Bolt Thrower - Mercenary

Nice album, at first i loved it but now i think its good but not perfect.

Good, but somewhat boring. Songs could use more speed IMO.

Boring album.

This one and "Honour-Valour-Pride" are the only Bolt Thrower albums I don't have because I find them sub-par and boring.

The more I have listened to this album over the past few years, the better it gets. Mercenary may be one of my favorite Bolt Thrower albums. Sixth Chapter is soooo heavy.

Mercenary was my first Bolt Thrower album so it definitely has an element of nostalgia. Still, even after listening to all the other records of this band, I find it to be the one I enjoy the most. Also No Guts, No Glory is my favourite Bolt Thrower song ever.
My picks: Zeroed, Laid To Waste, Mercenary, Powder Burns, Behind Enemy Lines, No Guts, No Glory.

I can understand why most people consider this album a bit boring, especially when you compare it to their previous albums, the songs here are longer than their usual length, they have at this point abolished their grindcore origins. and the outros are a too repetitive imo. Also it's a much slower tempo compared with other Bolt Thrower releases.

I still enjoy the sound overall tho, and the riffs are still pretty good, if a tad bit slow for my liking, the same usual formula, set around war is still here, and the lyrics are good, and it hasn't got any songs I really dislike, despite there being no outstanding tracks either.

Great album ..i love it .......but anything comes after a perfection like "For Victory" would be ofuscated ....

This is my 3rd favored BT album. Every song is a killer. I don´t get it why this should be boring as a lot of people think it is.

Maybe I like the slower, melodic BT over the rougher ones. IMHO the last four LPs were the best.

Written by InfernalOverkill on 29.07.2025 at 14:14


Maybe I like the slower, melodic BT over the rougher ones. IMHO the last four LPs were the best.

Not a bad record per say, but it got downtuned after 4 gorgeous LPs certainly got the slack from the fans.

Yes it did. Often this is perspective.

Some famous comparisons: All hate the last Skeletonwitch because of the massive change in style while for me their latest output was the best. I like the old stuff too, but started with this one and liked it a lot. Many say Divine Intervention was Slayers downfall but IMHO DI is their best LP (together with SnM and RiB).

Written by InfernalOverkill on 29.07.2025 at 23:09

Yes it did. Often this is perspective.

Some famous comparisons: All hate the last Skeletonwitch because of the massive change in style while for me their latest output was the best. I like the old stuff too, but started with this one and liked it a lot. Many say Divine Intervention was Slayers downfall but IMHO DI is their best LP (together with SnM and RiB).

To each their hot takes. In my book Divine Intervention is not even close to being better than Seasons In The Abyss, South of Heaven or Hell Awaits. They're worlds apart in terms of quality. But that's just my take.

As for Skeletonwitch the album isn't bad but the change to a more melodic approach & the departure of Chance sure had an impact on how people viewed it. I give you that.

Written by Guib on 30.07.2025 at 09:29

Written by InfernalOverkill on 29.07.2025 at 23:09

Yes it did. Often this is perspective.

Some famous comparisons: All hate the last Skeletonwitch because of the massive change in style while for me their latest output was the best. I like the old stuff too, but started with this one and liked it a lot. Many say Divine Intervention was Slayers downfall but IMHO DI is their best LP (together with SnM and RiB).

To each their hot takes. In my book Divine Intervention is not even close to being better than Seasons In The Abyss, South of Heaven or Hell Awaits. They're worlds apart in terms of quality. But that's just my take.

As for Skeletonwitch the album isn't bad but the change to a more melodic approach & the departure of Chance sure had an impact on how people viewed it. I give you that.

Hehe, yes that´s my neverending discussion. Some of my friends count Hell awaits to their absolute favorite ones. For me it´s their worst after diabolical shit show record. But with a long distance to that - of course! But I know that my taste here is a rare one. :-)