Those Once Loyal is the eighth and final studio album by British death metal band Bolt Thrower, released on 11 November 2005 by Metal Blade Records. Recorded with producer Andy Faulkner at Sable Rose Studios in Coventry, England, it was the first Bolt Thrower album since Mercenary (1998) to feature vocalist Karl Willetts, who rejoined the band in November 2004.
Musically, Those Once Loyal incorporates tighter song structures and arrangements into Bolt Thrower's melodic, groove-based sound, while enhancing the production quality of the band's previous albums. As with their earlier works, the lyrics address various aspects of war. Commentators and music critics have said that the album has a thematic focus on World War I, which was previously explored on the band's fifth album ...For Victory (1994); its cover artwork was derived from a plaque on the Guards Memorial in St. James's Park, London.
Well received by critics upon release, Those Once Loyal debuted at number 76 on the German Offizielle Top 100 chart, becoming the highest-charting album of Bolt Thrower's career. The band supported the album's release with the Those Still Loyal Tour across Europe, running from January to June 2006. Those Once Loyal would be Bolt Thrower's final album before the band announced an indefinite hiatus from recording in June 2008, although they continued to tour until the death of drummer Martin Kearns on 14 September 2015 and their subsequent disbandment in 2016, on the first anniversary of his death.
Background and recording
In 2001, Bolt Thrower released their seventh album, Honour – Valour – Pride, featuring Benediction vocalist Dave Ingram. The band began writing material for a follow-up to the album in January 2004 without Ingram, who had distanced himself from the band amidst worsening personal and mental health issues. After Ingram left Bolt Thrower in August 2004 to focus on his health, guitarist Barry Thomson reconnected with former vocalist Karl Willetts, who agreed to rejoin the band in November 2004. Willetts' vocal capabilities were tested as soon as he rejoined Bolt Thrower, who made him re-record Ingram's vocals over the instrumental tracks of Honour – Valour – Pride, derived from the album's master tapes. Although guitarist Gavin Ward stated that Bolt Thrower had no intentions of releasing Willetts' re-recording of Honour – Valour – Pride, as it would "cheapen the product" and be insulting to Ingram, the band eventually released a rough mix of Willetts' re-recording of in May 2005 owing to fan demand.
As with Bolt Thrower's previous albums, the writing process for Those Once Loyal revolved around Thomson writing guitar riffs and solos that the other members of the band would make their own adjustments to, according to Ward. They would end up writing between 25 and 30 songs—of which 10 would make the final album—equivalent to "four hard drives worth of material and [almost] a fifth", Ward said. "Salvo" was the first song written for the album. Willetts, who was primarily responsible for writing the album's lyrics, visited several places with significant military history for lyrical inspiration, including The Cenotaph and the Horse Guards Parade (both in London), Turnaware Point in Falmouth, Cornwall (an embarkation point for the US Infantry 5th Corps in the D-Day landing) and Flanders Fields in Belgium. Afterwards, Ward provided Willetts with notebooks featuring song titles and additional subject matter.
Following some rehearsals and pre-production at the studio (including the installation of a new mixing desk), Bolt Thrower commenced the recording of Those Once Loyal with Honour – Valour – Pride producer Andy Faulkner at Sable Rose Studios, Coventry, on 16 May 2005. The band recorded their parts for the album in a piecemeal fashion, starting with Martin Kearns' drum tracks, followed by Thomson's and Ward's guitar parts, Jo Bench's basslines, and finally Willetts' vocals. Bolt Thrower began mixing the album in late August 2005, after making some adjustments to its songs. The band allowed Faulkner to mix Those Once Loyal independently at first, before they collaborated to reach a compromise between their differing visions for the album, according to Thomson. The album's recording and production were documented in six "studio reports," written by Kearns (with one by Willetts) and posted on Bolt Thrower's official website.
Recording was completed in mid-September 2005. During both the writing and recording of Those Once Loyal, Bolt Thrower's songs underwent frequent and meticulous rewrites and revisions concerning their compositions, lyrics, tempos, and the structure of the track listing. Bench said that she was unable to hear the final album until it was mastered. Had they not been constrained by deadlines set by their record label, Metal Blade Records, and by upcoming touring commitments, Thomson believed Bolt Thrower would have still been in the studio rewriting their songs by the time of the album's release.
Composition
Music Those Once Loyal is a death metal and heavy metal album. Described by critics as a continuation of the sound of Bolt Thrower's previous albums, particularly those of Mercenary and Honour – Valour – Pride, it features mid-tempo grooves, melodic riffs and guitar solos, heavy percussion, and growled vocals, while incorporating shorter, tighter arrangements into their sound. The album has also been noted for its cleaner, more "natural-sounding" production compared to previous albums. Bench's bass, in particular, has received attention from critics for its unusual prominence in the mix. Bench has commented on the album's mixing: It was a bit of a gamble because [Bolt Thrower's] sound has been based on the whole 'wall of guitars', but not necessarily the bass guitar. So we thought if we pushed the bass higher in the mix that we may lose something else. But it worked out great! My bass sound was the best I've ever had and it just complimented the overall sound of the album. We're still learning as far as production goes but yeah, we're all really happy with how it came out.
"The Killchain" was written as the final part of a "chain" of six songs, beginning with the title track of Bolt Thrower's debut album In Battle There is No Law! (1988) and continuing with "World Eater", "Cenotaph", "Embers", and "Powder Burns". The band intended to perform this "chain" of songs together live as one suite.
Lyrics In line with Bolt Thrower's previous albums, the lyrics of Those Once Loyal discuss various aspects of war, ranging from its effects on individuals and groups, to honour, loyalty and camaraderie, which Willetts considered its "positive aspects". Despite the album's distinctly militaristic song titles and themes, Willetts and Ward have stated that the lyrics of Those Once Loyal are not intended to glorify war. Several critics and commentators have said that the album has a thematic focus on World War I, which the band had previously addressed on their fifth album ...For Victory (1994). In a 2005 interview with Metal Italia, Ward said that although the album does not have a specific concept, there were "eras or battles that inspired Karl more than others", including World War I. Similarly, Joseph Schafer of Invisible Oranges wrote that although its songs "center on World War I, [they] could be applied to any modern industrialized war."
The opening track of Those Once Loyal, "At First Light", "describes the prelude to going over the top"; Willetts remarked that "waiting and anticipation is a recurring theme throughout the music [Bolt Thrower] create [...] It's about the psychological effects, the feelings." explores the asymmetrical, "computerized and detached" nature of modern warfare. Other songs, however, do not focus specifically on war; in a 2007 interview with Metal Review, Willetts stated that "Entrenched" can be viewed "as your position in life", and "the battlefield you can equate to your everyday life".
In a 2014 academic paper discussing the relevance of World War I in popular music, British cultural historian Peter Grant wrote that ...For Victory and Those Once Loyal both "contain highly graphic, though stylised, point-of-view songs, but with no identified protagonist and no sense of the ability of the individual to influence events". Grant additionally described how Bolt Thrower presented the subject of war, particularly in relation to World War I, citing the title track of ...For Victory and "At First Light" as notable examples: Both songs evoke the terrors and horrors of war, immensely magnified by the music, but paradoxically adopt a sober, neutral stance that does not condemn war outright, instead presenting the listener with its impact [...] Bolt Thrower's contemplation of war in general and the First World War in particular is complex and distinctive. They avoid simple stereotypes and instead express the ambiguities of warfare: it is both horrifying and glorious, both insane and necessary.
Title and artwork The cover art of Those Once Loyal is derived from a plaque found on the Guards Memorial, a World War I memorial, in St. James's Park, London. Bench, who conceived the idea of using the plaque for the cover, stated that Bolt Thrower aimed to distance themselves from the "fantasy battle" artwork used on their previous releases and sought something that was less predictable and more "epic-looking". The band commissioned a photograph of the plaque before it was transformed into a cover by Jan Meininghaus. Regarding the album's title, Ward remarked: "It's about soldiers. They were once loyal, and now they are no longer loyal because [they're] dead!". In a 2006 interview with Metal Rules, Willetts also stated that the title was intended as a tribute to those who supported Bolt Thrower during their 20-year career, such as John Peel, but "most importantly it's really aimed at the fans [...] for without them we wouldn't be here."
Release
Promotion On 8 September 2005, Bolt Thrower announced the release date and track listing for Those Once Loyal. Prior to its release, Metal Blade Records launched an "online player" that allowed users to listen to two songs from the album and organised several "release parties" in Germany and Austria in early November 2005. To prevent the album from leaking onto peer-to-peer file-sharing sites, some promotional copies of Those Once Loyal were overdubbed with recordings stating, "This is the new album from Bolt Thrower!" at various intervals, featuring the band members.
Those Once Loyal was first released in Germany on 11 November 2005, coinciding with Armistice Day. It was subsequently released to the rest of Europe on 14 November 2005 and in the United States on 15 November 2005. Alongside the album's standard CD and vinyl releases, Metal Blade issued a limited edition digipak version of Those Once Loyal, featuring the bonus track "A Symbol of Eight". The album debuted and peaked at number 76 on the German Offizielle Top 100 chart, becoming the highest-charting album of Bolt Thrower's career.
Those Still Loyal Tour
Bolt Thrower embarked on the Those Still Loyal Tour across Europe between January and June 2006. The tour's name also serves as a tribute to Bolt Thrower's supporters. The band was supported by Malevolent Creation, Nightrage, and Necrophagist on the first leg of the tour, which lasted from January to February 2006, and by God Dethroned, Kataklysm, and others on the second leg, between April and May 2006. The band also made appearances at the Inferno Metal Festival in Oslo, Norway and the Rock Hard Festival in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Bolt Thrower planned to take the Those Still Loyal Tour to the United States—which would have marked their first tour in the country since 1994—but were forced to cancel due to a lack of support from Metal Blade.