143-637: 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
286-399: A logarithmic fashion, mixing console controls and displays are almost always labeled in decibels , a logarithmic measurement system. Since the decibel represents a relative measurement, and not a unit itself, the meters must be referenced to a nominal level . Most professional audio equipment is referenced to a nominal level of +4 dBu , while semi-professional and domestic equipment
429-408: A sound recording system or a control room; and monitoring facilities, whereby one of a number of sources can be routed to loudspeakers or headphones for listening, often without affecting the mixer's main output. Some mixers have onboard electronic effects, such as reverb. Some mixers intended for small venue live performance applications may include an integrated power amplifier . A mixing console
572-505: 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." 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
715-400: 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
858-575: A 2017 interview with Invisible Oranges , Willetts stated: "It's all well and good going out and playing gigs and turning out the same old songs over and over again, [...] but you know, ultimately it's not what being in a band should be all about. It should be about creating new music and having a good time and challenging yourself and making things happen." All songs written by Bolt Thrower. Personnel per liner notes. Bolt Thrower Production Artwork position 3984-14506-2 (CD) Notes Citations Death metal Death metal
1001-455: A bus, and then the proportion of drums in the final mix can be controlled with one bus fader. A bus can often be processed just like an individual input channel, allowing the engineer to process a whole group of signals at once. Once again using the drum kit example, the use of bus-processing can enable the sound engineer to run all of the drum kit through an audio compressor effect to reduce unwanted signal peaks, rather than having to route all of
1144-439: A connection between "how acquainted one is with their own mortality" and "how much they crave images of death and violence" via the media. Additionally, contributing artists to the genre often defend death metal as little more than an extreme form of art and entertainment, similar to horror films in the motion picture industry. This explanation has brought such musicians under fire from activists internationally, who claim that this
1287-510: 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
1430-405: A digital mixer introduces latency. Audio inserts to favorite external analog processors make for approximately double the usual latency. Further latency can be traced to format conversions such as from ADAT to AES3 and from normal digital signal processing steps. Within a digital mixer, there can be differing amounts of latency, depending on the routing and on how much DSP is in use. Assigning
1573-743: A high-gain circuit that increases the low signal level from a microphone to a level that is better matched to the console's internal operating level. In a digital mixer, the microphone preamplifier is followed by an analog-to-digital converter . Ideally, this process is carefully engineered to deal gracefully with overloading and clipping while delivering an accurate digital stream. Overloading during further processing and mixing of digital streams can be avoided by using floating-point arithmetic . Intermediate processing in older systems using fixed-point arithmetic and final output in all digital systems must be controlled to avoid saturation . Analog mixers, too, must deal gracefully with overloading and clipping at
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#17330936125231716-415: A large "underground" following at the present. In the 2000s, a number of bands in the hardcore punk scene, including Black Breath and Trap Them began to incorporate elements of death metal into their sound. This was followed by a wave of bands expanding upon the death-doom style of Incantation while incorporating elements of ambient music , including Dead Congregation and Necros Christos . In
1859-426: A mixer has a volume control ( fader ) that allows adjustment of the level of that channel. These are usually sliders near the front of the mixing board, although some smaller mixers use rotary controls to save space. The signals are summed to create the main mix , or combined on a bus as a submix, a group of channels that are then added as a whole to the final mix. For instance, many drum mics could be grouped into
2002-717: A mixing console to combine musical instruments and vocals so that the mix can be amplified through a nightclub 's PA system. Among the highest quality bootleg recordings of live performances are so-called soundboard recordings sourced directly from the mixing console. Radio broadcasts use a mixing desk to select audio from different sources, such as CD players, telephones, remote feeds, prerecorded advertisements, and in-studio live bands. These consoles, often referred to as air-boards are apt to have many fewer controls than mixers designed for live or studio production mixing, dropping pan/balance, EQ, and multi-bus monitoring/aux feed knobs in favor of cue and output bus selectors, since, in
2145-455: A monitor mix to musicians on stage (which they hear through monitor speakers pointing at the performers or in-ear monitors); this mix is thus independent of the main mix produced by the faders. Most live radio broadcasting soundboards send audio through program channels. Most boards have 3-4 program channels, though some have more options. When a given channel button is selected, the audio will be sent to that device or transmitter. Program 1
2288-414: A number of rotary potentiometer knobs, buttons, and faders for controlling the gain of the input preamplifier , adjusting the equalization of the signal on each channel, controlling routing of the input signal to other functional sections, and adjusting the channel's contribution to the overall mix being produced. The types of inputs that can be plugged into a mixer depend on the intended purpose of
2431-449: A performance — and the other at some other location within the theater (e.g., with the broadcasting equipment); this way, if the acoustics at front of house are unfavorable, a mix can be programmed at an acoustically better position in the room, and the presets (on the faders and knobs) can be accessed from the front of house console during the performance. Digital mixing console sales have increased dramatically since their introduction in
2574-456: A popular genre. Niche record labels like Combat , Earache , and Roadrunner began to sign death metal bands at a rapid rate. Since then, death metal has diversified, spawning several subgenres. Melodic death metal combines death metal elements with those of the new wave of British heavy metal . Technical death metal is a complex style, with uncommon time signatures, atypical rhythms, and unusual harmonies and melodies. Death-doom combines
2717-406: A range of frequencies . The smallest, least expensive mixers may only have bass and treble controls. Most mid-range and higher-priced mixers have bass, midrange, and treble, or even additional mid-range controls (e.g., low-mid and high-mid). Many high-end mixing consoles have parametric equalization on each channel. Some mixers have a general equalization control (either graphic or parametric) at
2860-489: A sense of emptiness and despair. Typically, electric guitars are heavily distorted and dark ambient aspects such as keyboards or synthesizers are often used to create a dreamlike atmosphere. Vocals consist of mournful chants or growls and are often in the background. Funeral doom was pioneered by Mournful Congregation (Australia), Esoteric (United Kingdom), Evoken (United States), Funeral (Norway), Thergothon (Finland), and Skepticism (Finland). Death 'n' roll
3003-668: A signal to two parallel paths with significantly different processing on each path can result in comb filtering when recombined. Some digital mixers incorporate internal methods of latency correction so that such problems are avoided. Analog consoles have a column of dedicated, physical knobs, buttons, and faders for each channel, which is logical and familiar to generations of audio engineers who have been trained on analog mixers. This takes more physical space but can accommodate rapid responses to changing performance conditions. Most digital mixers use technology to reduce physical space requirements, entailing compromises in user interface such as
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#17330936125233146-446: A single shared channel adjustment area that is selectable for only one channel at a time. Additionally, most digital mixers have virtual pages or layers that change fader banks into separate controls for additional inputs or for adjusting equalization or aux send levels. This layering can be confusing for some operators. Many digital mixers allow internal reassignment of inputs so that convenient groupings of inputs appear near each other in
3289-410: A sound's apparent position in the stereo field ; filtering and equalization , which enables sound engineers to boost or cut selected frequencies to improve the sound; dynamic range compression , which allows engineers to increase the overall gain of the system or channel without exceeding the dynamic limits of the system; routing facilities, to send the signal from the mixer to another device, such as
3432-481: A space-efficient solution, as the mixing room at other times can serve as the business office, media archive, etc. Software mixing is integrated as part of a digital audio workstation . Public address systems in schools, hospitals and other institutions use a mixing console to set microphones to an appropriate level and can add in recorded sounds such as music into the mix. PA mixers usually have controls that help to minimize audio feedback. Most rock and pop bands use
3575-515: A style that would catch on in tape trading circles. Schuldiner has been credited by AllMusic's Eduardo Rivadavia for being widely recognized as the "Father of Death Metal". Death's 1987 debut release, Scream Bloody Gore , has been described by About.com's Chad Bowar as being the "evolution from thrash metal to death metal", and "the first true death metal record" by the San Francisco Chronicle . In an Interview Jeff Becerra talked about
3718-846: A variance of metalcore elements. Characteristics of death metal, such as fast drumming (including blast beats ), down-tuned guitars, tremolo picking , growled vocals , and high-pitched shrieks are combined with the breakdowns of metalcore. Decibel magazine stated that "one of Suffocation 's trademarks, breakdowns, has spawned an entire metal subgenre: deathcore." Goregrind, deathgrind and pornogrind are styles that mix grindcore with death metal, with goregrind focused on themes like gore and forensic pathology , and pornogrind dealing with sexual and pornographic themes. Some notable examples of these genres are Brujeria , Cattle Decapitation , Cephalic Carnage , Pig Destroyer , Circle of Dead Children , Rotten Sound , Gut , and Cock and Ball Torture . Deathrash, also known as death-thrash,
3861-480: Is a brutal death metal microgenre that evolved from the 1990s New York death metal scene, incorporating elements of hardcore punk . In contrast to other death metal styles, it is not generally focused on guitar solos and blast beats; instead, it employs mid-tempo rhythms, breakdowns, and palm-muted riffing, as well as hip hop -inspired vocal and drum beat rhythms. The breakdown riff of Suffocation 's " Liege of Inveracity " has been credited by Rolling Stone as
4004-451: Is a genre of death metal that adds elements of classical music . Bands described as symphonic death metal include Fleshgod Apocalypse , Septicflesh , Necronomicon , and Children of Bodom . Haggard 's 2000 album, Awaking the Centuries , has been described as death metal-styled symphonic metal. Technical death metal (also known as tech-death, progressive death metal, or prog-death)
4147-412: Is a genre of death metal that adds elements of industrial music . Some notable bands include Fear Factory , Anaal Nathrakh , Autokrator , and Meathook Seed . Swedish death metal could be considered the forerunner of "melodic death metal." Melodic death metal, occasionally shortened to "melodeath", is a fusion of heavy metal with elements of death metal. The subgenre is heavily influenced by
4290-508: Is a shorthand term to describe bands who play a fusion of death metal and thrash metal . The genre gained notoriety in Bali , Indonesia, where it attracted criticism of being related to the accelerated tourism development on the island and the superseding of its local culture, particularly by Jakartan one. Notable bands include Grave , Mortification , The Crown , Incapacity, Darkane , Deathchain , and Sepultura . Industrial death metal
4433-476: Is a style that combines death metal's growled vocals and highly distorted detuned guitar riffs along with elements of 1970s hard rock and heavy metal . Notable examples include Entombed , Gorefest , and Six Feet Under . With the rise in popularity of metalcore , some of its traits have been combined with death metal. Bands such as Suicide Silence , Carnifex and Salt the Wound combine death metal with
Those Once Loyal - Misplaced Pages Continue
4576-452: Is a subgenre of death metal that employs dynamic song structures, uncommon time signatures, atypical rhythms and unusual harmonies and melodies. Bands described as technical death metal or progressive death metal usually fuse common death metal aesthetics with elements of progressive rock , jazz or classical music . While the term technical death metal is sometimes used to describe bands that focus on speed and extremity as well as complexity,
4719-432: Is also known as an audio mixer , audio console , mixing desk , sound mixer , soundboard , or simply as a board or mixer . An analog mixing board is divided into functional sections. Some of the more important functional sections are subdivided into subsections. The channel input strips are usually a bank of identical monaural or stereo input channels arranged in columns. Typically, each channel's column contains
4862-590: Is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music . It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking ; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, featuring double kick and blast beat techniques; minor keys or atonality ; abrupt tempo, key, and time signature changes; and chromatic chord progressions. The lyrical themes of death metal may include slasher film -style violence, political conflict , religion , nature , philosophy , true crime and science fiction . Building from
5005-479: Is commonly death metal that incorporates musical, lyrical or ideological elements of black metal , such as an increased use of tremolo picking , anti- Christian or Satanic lyrical themes and chord progressions similar to those used in black metal. Blackened death metal bands are also more likely to wear corpse paint and suits of armour, than bands from other styles of death metal. Lower range guitar tunings, death growls and abrupt tempo changes are common in
5148-462: Is created, it is not possible to insert processing such as compressors into a VCA group. In addition, on most VCA-equipped consoles, post-fader auxiliary send levels are affected by the VCA master. This is usually desirable, as post-fader auxiliary sends are commonly used for effects such as reverb, and sends to these effects should track changes in the channel signal level. When implemented on a digital console
5291-433: Is enabled on multiple channels, a mix of these signals is heard through the cue system. Solo in place (SIP) is a related feature on advanced consoles. It typically is controlled by the cue button, but unlike cue, SIP affects the output mix; It mutes everything except the channel or channels being soloed. SIP is useful for setup of a mixing board and troubleshooting, in that it allows the operator to quickly mute everything but
5434-472: Is fed to the console's headphone amp and may also be available as a line-level output that is intended to drive a monitor speaker system. The terms AFL (after-fader listen) and PFL (pre-fader listen) are used to describe respectively whether or not the level of the cue signal for an input is controlled by the corresponding fader. Consoles with a cue feature have a dedicated button on each channel, typically labeled Cue , AFL , PFL , Solo , or Listen . When cue
5577-422: Is mistakenly thought to be a form of screaming using the lowest vocal register known as vocal fry , however vocal fry is actually a form of overtone screaming, and while growling can be performed this way by experienced vocalists who use the fry screaming technique, "true" death growling is in fact created by an altogether different technique. Growling has been called Cookie Monster vocals, tongue-in-cheek, due to
5720-441: Is often lost on a large number of adolescents, who are left with the glamorisation of such violence without social context or awareness of why such imagery is stimulating. According to Alex Webster , bassist of Cannibal Corpse, "The gory lyrics are probably not, as much as people say, [what's keeping us] from being mainstream. Like, 'death metal would never go into the mainstream because the lyrics are too gory?' I think it's really
5863-446: Is possible to set up a sound system and mix via laptop, touchscreen or tablet. Computer networks can connect digital system elements for expanded monitoring and control, allowing the system technician to make adjustments to distant devices during the performance. The use of remote control technology can reduce the amount of venue space used for the front-of-house mixing console, and recover space for audience seating. For recorded sound,
Those Once Loyal - Misplaced Pages Continue
6006-434: Is signal present in the channel's input; the audio level of the channel, typically by lighting up more LEDs; and clipping, which may be indicated using a different colored LED. In one popular color-coding system, green LEDs indicate signal presence and the audio level; one or more amber LEDs indicate that the channel is approaching clipping; and one or more red LEDs indicate clipping. As the human ear experiences audio level in
6149-400: Is typically the on-air live feed, or what those listening to the broadcast will hear. Other program channels may feed one or more computers used for editing or sound playback. Another program channel may be used to send audio to the talent's headset if they are broadcasting from a remote area. Further channel controls affect the equalization of the signal by separately attenuating or boosting
6292-424: Is usually referenced to a nominal level of −10 dBV . For convenience, some mixing consoles include inserts or a patch bay or patch panel. Patch bays are more common in recording mixers than live sound mixers. In live sound, the cables from the onstage microphones and instrument outputs are not typically plugged directly into the mixer, because this would require a large number of individual cables to go from
6435-539: The Brandon, Florida act Nasty Savage , they took the sound of Nasty Savage and deepened it. In 1984, they released their first demo entitled Death by Metal , followed by several more. The tapes circulated through the tape trader world, quickly establishing the band's name. With Death guitarist Schuldiner adopting vocal duties, the band made a major impact in the emerging Florida death metal scene. The fast minor-key riffs and solos were complemented with fast drumming, creating
6578-623: The COVID-19 pandemic amplifying the amount of attention drawn to the movement, through Cryptic Shift , Slimelord and Vaticinal Rites. In a 2022 article by MetalSucks writer Christopher Krovatin stated "Right now, as a music journalist, all I hear about is death metal." In the UK, this movement became the "New Wave of British Death Metal", fronted by Mortuary Spawn, Vacuous and Celestial Sanctuary, this name being coined by Tom Cronin, of Celestial Sanctuary, in order to separate these hardcore-indebted bands from
6721-907: 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. On 18 January 2006, Bolt Thrower cancelled a planned performance at the Anomalia Club in Prato , Italy , after one of its roadies
6864-653: 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
7007-474: The new wave of British heavy metal . Unlike most other death metal, melodeath usually features screams instead of growls, slower tempos, and much stronger emphasis on melody. Clean vocals may be used on occasion. Carcass is sometimes credited with releasing the first melodic death metal album with 1993's Heartwork , although Swedish bands In Flames , Dark Tranquillity , and At the Gates are usually mentioned as
7150-474: The signal-to-noise ratio . Most mixers have at least one additional output besides the main mix. These are either individual bus outputs or auxiliary outputs , used, for instance, to output a different mix to onstage monitors. The meters may be above the input and master sections or they may be integrated into the input and master sections themselves. Meters may have needles or LEDs . On meters using LEDs, there may be different colored LEDs to indicate when there
7293-501: The "response and status" of Those Once Loyal . On 12 June 2008, the band announced that they had decided to "postpone [its] recording indefinitely", stating: From day one we made it clear that we'd stop recording when we felt we'd written the ultimate Bolt Thrower album; we just never knew when that would be. We kind of took for granted that each release would get better and better. But we have realized now that our last release, Those Once Loyal, turned out to be that album, and basically
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#17330936125237436-473: The 10 or more mic signals on the drum kit individually. There may also be insert points for a certain bus or even the entire mix. Some higher-end consoles use voltage-controlled amplifier (VCA) VCAs function somewhat like a submix but let the operator control the level of multiple input channels with a single fader. Unlike subgroups, no sub-mix is created. The audio signals from the assigned channels remain routed independently of VCA assignments. Since no sub-mix
7579-540: The 1990s. In September 1990, Death's manager Eric Greif held one of the first North American death metal festivals, Day of Death , in Milwaukee suburb Waukesha, Wisconsin , and featured 26 bands including Autopsy, Broken Hope , Hellwitch, Obliveon, Revenant, Viogression, Immolation, Atheist , and Cynic . Death metal's popularity achieved its initial peak during 1992–1993, with some bands such as Morbid Angel and Cannibal Corpse enjoying mild commercial success. However,
7722-1036: The 1990s. Yamaha sold more than 1000 PM5D mixers by July 2005, and other manufacturers are seeing increasing sales of their digital products. Digital mixers are more versatile than analog ones and offer many new features, such as reconfiguration of all signal routing at the touch of a button. In addition, digital consoles often include processing capabilities such as compression , gating , reverb , automatic feedback suppression and delay . Some products are expandable via third-party audio plug-ins that add further reverb, compression, delay and tone-shaping tools. Several digital mixers include spectrograph and real-time analyzer functions. A few incorporate loudspeaker management tools such as crossover filtering and limiting . Digital signal processing can perform automatic mixing for some simple applications, such as courtrooms, conferences and panel discussions. Digital mixers have an unavoidable amount of latency , ranging from less than 1 ms to as much as 10 ms, depending on
7865-401: The 2010s, a movement of bands reviving the sound of original 1980s death metal emerged, termed the "New Wave of Old School Death Metal". One of the earliest groups in this wave was Horrendous , who formed in 2009, who along with Tomb Mold took a progressive take the genre. Tomb Mold, Necrot, Undergang and Blood Incantation were some of the earliest bands to gain traction in the 2010s, with
8008-568: 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. 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
8151-653: 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
8294-631: The German band Atrocity and Death's Human (1991). This style has significantly influenced many bands, creating a stream that in Europe was carried out at first by bands such as Gory Blister and Electrocution. The Polish band Decapitated gained recognition as one of Europe's primary modern technical death metal acts. Mixing console A mixing console or mixing desk is an electronic device for mixing audio signals, used in sound recording and reproduction and sound reinforcement systems . Inputs to
8437-544: The Possessed blueprint laid down on the legendary Seven Churches recording. Possessed arguably did more to further the cause of 'Death Metal' than any of the early acts on the scene back in the mid-late 80's." During the same period as the dawn of Possessed, a second influential metal band was formed in Orlando, Florida. Originally called Mantas, Death was formed in 1983 by Chuck Schuldiner , Kam Lee , and Rick Rozz . Inspired by
8580-426: 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
8723-567: 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
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#17330936125238866-460: The album as part of his book's "Essential Discography" for 2005. Bolt Thrower began writing material for a ninth album in early 2007, and in January 2008, the band announced that they would return to Sable Rose Studios with Faulkner in the summer of 2008. According to Willetts, Bolt Thrower's "creative spark had been extinguished" and that, aside from "a few riffs", their new material did not live up to
9009-409: The album for its refinement of Bolt Thrower's sound. According to Kez Whelan, writing for The Quietus in 2021, the album displayed Bolt Thrower's "absolute mastery" of their "late-period groove", with every track being "a certified classic". In 2022, Revolver described the album as "remarkably efficient and still endlessly replayable", emphasizing how it "zeroed in on what [Bolt Thrower had] spent
9152-425: The album has a thematic focus on World War I , which the band had previously addressed on their fifth album ...For Victory (1994), and remembrance . 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. The opening track of Those Once Loyal , "At First Light", "describes the prelude to going over
9295-519: The album in Terrorizer , describing it as "immune to the corrupting influence of all musical trends" while offering "the epitome of what a metal album should be: hard, fast and uncompromising". Likewise, Boris Kaiser of Rock Hard commended its mix of intensity, melodies, and catchy harmonies. Adrien Begrand of PopMatters praised the band's vocal and instrumental performances on the album, noting how its lyrics describe "the brutality of trench warfare,
9438-444: 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
9581-493: The album's general lack of "innovations", Bolt Thrower's "quality, if not the originality, is always there". Despite perceiving that there was nothing on the album that was "really incredibly intriguing even if it is flawlessly executed", Exclaim! reviewer Jill Mikkelson found Those Once Loyal to be "a solid album" by "a solid band [...] even if they are slightly past their expiry date". Retrospective reviews of Those Once Loyal have been largely positive, with critics praising
9724-438: The album's riffs, bass sound, and Willetts' return to the band. Markus Endres of Metal.de said that the improvements in production resulted in a "clearer and therefore more precise" album. Similarly, Adam Chapman of Zero Tolerance stated that the album improved upon the production of their previous albums—although its songs lacked ...For Victory 's "instantly memorable riffs". Blabbermouth.net commented that, despite
9867-439: 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
10010-687: The audience. A DJ mixer may have only two channels, for mixing two record players . A coffeehouse 's tiny stage might only have a six-channel mixer, enough for two singer-guitarists and a percussionist. A nightclub stage's mixer for rock music shows may have 24 channels for mixing the signals from a rhythm section , lead guitar and several vocalists. A mixing console in a professional recording studio may have as many as 96 channels. Consoles used for live sound can go even higher, with some having up to 384 input channels. In practice, mixers do more than simply mix signals. They can provide phantom power for condenser microphones ; pan control , which changes
10153-404: The audio engineer can identify the different channels. For each channel input, a mixer provides one or more input jacks. On mid- to- large-sized live venue and sound recording consoles, these input jacks are numbered as well and consolidated in a patch bay . On smaller mixers, the input jacks may be mounted on the top panel of the mixer to facilitate the connection and disconnection of inputs during
10296-465: The audio engineer to reroute the signal to a different output for monitoring purposes, turn on an attenuator pad (often reducing the signal by 15 or 20 dB to prevent audio clipping ), or activate other features, such as a high-pass filter . Some higher-priced mixers have a parametric equalizer or a semi-parametric equalizer for one or more of the equalizer frequency bands, often the middle range . The channel strips are typically numbered so that
10439-515: The band had actually cited Venom and Motörhead , as well as early work by Exodus , as the main influences on their sound. Although the group had released only two studio albums and an EP in their formative years, they have been described by music journalists and musicians as either being "monumental" in developing the death metal style, or as being the first death metal band. Earache Records noted that "the likes of Trey Azagthoth and Morbid Angel based what they were doing in their formative years on
10582-452: 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
10725-549: The band was a thrash metal act, Slayer's music was more violent than their thrash contemporaries Metallica , Megadeth , and Anthrax . Their breakneck speed and instrumental prowess combined with lyrics about death, violence, war, and Satanism won Slayer a cult following. According to Mike McPadden, Hell Awaits , Slayer's second album, "largely invent[ed] much of the sound and fury that would evolve into death metal." According to AllMusic , their third album Reign in Blood inspired
10868-592: The band's twentieth anniversary approached, several contemporary critics compared the level of innovation in Those Once Loyal with that of Bolt Thrower's previous albums. In a mixed assessment, James Christopher Monger of AllMusic remarked that Bolt Thrower's lack of change was "either a strength to those who love them or a weakness to their detractors". Kevin Stewart-Panko of Decibel perceived several "noticeable" albeit "minute" changes to Bolt Thrower's sound in
11011-630: The console include microphones , signals from electric or electronic instruments, or recorded sounds. Mixers may control analog or digital signals . The modified signals are summed to produce the combined output signals, which can then be broadcast, amplified through a sound reinforcement system or recorded. Mixing consoles are used for applications including recording studios , public address systems , sound reinforcement systems, nightclubs , broadcasting , and post-production . A typical, simple application combines signals from microphones on stage into an amplifier that drives one set of loudspeakers for
11154-409: The controls associated with them, are available in the input section of most mixing consoles. Audio engineers typically aim at achieving a good gain structure for each channel. To obtain a good gain structure, engineers usually raise the gain as high as they can before audio clipping results; this helps to provide the best signal-to-noise ratio . A mixing console may provide insert points after
11297-740: The country's prior movements. The earliest bands in this wave were Cruciamentum and Grave Miasma. A large part of the New Wave of Old School Death Metal was death metal bands who originated from the hardcore scene, some of which merge elements of hardcore into their style. Xibalba and Fuming Mouth were two of the earliest groups, with the wave being solidified by Gatecreeper , 200 Stab Wounds, Creeping Death, Sanguisugabogg and Kruelty. Venom Prison came from this scene and gained particular attention for their confrontation of what Kerrang! called death metal's "misogyny problem", by instead writing "rape-revenge narrative[s]". Their lead vocalist Larissa Stupar
11440-462: 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
11583-547: The deep growled vocals and double-kick drumming of death metal with the slow tempos and melancholic atmosphere of doom metal . Deathgrind , goregrind , and pornogrind mix the complexity of death metal with the intensity, speed, and brevity of grindcore . Deathcore combines death metal with metalcore traits. Death 'n' roll combines death metal's growled vocals and highly distorted , detuned guitar riffs with elements of 1970s hard rock and heavy metal . English extreme metal band Venom , from Newcastle , crystallized
11726-532: The details of extreme acts, including blood and gore , psychopathy , delirium , mutilation , mutation , dissection , exorcism , torture , rape , cannibalism , and necrophilia . Sociologist Keith Kahn-Harris commented this apparent glamorisation of violence may be attributed to a "fascination" with the human body that all people share to some degree, a fascination that mixes desire and disgust. Heavy metal author Gavin Baddeley also stated there does seem to be
11869-499: The discussions of being the creator of the genre, saying that Schuldiner cited Possessed as a massive influence, and Death were even called "Possessed clones" early on. Along with Possessed and Death, other pioneers of death metal in the United States include Macabre , Master , Massacre , Immolation , Cannibal Corpse , Obituary , and Post Mortem . By 1989, many bands had been signed by eager record labels wanting to cash in on
12012-442: The early work of Hellhammer and Celtic Frost , the style emerged during the late 1980s and gained a certain amount of popularity during the 1990s. Death-doom was also pioneered by bands such as Winter , Disembowelment , Paradise Lost , Autopsy , Anathema , and My Dying Bride . Funeral doom is a genre that crosses death-doom with funeral dirge music . It is played at a very slow tempo, and places an emphasis on evoking
12155-410: The elements of what later became known as thrash metal , death metal and black metal , with their first two albums Welcome to Hell and Black Metal , released in late 1981 and 1982, respectively. Their dark, blistering sound, harsh vocals, and macabre , proudly Satanic imagery proved a major inspiration for extreme metal bands. Another highly influential band, Slayer , formed in 1981. Although
12298-533: The empty feeling of facing certain death as the sun rises, and the poignancy of both the quiet battlefield and the granite cenotaphs [...] in remarkably eloquent detail". Cosmo Lee of Stylus Magazine felt that while the album lacked "memorable songs", Bolt Thrower compensated with "top-notch riffs", as the band "has always been more about sound than the song". Lee also noted the album's "abstract" lyrical descriptions of war, which, while making it "tough to extract emotional significance" from, ensured its longevity. As
12441-475: The entire death metal genre. It had a big impact on genre leaders such as Death , Obituary , and Morbid Angel . Possessed , a band that formed in the San Francisco Bay Area during 1983, is described by AllMusic as "connecting the dots" between thrash metal and death metal with their 1985 debut album, Seven Churches . While attributed as having a Slayer influence, current and former members of
12584-418: The fader bank, a feature that can be disorienting for persons having to make a hardware patch change. On the other hand, many digital mixers allow for extremely easy building of a mix from saved data. USB flash drives and other storage methods are employed to bring past performance data to a new venue in a highly portable manner. At the new venue, the traveling mix engineer simply plugs the collected data into
12727-558: The final album—equivalent to "four hard drives worth of material and [almost] a fifth", Ward said. 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
12870-569: The first anniversary of his death. 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
13013-400: The first slam riff in death metal. The first wave of bands in the genre were New York bands like Internal Bleeding and Pyrexia, with notable subsequent acts including Devourment and Cephalotripsy . Death-doom is a style that combines the slow tempos and pessimistic atmosphere of doom metal with the deep growling vocals and double-kick drumming of death metal. Influenced mostly by
13156-558: The first two Sepultura releases. War metal bands include Blasphemy , Archgoat , Impiety , In Battle , Beherit , Crimson Thorn , Bestial Warlust , and Zyklon-B . Brutal death metal is a subgenre of death metal that privileges heaviness, speed, and complex rhythms over other aspects, such as melody and timbres. Brutal death metal bands employ high-speed, palm-muted power chording and single-note riffage. Notable bands include Cannibal Corpse , Dying Fetus , Suffocation , Cryptopsy , and Skinless . Slam death metal
13299-628: The following categories, and a band's specific categorization is often a source of contention due to personal opinion and interpretation. The musical genres in this list are sorted alphabetically. Blackened death-doom is a microgenre that combines the slow tempos and monolithic drumming of doom metal , the complex and loud riffage of death metal and the shrieking vocals of black metal . Examples of blackened death-doom bands include Morast, Faustcoven, The Ruins of Beverast , Bölzer , Necros Christos, Harvest Gulgaltha, Dragged into Sunlight , Hands of Thieves, and Soulburn . Blackened death metal
13442-428: The genre as a whole never broke into the mainstream. The genre's mounting popularity may have been partly responsible for a strong rivalry between Norwegian black metal and Swedish death metal scenes. Fenriz of Darkthrone has noted that Norwegian black metal musicians were "fed up with the whole death metal scene" at the time. Death metal diversified in the 1990s, spawning a rich variety of subgenres that still have
13585-733: The genre would incorporate an increased sense of melody and narrative. Some bands who have played this style include Dissection , Sacramentum , Naglfar , God Dethroned , Dawn , Unanimated , Thulcandra , Skeletonwitch and Cardinal Sin . War metal (also known as war black metal or bestial black metal) is an aggressive, cacophonous and chaotic subgenre of blackened death metal, described by Rock Hard journalist Wolf-Rüdiger Mühlmann as "rabid" and "hammering". Important influences include first wave black metal band Sodom , first wave black metal/death metal band Possessed as well as old grindcore , black and death metal bands like Repulsion , Autopsy , Sarcófago and
13728-519: The genre's most important labels, with Earache releasing albums by Carcass, Napalm Death, Morbid Angel, and Entombed, and Roadrunner releasing albums by Obituary, and Pestilence . Although these labels had not been death metal labels, they initially became the genre's flagship labels at the beginning of the 1990s. In addition to these, other labels formed as well, such as Nuclear Blast , Century Media , and Peaceville . Many of these labels would go on to achieve successes in other genres of metal throughout
13871-432: The genre. Examples of blackened death metal bands are Belphegor , Behemoth , Akercocke , and Sacramentum . Melodic black-death (also known as blackened melodic death metal or melodic blackened death metal) is a genre of extreme metal that describes the style created when melodic death metal bands began being inspired by black metal and European romanticism . However, unlike most other black metal, this take on
14014-400: The global "analog mixer vs. digital mixer" question difficult to answer. Experienced live sound professionals agree that the selection and quality of the microphones and loudspeakers (with their innate higher potential for creating distortion) are a much greater source of coloration of sound than the choice of mixer. The mixing style and experience of the person mixing may be more important than
14157-403: The high gains involved (around +50 dB , for a microphone), this stage is where most noise and interference is picked up. Balanced inputs and connectors, such as XLR or phone connectors that have been specifically wired as balanced lines, reduce interference problems. A microphone plugged directly into a power amplifier would not produce an adequate signal level to drive loudspeakers, because
14300-407: The input gain stage. These provide send and return connections for external processors that only affect an individual channel's signal. Effects that operate on multiple channels connect to auxiliary sends (below). The auxiliary send routes a split of the incoming signal to an auxiliary bus, which can then be routed to external devices. Auxiliary sends can either be pre-fader or post-fader, in that
14443-484: The last 20 years mastering — bulletproof riffs that churn like tanks rolling over stacks of bodies". The album has also been praised by notable musicians, including Frank Watkins of Obituary , Jacob Bannon of Converge , and Riley Gale of Power Trip , who named it one of his top five metal albums of all time. In the 2016 edition of Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal & Grindcore , Albert Mudrian, founder and editor-in-chief of Decibel , selected
14586-401: The level of a pre-fader send is set by the auxiliary send control, whereas post-fade sends depend on the position of the channel fader as well. Auxiliary sends can send the signal to an external processor such as a reverb, with the return signal routed through another channel or designated auxiliary return. Post-fader sends are normally used in this case. Pre-fade auxiliary sends can provide
14729-462: The line between progressive and technical death metal is thin. Tech death and prog death , for short, are terms commonly applied to such bands as Nile , Edge of Sanity , and Opeth . Necrophagist and Spawn of Possession are known for a classical music-influenced death metal style. Death metal pioneers Death also refined their style in a more progressive direction in their final years. Some albums for this subgenre are Hallucinations (1990) by
14872-489: The main pioneers of the genre and of the Gothenburg metal sound. Old school death metal is a style of death metal characterized by its slower and simpler song structures, less focused on the technical aspects of its composition and employing less usage of blast beats. It gained notoriety in the late 1990s, with bands like Repugnant , Thanatos , Necrophagia , Abscess , Bloodbath and Mortem . Symphonic death metal
15015-496: The make and model of audio console. Analog and digital mixers both have been associated with high-quality concert performances and studio recordings. Since the option first appeared associated with analog mixing the 1990s as wired remote controls for certain digital processes such as monitor wedge equalization and parameter changes in outboard reverb devices, the concept has expanded until wired and wireless remote controls are being seen in relation to entire digital mixing platforms. It
15158-522: The master control is a fader. However, on some small mixers, rotary knobs are used instead to save space (and cost). In a typical live sound mixing context, with a band playing at a venue, consisting of a rhythm section, solo instrumentalists and singers, the master control section allows the audio engineer to control the volume of the entire group with just one fader (for monaural mixers) or a pair of left and right faders (for stereo mixers). Subgroup and main output fader controls are often found together on
15301-399: The master section. There are usually one or more VU or peak meters to indicate the levels for each channel, for the master outputs and to indicate whether the console levels are clipping the signal. The sound engineer typically adjusts the gain of the input signals to get the strongest signal that can be obtained without causing clipping. Having the gain set as high as possible improves
15444-452: The microphone preamplifier and as well as avoiding overloading of mix buses. Noise is present at all stages of an analog mixer, though good gain stage management and turning unused channels down to zero minimizes its audibility. Digital circuitry is generally more resistant to outside interference from radio transmitters such as walkie-talkies and cell phones. Many electronic design elements combine to affect perceived sound quality, making
15587-427: The microphone's signal is too weak; the microphone signal needs a preamplifier to strengthen the signal so that it is strong enough for the power amplifier. For some very strong line level signals, the signal that is plugged into the mixer may be too strong, and cause audio clipping . For signals that are too strong, a 15 dB or 20 dB pad can be used to attenuate the signal. Both preamplifiers and pads, and
15730-522: 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"
15873-435: The mixer. A mixer intended for a live venue or a recording studio typically has a range of input jacks, such as XLR connectors for microphones and the outputs from DI boxes , and 1/4" jacks for line level sources. A DJ mixer typically has RCA connector inputs for pre-recorded music being played back on turntables or CD players , and a single mic input. Depending on the mixer, a channel may have buttons which enable
16016-430: The mixing process can be performed on screen, using computer software and associated input, output and recording hardware. The traditional large control surface of the mixing console is not necessarily utilized. In a software studio, there is either no physical mixer fader bank at all or there is a compact group of motorized faders designed to fit into a small space and connected to the computer. Many project studios use such
16159-504: The model of digital mixer and what functions are engaged. This small amount of latency is not a problem for loudspeakers aimed at the audience and not necessarily a problem for monitor wedges aimed at the artist, but can be disorienting and unpleasant for in-ear monitors where the artist hears their voice acoustically in their head and electronically amplified in their ears but delayed by a couple of milliseconds. Every analog to digital conversion and digital to analog conversion within
16302-420: The music, because violent entertainment is totally mainstream." The most popular theory of the subgenre's christening is Possessed 's 1984 demo, Death Metal ; the song from the eponymous demo would also be featured on the band's 1985 debut album, Seven Churches . Possessed vocalist/bassist Jeff Becerra said he coined the term in early 1983 for a high school English class assignment. Another possible origin
16445-432: The musical structure of thrash metal and early black metal , death metal emerged during the mid-1980s. Bands such as Venom , Celtic Frost , Slayer , and Kreator were important influences on the genre's creation. Possessed , Death , Necrophagia , Obituary , Autopsy , and Morbid Angel are often considered pioneers of the genre. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, death metal gained more media attention as
16588-450: The negative reactions to the cancellation online, stating, "We don't cancel shows without a good reason and we've only pulled a handful of shows over 20 years [...] I thought [our fans] knew us better than that." Those Once Loyal was well received by critics upon its release. Jackie Smit of Chronicles of Chaos hailed the album as "a resounding triumph" that represents Bolt Thrower "at the absolute peak of their craft". Ian Finley praised
16731-449: The new stuff we have written just doesn't match up to it. We have a lot of pride in our back catalogue, and we refuse to turn into one of the many bands (like the ones we grew up listening to) who end up releasing crap, and we're also not prepared to compromise by instead releasing an album of cover versions or a 'best-of' album. In a 2017 interview with Metal Hammer , Willetts stated that Bolt Thrower's decision to stop recording albums
16874-511: The original death metal innovators, new subgenres began to develop the end of the decade, such as melodic death metal . Death released their fourth album Human in 1991, which has become a hallmark in technical death metal . Death's founder Schuldiner helped push the boundaries of the genre with uncompromising speed and technical virtuosity, combining intricate rhythm guitar work with complex arrangements and emotive guitar solos. Earache Records, Relativity Records and Roadrunner Records became
17017-405: The other inputs being line inputs. These can be used by a singer-guitarist or other small acts. The first knob at the top of an input strip is typically a trim or gain control. The input/preamp conditions the signal from the external device and this controls the amount of amplification or attenuation that is applied to the input signal to bring it to a nominal level for processing. Due to
17160-401: The output, for controlling the tone of the overall mix. The cue system allows the operator to listen to one or more selected signals without affecting the console's main outputs. A sound engineer can use the cue feature to, for instance, get a sound recording they wish to play soon cued up to the start point of a song, without the listeners hearing these actions. The signal from the cue system
17303-509: The product" and be insulting to Ingram, the band eventually released a rough mix of Willetts' re-recording of "K-Machine" 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
17446-491: 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
17589-494: The right-hand side of the mixer or, on larger consoles, in a center section flanked by banks of input channels. Matrix routing is often contained in this master section, as are headphone and local loudspeaker monitoring controls. Talkback controls allow conversation with the artist through their monitors , headphones or in-ear monitor . A test tone generator might be located in the master output section. Aux returns such as those signals returning from external processors are often in
17732-403: The same functionality may be referred to as a DCA or control group (CG), depending on the brand of mixer. For example, if an engineer wishes to control microphones for three background vocalists at one time, muting them or changing their volume relative to a lead singer, he might create a VCA rather than adjusting all three volumes separately. A sub-mix would be useful if he wanted to process all
17875-404: The same inputs and outputs, the same settings, and the same audio mix. There are two primary reasons for doing this; one, in the event of a hardware failure, a second redundant console is already in place and can be switched to (an important feature for live broadcasts); second, it allows the operators to set up two identical mix positions, one at front of house — where the audio will be mixed during
18018-428: The signal being adjusted. For example, if an audio engineer is having problems with clipping on an input, they may use SIP to solely hear that channel, so that the problem can be diagnosed and addressed. SIP is potentially disastrous if engaged accidentally during a performance, as it will mute all the channels except one, so most consoles require the operator to take very deliberate actions to engage SIP. Each channel on
18161-547: The singers together, adding the same amount of reverb or compression to each; but the VCA allows each channel to retain its distinctive processing while giving the engineer the ability to quickly adjust the group's volume or mute them. The master control section is used to adjust the levels of the overall output of the mixer. The master control section on a large live venue or sound recording mixer typically has sub-group faders, master faders, master auxiliary mixing bus level controls and auxiliary return level controls. On most mixers,
18304-494: The split was permanent and that there would be "no reunion tours etc...no compromise." Following Bolt Thrower's disbandment, Willetts formed Memoriam , after which he released his first album in 12 years, For The Fallen , in 2017. Willetts had been unable to record outside of Bolt Thrower, as the band did not permit side projects, something which gradually frustrated him: "I enjoyed playing classic songs with Bolt Thrower, but I missed that creative element of what we were doing." In
18447-452: The stage to the mixer. Instead, the onstage mic and instrument cables are typically plugged into the stage box of a snake cable which runs from the stage to the mixer. The snake is then plugged into the mixer. Most, but not all, audio mixers can Some mixers can Some mixing consoles, particularly those designed for broadcast and live sound, include facilities for mirroring two consoles, making both consoles exact copies of each other with
18590-458: 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. Those Once Loyal is a death metal and heavy metal album. Described by critics as
18733-436: The subgenre, including Florida's Obituary, Morbid Angel and Deicide . This collective of death metal bands hailing from Florida are often labeled as " Florida death metal ". Morbid Angel pushed the genre's limits both musically and lyrically, with the release of their debut album Altars of Madness in 1989. The album "redefined what it meant to be heavy while influencing an upcoming class of brutal death metal." Following
18876-421: 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
19019-525: 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." "The Killchain" 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
19162-577: The use of the mixer. The input strip is usually separated into sections: On many consoles, these sections are color-coded for quick identification by the operator. Each signal (e.g., a singer's vocal mic, the signal from an electric bass amp's DI box , etc.) that is plugged into the mixer has its own channel . Depending on the specific mixer, each channel is stereo or monaural. On most mixers, each channel has an XLR input, and many have RCA or quarter-inch TRS phone connector line inputs. The smallest, least expensive mixers may only have one XLR input with
19305-461: The venue's digital mixer and quickly makes small adjustments to the local input and output patch layout, allowing for full show readiness in very short order. Some digital mixers allow offline editing of the mix, a feature that lets the traveling technician use a laptop to make anticipated changes to the show, shortening the time it takes to prepare the sound system for the artist. Both digital and analog mixers rely on analog microphone preamplifiers ,
19448-598: The vocal similarity to the voice of the popular Sesame Street character of the same name. Although often criticized, death growls serve the aesthetic purpose of matching death metal's aggressive lyrical content. The lyrical themes of death metal may invoke slasher film-stylised violence, but may also extend to topics like religion (sometimes including Satanism ), occultism , Lovecraftian horror , nature, mysticism , mythology , theology , philosophy, science fiction, and politics. Although violence may be explored in various other genres as well, death metal may elaborate on
19591-578: Was "a brave one; we could have carried on and put something out, but in our eyes [ Those Once Loyal ] was the pinnacle of what we wanted to achieve, [and] we're pleased that we've left a proud legacy behind us." According to Kim Kelly , writing for Vice in 2015, Bolt Thrower's recording hiatus allowed the band to "[bow] out with grace, sending their dead home in a closed coffin instead of propping it up listlessly on life support like so many others of their generation have seen fit to do. In refusing to betray their fans or their own principles, their discography
19734-420: Was electrocuted four times due to reported electrical problems at the venue. The venue's promoter released a statement blaming Bolt Thrower for the cancellation of the show, although this response was disputed by Necrophagist frontman Muhammed Suiçmez, who stated that the venue's owners had been uncooperative when Bolt Thrower and others attempted to resolve the electrical issues. Bench expressed disappointment at
19877-511: Was a magazine called Death Metal , started by Thomas Fischer and Martin Ain of Hellhammer and Celtic Frost . The name was later given to the 1984 compilation Death Metal released by Noise Records . The term might also have originated from other recordings, such as the demo released by Death in 1984, called Death by Metal . Cited examples are not necessarily exclusive to one particular style. Many bands can easily be placed in two or more of
20020-504: Was described by the publication as "metal's most important - and uncompromising - voice". The setup most frequently used within the death metal genre is two guitarists, a bass player, a vocalist, and a drummer often using "hyper double-bass blast beats ". Although this is the standard setup, bands have been known to occasionally incorporate other instruments such as electronic keyboards . Death metal vocals are referred to as death growls ; which are coarse roars/snarls. Death growling
20163-784: Was granted a warrior's death". Bolt Thrower continued to tour and perform shows for the next seven years after announcing their recording hiatus, with their final performance taking place at the Rickshaw Theatre in Vancouver , Canada , on 21 June 2015. On 14 September 2015, following a band rehearsal for a planned tour of Australia , Martin Kearns died unexpectedly at the age of 38. On the first anniversary of Kearns' death in 2016, Bolt Thrower announced that they had disbanded, as "the Bolt Thrower drummer position [had been] buried with him". Shortly thereafter, Willetts confirmed to Metal Hammer that
20306-524: 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. Bolt Thrower embarked on
20449-626: 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. 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". Several critics and commentators have said that
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