YMMV / Bolt Thrower

• Contested Sequel: Memoriam is one to Bolt Thrower as a whole. While they have their fans, many people view them as a subpar band churning out bog-standard UKDM that, if not for the Bolt Thrower name, would have never been noticed otherwise. It doesn't help that Karl's voice is significantly different than it was in Bolt Thrower due to his age, with his performance on their first two albums, in particular, being received very poorly to the point that many believed he had blown his voice out. That being said, both his vocals and the band's music as a whole are often agreed to have improved over time.
• Epic Riff: The band is practically built around this. A good example would be "World Eater".
• Gateway Series: In the age of social media, a surprisingly high number of younger, newer death metal fans have taken a liking to the old-school style thanks to them for whatever reason, despite them not often being this trope during their run.
• Harsher in Hindsight: The follow-up that the band was hoping for never materialized due to their belief that Those Once Loyal was perfect, but Karl repeatedly said that the possibility of a new album wasn't ruled out. Drummer Martin Kearns would die in 2015 at just 38 years old, and they dissolved for good one year later before anything could be written.
  • Dave Ingram's vocals on Honour - Valour - Pride, while not considered awful per se, were criticized by many for being dry and half-hearted compared to the energetic performances he was known for in Benediction. Over two decades later in a message he shared after the passing of Trevor Strnad, he revealed that his sister, whom he was close with, had taken her own life in 2000, just prior to him joining the band. He may have still been grieving and was doing the best he could.
• Periphery Demographic: Extremely popular among hardcore fans, and their influence on modern acts like Xibalba, Black Breath, and Fuming Mouth is apparent.
• Tear Jerker: "Those Once Loyal"
  To those once loyal, now wreathed in crimson
  Solemn reminder of silent sacrifice
  To the once loyal, forever wrapped in glory
  In white crossed acres, lines of sorrow laid
• Vindicated by History: Those Once Loyal had middling reviews by critics and some fans at the time dismissed it. However, it's gone on to be one of their most praised albums in hindsight, with some fans now feeling it's their best record, and is even their most scrobbled overall album on Last.fm. It also happens to be Bolt Thrower's highest ranked and most rated album on Rate Your Music, which says something.

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