Thrower. Out of all the classic deathgrind bands from England (Carcass, Napalm Death, etc) this is by far the finest in my opinion. Why, you say? Riffage. Few bands these days put the power back into the riffs, and Bolt Thrower has some of my favorites on here (Realm of Chaos and World Eater). Out of all my favorite death metal records from the late 80s early 90s, this is second only to Effigy of the Forgotten.

Oh yeah, and dont forget to see these guys live, they put on a hell of a show.

If you enjoy Suffocation, Obituary, or any other classic death metal, make sure to pick this one up.

Although I think warmaster is their best cd, this is a close second.Realm of chaos is much faster and rawer than warmaster which gives it a distinct sound.The guitar work is really good and the drumming is insanely fast.All the songs are good and I especially like eternal war and realm of chaos.If you are a bolt thrower fan and dont already own this death classic then what are you waiting for.METAL RULES!!!

Man I remember jamming to this on LP all the time when I was like 17.And since I am 30 now obviously my tastes have changed but I been on this Death Metal kick as of late checking out some newer bands like The Haunted,At the gates etc..But I knocked of the dust on this CD and none of the formentioned can hold a match to this.This is 1st rate death metal,some of the most brutal since Slayer's 'reign in blood'.I don't know where to begin on this but I feel that if you were looking for some classic late 80's death metal then if you were to buy this you would not be dissapointed.

This is one of the heaviest albums ever recorded. The bottom end on this album is bigger than that of your average elephant. The guitars are tuned down to bass freqencies. In the recording of this album, the bass was actually tuned down so far at one point, the strings would not vibrate. Even Karl Willett's vocals have been electronically lowered by a harmonizer. Despite the enormous sound Bolt Thrower produce, their riffs always remain clear, and the drums snappy. There is plenty of double kick bass abuse throughout the album. The songs are memorable, unusual for the grindcore genre, with World Eater and the title track standing out as classic tracks from the album. The subject matter is the Bolt Thrower staple- war, well embelished by amazing artwork from the Games Workshop.

There should be a picture of this album under the definition of "heavy" in the dictionary.

This album whips major Donkey @$$!!!! it would be more awesome if they used the original cover! that cover is awesome! true classic Warhammer 40K Games Workshop art! As it has been said before, this is one of the heaviest albums of all time, yet it isnt over flowing with annoying distortion, so you can actually hear that these guys can play the strings off any guitar, or beat the living ba-jesus out of a set of drums! I like War Master, and IVth Crusade more, but this album is still one of my most favorite cds that i own, and i have around 320 cds!

Plus how many awesome death metal bands come out of England! not many! there may be a lot of them in England, but very few actually make it world wide!

These guys can freaking shred, while crushing you skull at the same time!!! not for the weak stomachs, or faint of heart!! Bolt Thrower will Slay you and display your desicrated corpse on their tank!

Buy this CD!!! Check out "World Eater," "Eternal War" and "Dark Millenium." This is what Grind is about.

Bolt Thrower were certainly not the first grindcore band in existence, but they still played an undeniable role in originating, solidifying, popularizing, and perfecting it. In other words, if bands like Napalm Death, Repulsion, and Extreme Noise Terror planted grindcore's seeds, then these five British titans were the gardener that watered them. Plus, to this day, they remain one of the best and most powerful, important, and consistent groups that the genre has ever seen. And influential? You can say that again! They might not be in the same league as the above bands, but anyone who denies their influence is just oblivious or lying -- they have inspired legions and legions of offspring and imitators. (I mean, for crying out loud, the title of German metalcore outfit Heaven Shall Burn's debut was a tribute to them!)

On their second album, 1989's magnum opus "Realm of Chaos," Bolt Thrower combined death metal, Slayer-inspired thrash, hardcore, and occasional doom touches to create, well, you know. It is chock full of all the usual grind goodies, including dark themes, freakishly gross lyrics, hoarse, evil sounding growls, and super tight, uber brutal musicianship (i.e. heavy, downtuned guitars, chaotic soloing, steady bass lines, and foundation-shaking rhythms punctuated with terrific, hyper-kinetic blast beats).

But "Realm of Chaos" also features two qualities that a lot of fans will find refreshing. For one, it possesses a sound that is definitely influenced more by death metal than hardcore. As a result, there are no high, grating hardcore screams to be heard here, and the number of breakdowns is limited (and when there is one, it is always appropriately placed and doesn't interfere with the momentum.) And secondly, this album proves Bolt Thrower can riff better than most of the rest. It boasts some really excellent, monstrous, memorable, and caustic riffs, many of which could be argued to be among death metal's best of all-time (or if not, then at least of the 1980's).

After the ominous "Intro," the ball gets rolling quickly when "Eternal War" steamrolls through the speakers. This song is a blastfest from start to finish; guitarists Gavin Ward and Barry Thompson create a blazing wall of sound (and also toss in a careening solo) while skinsman Andrew Whale pummels away. "Through The Eye Of Terror," which is backed by massive, churning licks, battering ram drums, and whiplash tempo change ups, is more mid-tempo, but no-less skull-crushing. "Dark Millennium" keeps the intensity in the red with great, full-on thrash riffing and brutal blasts that rain down on your ear drums like jackhammers. The album is a long smoldering onslaught until track five, "All That Remains," begins with a minute of cool doom atmosphere. But after that first minute, be prepared to be crushed again - this time with furious, thrashy, buzzsaw leads and manic soloing. Later highlights are the scorching guitars, lightning-fast drumming, and brutal growls in "Lost Souls Domain"; the barnburning "Drowned In Torment" and title track; and the positively stellar (and should-be-legendary) riffs and nice, shredding solos of "World Eater."

In conclusion, "Realm of Chaos" is not the most groundbreaking grindcore/death metal release in history, but it is nonetheless a classic one, and also a landmark on the genre's timeline. Essential listening for all extreme metal enthusiasts.

and everyone decide to make a pinata out of my balls!!! Astonishing grinding guitars and semiarabic rhythms in world eater track are still my fave....roaaaaaarrrr!!!

Get it now or those pinata bashers will seek you out for cowardice, the metal gods have spoken!!!

I'm glad that this album was remastered, with todays sound it definately needed it. I wish Earache would have thrown some bonus tracks on this but oh well. Get this even if you have the original version, it's worth it.