Come Death

Norway's stalwarts Blood Red Throne have returned with their fourth album of no nonsense death metal riffage. The first album featuring Vald (vocalist to BRT side project Trioxin) once again showcases Tchort and Død's Norwegian take on Swedish death via Florida. The only notable difference vocally is Vald's slight detours into the higher ranges, the staple death rasp is near identical to that of predecessor Mr. Hustler. As for the rest? Well, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

The chunky Swedish tone with those all familiar muted triplet crunches are staple throughout the album. Apart from Caspersen's dextrous bass widdling BRT have always eschewed technical focus for grooving riffs, which are in no short supply on Come Death. Mixing elements from previous effort Altered Genesis with the more casual groove of debut Monument of Death, BRT have delivered perhaps their most rounded effort to date. Opener 'Slaying the Lamb' gives you no time to prepare, charging straight in before dropping a trademark Throne riff whilst switching between frenzied blast and grooving chug with ease. 'Rebirth in Blood' has time for some melodious prog-riffing a la Anata before marching to a close, whilst 'Taste Of God' brings a little thrash to the deathfest. There's even time for a well executed Gorguts cover before the end.

Once again BRT have delivered the goods. Tchort and Død present a veritable riff buffet of accomplished death metal with more than enough variance to hold your attention from start to finish. Another fine slab of 2007 death metal that might even make some '... of the year' lists.

“Well son, Come Death will do that to you. Try not to listen to it so loud next time”.

Boy, Blood Red Throne has never hurt so good. 43 Minutes of break-neck, face-shredding, ear-pounding death. My bones are rattled. My bowels unleashed. You know those metal albums you throw on for the very first time that make your eyebrows raise with interest, even give minor goose bumps? The new Nile did it. Those Once loyal did it too. The Stench of Redemption did it again. Shadows in the Light did also. Come Death is no different. It’s a pleasant mix of an album being awesome by itself, and surprisingly awesome because of the lineup changes.

The material here is just as important to Come Death's awesomeness as is the production. Take an old Cannibal Corpse album, make it louder and there you go. No lifeless, ultra slick Brittney Spears recording studio bullshit here. This thing surely has the heaviest and ugliest guitar tone out of the 4 of BRT’s albums, and that bass sticks way the hell out which is a definite plus. Is Alex Webster playing bass here? No, its Erlend Caspersen doing a god damned brilliant job. If you’re a bass player yourself, you might just drool over this. BRT stated "This time, we aim for a more classic death metal sound, ala GORGUTS 'Considered Dead' / SUFFOCATION 'Despise the Sun' kind of sound. We have grown tired with the over-produced and fully triggered drum kits that so many bands use today.” That is a pretty accurate description of what this album sounds like, and thank god. Typewriter / ballpoint-pen-clicking drums get a great big thumbs down.

As much as Altered Genesis really turned me on to BRT, there were some things I really wasn't happy with. Sure it has those Holy Shit moments, but each Holy Shit moment was followed by a Man This is Boring moment. In other words, good riff, boring riff, good riff, boring riff, back and forth. I like to call this Dechristianize syndrome. Come Death reigns supreme by not having any of this back and forth bullshazzle. You can’t have a great album when it has tons of filler. I could give a filler ratio for both albums, Altered having a 60/40 good/filler, and Come Death having 90/10.

Many have voiced their distaste for the new singer versus Mr. Hustler. As good as Hustler’s voice was he was pretty one-dimensional, even monotonous at times. This new guy adding high pitched screams as well as normal growls is a plus. It fits the music very well. He even hits a certain low pitch at times that sounds pretty damn close to Hustler anyways. No complaints here. Even if you cried your little eyes out when Coven replaced Sauron in Decapitated like some people did, BRT’s change might not even bother you. It’s really not even that drastic, so relax. If you liked Hustler that freaken much to give Come Death a low rating, then fine. Go email him a love letter and suck his dick while you’re at it. But giving a low rating based on lack of killer riffs? Ok now I’m angry.

Highlights? Try the whole album. Deranged Assassin makes me want to punch holes in my wall. No New Beginning just plain kills. The title track is full of memorable riffs too. One person online even asked me about Come Death, and wasn’t sure if he was going to buy it because of the low ratings here on M-A. I’d chickity-check myself before basing what I buy from reading low rating reviews from a teenager who enjoys Six Feet Under, Gamma Ray, The Berzerker, and Moonspell, and another low rating from a grindnerd Devourment/The Project Hate fan. I mean let’s be serious.

You know a band has some balls when they cover Gorguts, and what a fine cover it is. If you like classic death metal, get this right away. If you can’t listen to Blasphemy Made Flesh or In the Embrace of Evil because of the production, well then get back to breakdancing to your The Project Hate and Job For a Cowboy CDs. This isn’t for you.

Since 1998, Blood Red Throne has been slowly gaining momentum in the death metal world with each and every release. The uprising Norway-based group has already had their fair share of goodness with records like “Altered Genesis,” but could they ever hit an obstacle? Well, those hoping to avoid a little abhorrence under the Blood Red Throne moniker will be slightly disappointed with the band’s fourth album entitled “Come Death,” as it is a clear sign of decline. Looking for mathematical death metal that twists your fucking cerebrum like the old Blood Red Throne releases? Sorry, but it isn’t here. Blood Red Throne came back from “Altered Genesis” and just didn’t act like the same band; in fact, calling this on par with any of their past releases is indeed a parody. “Come Death” can only be described as the result of Blood Red Throne turning everything they’ve become down a few notches, just to get that dopey feeling that lurks within this flawed letdown.

It would be absolutely irrelevant to single out a particular instrument for its lack of technical attributes and forceful energy because everything from the drums to Tchort’s riffing effort is strongly impacted by such colorless factors. The percussion, for instance, is bland at best as it is just simple and repetitive patterns with the semi-frequent usage of blastbeats; but with hardly any fills, spastic sections, or memorable motions. Green Carnation’s mastermind severely downplays his expected performance with multiple mid-paced flops and the typical death metal jazz found on the *insert any namable death metal record here* CD. In case you’re wondering, Tchort occasionally shows off a classy groove vibe and the ever-so-rare labyrinthine arrangement of chaotic shredding that once dominated his guitar playing, which is good, but not common.

However, the record’s true highlight is one Blood Red Throne fans have known to expect with each and every offering: Erlend Caspersen’s inhuman bass playing. No matter the speed or atmosphere, Caspersen endlessly vomits crazy bass lines and forces the band to evolve from the expected musical state into a new breed of technical playing. Typically, Tchort’s riffing should be driving the show, but our crazy bass player is adding greatness with the otherworldly addition of finger-slapping madness. Mediocre death metal doesn’t stop Caspersen from flying across his fret while tapping every damn string in the process. There’s something wrong with the world if this guy isn’t acknowledged as the best bassist in death metal; he puts everyone else to shame.

On the topic of making the talents of others seem minimal, Mr. Hustler’s grand voice is out of the picture, and his recent departure brings in the sub-par substitute: Vald. Gone is the vicious attitude of former Blood Red Throne growlers, and in comes the dull display of unoriginal one-toned growls and pseudo-screams that can be found anywhere else. Vald’s barks are just boring to put it bluntly, and he certainly lacks the torturing tone most growlers have; basically, it’s really generic for a vocalist in the genre. Not sure about other Blood Red Throne fans, but I’m missing Mr. Hustler quite dearly after experiencing his replacement’s attempt to fill his shoes.

Although it has its moments, “Come Death” doesn’t feel like the same Blood Red Throne that once ejaculated insane riffs, intense growls, and rapid percussion all so nicely. Taking a few steps back is never a good thing, but there is still some decency present in Tchort’s riffs and the bass playing, which aids the overall situation and brings back a few hints of Blood Red Throne’s greatness. I guess you might want to look into this one if “Altered Genesis” makes you horny, yet that’ll probably be the prime audience attracted to “Come Death” due to its neutral state of mediocrity.

First hearing, Blood Red Throne in 2005 when I read about them on Metal monster Earache Records, my first thought was... "death metal from Norway?" I've always noticed that BRT has always had something over most other death metal bands. They had the element of groove. You can hear it on "Afflicted With the Suffering" in the songs "Razor Jack and Bleeders Lament" and on "Altered Genesis on songs like "Tortured Soul Appearance" and the oddly titled "Eye-Licker" So when I found out BRT had parted ways with their vocalist Mr. Hustler and had to find a new drummer I was filled with both anticipation and worry. I found when a band got a new vocalist they tended to go downhill eg. Decapitated "Organic Hallucinosis" So I got my hands on the promo and thought to myself "only time will tell."

Wow did time ever tell! This album shows no signs of slowing down for BRT who still unleash their aggressive yet groovy style of death metal on their 2007 release "Come Death" BRT's new vocalist is absolutely crushing. He adds diversity and depth to the new album and if Mr. Hustler was on vocals for this record it just would not sound the same. On opening track "Slaying the Lamb" they still keep that same groove that BRT is known for and the highs from their new vocalist just make the songs that much more interesting.

I would have to say that if you are a fan of technical death metal. Or if you are looking for something a little different then what the typical death metal band can offer, I strongly suggest that you check out the new offering from Norwegian death metal gods Blood Red Throne!

"I consider myself to be rather educated in the world of death metal, and what makes good death metal. You need catchy and heavy riffs, (mostly) nice deep vocals with the occasional scream, intense and tight drumming, a competent bass player, excellent song structures, and so forth. On Blood Red Throne’s latest offering, “Come Death“, you really only get a few of these things, which makes me sad because their last album “Altered Genesis” had it all.

I’m not saying that “Come Death” is an absolute waste of time, but there’s definitely things this album lacks and badly needs in order for it to be much better. My biggest gripe with the new album has to be from newcomer Vald on vocals. I can’t help but continuously compare his vocal approaches to those of Mr. Hustler, who did vocals on “Altered Genesis“. Here are the things that Mr. Hustler had that Vald doesn’t: Nice deep and distinguishable vocals, total control, and perfect timing. Vald sounds at best amateurish on most songs, but he still shows potential no matter what I say. I think if he continues to fine-tune his voice and approach then the band will be back in tip-top shape.

My second gripe has to be with the riffs. Tchort has proven multiple times that he knows his way around a guitar, and there’s still some instances of that on this album, but almost all of these riffs lack the balls and heaviness that “Altered Genesis” and “Affiliated With The Suffering” had. It really seems as if the entire musical prowess of the band has been taken down a few notches, and it’s kind of depressing. However, I think the deal with the riffs is due to the shoddy production. Again, the production lacks all the balls and violence that the previous albums had, and it’s not nearly as gripping or ear-catching. Not to mention, this album really doesn’t have any of those “Holy shit, did that really just happen?” moments.

The high-lights of this album for me have to be the mighty Erland Caspersan and his impressive bass playing. I consider him the Alex Webster of Europe, because his fingers just fly with technical ability yet will rip off your face with his catchy and furious bass-lines. Another thing that I think the band did right was their cover of Gorguts classic track “Disincarnated“. I really think that these guys did the song justice, and it’s really the only one that I really liked off of the album.

Frankly, I think the direction this band is going is terrible. Before it was some really catchy, heavy and brutal death metal, but now? It’s really Blood Red Throne shedding their skin and trying on something different, which is fine and all, but come on guys, I know you can all do better than this. Really, if you’re looking to get into Blood Red Throne, stay the hell away from this album. Go listen to “Altered Genesis” and then this album, and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about. In fact, go listen to any other albums that aren’t nearly as boring as this one was."

Originally written for Metal Stomp: http://www.metalstomp.com/2007/08/25/blood-red-throne-come-death/