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Bloodbath > Grand Morbid Funeral > Reviews
Bloodbath - Grand Morbid Funeral

Grand Morbid Nick Holmes - 85%

Hames_Jetfield, January 7th, 2021

It can be presumed that the weaker reception of "The Fathomless Mastery" and the subsequent Opeth and Katatonia releases, released in the meantime caused quite a strong stagnation in the discography of the Swedish supergroup, which was co-created by musicians from those bands - as if the desire to play old school death metal was a bit abandoned for them. The next material Bloodbath, appeared in 2014, and in addition, again in a slightly changed - and at the same time having a more significant impact on music than before - composition. In place of Åkerfeldt, for whom prog rock was more interesting than death metal, Nick Holmes, known from Paradise Lost, came back to this type of music. The risk was of course considerable as Nick hadn't used growl since the nineties! Meanwhile...the band came out surprisingly well on such a change! This showed another interesting face of the band (for example, there was more atmosphere associated with the vocalist's mother group), and at the same time that they can afford music close to the level of the first albums with Holmes.

The effects of these recordings on "Grand Morbid Funeral" came out quite similar to "Resurrection Through Carnage" and "Nightmares Made Flesh" - music is absorbed instantly. I don't even have to write too much! In such songs as "Unite In Pain", "Anne", "Beyond Cremation" or "Let The Stillborn Come To Me" the group presents the best of their music, incl. characteristic, typically Swedish "sandy" riffs, traditional medium-fast tempo (this time with a small amount of blasts) and familiar-sounding solo parts, in which there is no lack of melodies. The greater novelty here are some rhythmic simplifications, reminiscent of the late Autopsy (e.g. in "Mental Abortion" or "Famine Of God's Word") and, on the opposite side, more extensive climatic patents (e.g. in the title track and "Church Of Vastitas").

So you can't complain about the lack of variety. Besides, as I mentioned, "Grand Morbid Funeral" also scores with Nick's good vocals, who after so many years is still able to bring out a specific growl and a nice balanced production, combining typical Swedish dirt with sterile and transparent sound. In this way, Bloodbath proved that after the more conservative "The Fathomless Mastery", the ideas for music are not over yet and that they are able to refer to the level of records from 2002-2004. Nick Holmes may not be the same vocalist format as Tägtgren and Åkerfeldt, but for his first lp in this style after so many years of singing normally, it's a surprisingly good release. Another thing is that the rest of the musicians also did well. In this case, more is probably not needed for a recommendation.

Originally on: https://subiektywnymetal.blogspot.com/2020/03/bloodbath-grand-morbid-funeral-2014.html

Bloodbath - Grand Morbid Funeral - 90%

Orbitball, June 8th, 2020
Written based on this version: 2014, CD, Peaceville Records (Mediabook)

This album has an immense energy to it, being as though a totally "morbid" album title and cover artwork. These Swedish death metalers do a great job here musically, production-wise and aura to the album. It's totally in belonging in the underground! The riffs are just amazing and the leads are phenomenal. This band I just discovered somewhat recently. They just kill from every aspect! I like the music and vocals the most. The guitars are way professional, nothing generic about them at all. The riffs are totally innovative and the energy to the album is all there! There's nothing lacking to this "funeral."

I like the fact that they choose eerie openings to songs. It's just to spook the listener out. This album seems like it'd be a sort of concept release, but I'm not entirely sure in saying that. It just seems that it ever-so fits for what they're trying to do here. The tempos to the songs vary and the music is heavy as fuck! The vocals go along well with the music. It's totally thick as shit. They sound way like a Swedish band definitely. Though a little bit different than say Dismember (split-up) or Entombed. This is more modern type of material they just want to slay you! This album captures it all, especially the guitars.

I think the mixing/production is top notch. They really do a good job weaving everything in there. This band sits among the top of the death metal genre. Their fuel for each song is invigorating. They really hit home with me! The music is entirely original and unique. Their hatred that they spew out is ever so blissful. I think this band has a lot of life left to it. And 'Grand Morbid Funeral' is one of their better releases. It's not good the ENTIRE way through, there are some things that I think that they could change about it but still I'm giving it an "A-" rating. They deserve it with all the diversity the album has to it.

I would definitely say to buy this release because of it's brutality, ingenuity, precision and talent! These guys tear it up! After repeated listens to I definitely are a milestone in the death metal arena. It deserves higher ratings for sure! I would venture to say that they will be around for a lot longer especially now is a great time to write riffs. Their songwriting capabilities is immense. Let's show the band some respect and buy their album! You can always stream it if you have Spotify, but owning the CD is probably the best choice of action. It's showing that you respect their efforts in the metal world!

Generic Death Metal 2014 Edition - 62%

Deathdoom1992, June 28th, 2016
Written based on this version: 2014, CD, Peaceville Records (Mediabook)

It had been six long years since The Fathomless Mastery, which I won't comment on since I haven't listened to all of it in a long time, and Bloodbath have since resurfaced towards the end of 2014 with new singer "Old Man" Nick Holmes of Paradise Lost fame on vocals. Now of course many death metal fans (and undoubtedly a few PL fans) squirmed when the announcement regarding their new vocalist was made. Here was a guy who never had any experience with "pure" death metal and even then hadn't performed growls on a studio album since the early 1990s. That said, "Old Nick" trumps both Mikael Akerfeldt and Peter Tagtren in terms of brutality, and I love both of those guys. What we lose, however, is the relative ease to understand him like we had with both previous vocalists. To be frank, it's Bloodbath's worst album, but that doesn't make it bad.

I had yet to see this album in stores until early this year, when I picked it up and bought it. I took it home and put on the stereo not too sure what to expect. The album opens with the thumping "Let the Stillborn Come to Me", a lil' slice of classic old-school death to open the album. From here, it goes on a run of killer songs, culminating in the pure brilliance of "Famine of God's Word", already one of my favourite songs. Unfortunately, it's very hit and miss after this song, with a tendency to miss. There is, I suppose, the title track, which is totally impenetrable to me. I don't get if I like it or if it's just noise. However, it should be noted that I'm not the world's biggest death metal fan, and I have some acquired tastes (which encompasses Bloodbath and much of the Swedish scene), but I hold that Obituary are the greatest metal band to grace the planet. Not that this album's bad (mostly) but the best thing about it is the packaging. It's not often that I'm inclined to give a crap about these things but the packaging on my edition is very nice, a "Mediabook" as the version thing puts it, kinda like a digipak with nice glossy liner notes featuring the band members covered in blood and a nice picture-disc thing to boot.

This album, unfortunately, has many more floors than the standard Bloodbath outing, with Nick Holmes' vocals, impressive as they are, pushing the band in a more brutal direction I'm not fond of. Don't get me wrong, this isn't Tomb of the Mutilated heavy, and your average death metaller will have no issue with this, but I do. Additionally, where previous records had the band soaring at the top of the metal hierarchy, this one puts them about on par with most death metal bands. Unfortunately for me, I'm a collector, so I have to own this because of the name on the spine rather than the music on the disc, but if a group just formed and released this, I wouldn't buy it, being far too standard and generic for me. The shitty-ass guitar production winds me up too, sounding like "Blakkheim" Nystrom (fuck yeah) and "Sodomizer" Eriksson (not too bad either) are playing at a rehearsal rather than a studio. Just thinking about it now, the only things I can actually remember from this without more listens are the cool acoustic intro to "Church of Vastitas" and personal favourite "Famine of God's Word". So yeah, could be more memorable and standout.

Overall, although it has much to work on before being perfect, I see potential in the union of Bloodbath and Mr. Holmes, and I predict that if a second album with Holmes happens, it'll be killer. Also, death metal fans everywhere can breathe a huge collective sigh of relief that Holmes still can growl, and growl well. But, and make what you will of this, it's crying out for a Peter Tagtren influence (there, I said it) and I'm most interested to see if this lineup remains stable for long enough to make a sophomore together. Finally, although far from perfect, or a diamond in the rough as some may say, by my reckoning in 2 years this band'll fly back to the top with their next album. Having said that, 18 months on and still no word on a new album, but these Swedes, plus an Englishman now, do love to keep us waiting...

Mastery of the art of old school death metal - 95%

georgeofasgaard, March 25th, 2015

Like many I was slightly apprehensive about the choice of Nick Holmes as the vocalist on Bloodbath's new album. And when I heard the first track that was released "Unite In Pain" I thought it was a little average. However the rest of the album was much better and I can safely say that Nick Holmes was a good choice.

First let us address the main cause for speculation with this release, which were the vocals of Nick Holmes. He brings a dark, old school sound to this album that we haven’t heard for a long time, which is a great contrast to the usual low gutturals that we are used to hearing in death metal. His vocal tone is higher in pitch and very gritty, he literally sounds like death in this album. The highlights in terms of his vocal work were the tracks “Famine Of God’s Word” and “Grand Morbid Funeral”.

The actual music on this album was excellent as it normally is with a Bloodbath album; the guitar tone is not like the “Resurrection Through Carnage” album, which sounded like a chain saw stuck in treacle with some gravel thrown into the mix (fucking amazing). The tone on this release is much more metallic and suits the rest of the music very well. In my opinion all aspects of the music have been mastered by the band which is great as it’s their final album. My favourite songs would have to be “Anne” and “Let The Stillborn Come To Me”, they are all round just great songs. But my absolute favourite is “Beyond Cremation” which has one of the heaviest riffs I’ve ever heard; you cannot help but smash your head through the table when you get to it.

So in closing I was very impressed with “Grand Morbid Funeral”. Nick Holmes brings and refreshing but old school sound and the musicianship was the best of any of their albums (and the rest are damn good). I would go as far as to say this was my favourite album of 2014.

Not a classic, but very good - 80%

Lustmord56, March 24th, 2015
Written based on this version: 2015, CD, Chaos Reigns (Japan)

Review originally published at www.teethofthedivine.com by E.Thomas

When Nick Holmes of Paradise Lost was announced as new singer of death metal supergroup Bloodbath, filling the considerably large shoes of Mikael Åkerfeldt and Peter Tagtgren, I thought it was a genius move. Not only getting a big name, but a name that many wanted as they were clamoring to hear Nick growl again once more. However, when I heard the first track from the album, “Unite in Pain” I was a bit underwhelmed, wishing the band had gone with one of the other names being tossed around such as Jorgen Sansdtrom (ex Grave)or Matti Karki (ex-Dismember).

However, now that I've absorbed the whole album in its entirety, my disappointment has abated. While Nick does sound a bit ragged and certainly less commanding than Akerfeldt or even Tagtgren, it still works. And it works because A) the song writing is soooo fucking strong, you almost forget there are vocals, and B) the vocals are so low in the mix and raw that you barely notice them. And thusly the album is a successful album, fitting in perfectly with the Bloodbath supergroup legacy and possibly even being a stronger album than The Fathomless Mastery, which I think received such a strong reception (myself included) as it was a 4 year wait AND saw the return of Åkerfeldt, but was the weakest Bloodbath album by far.

Armed with the expected mid range Sunlight dirty buzz and hum, the guitars are exactly what you’d expect from these guys. Huge, beefy, thick riffs and and a rumbling commanding rhythm section all come together perfectly- though I'd still give the nod to the other Paradise Lost guy, Gregor Macintosh and his side project Vallenfyre. But the strength of the album isn’t its robust mid range buzz saw tone- its the riffs.

And while certainly other bands have delivered this style admirably in 2014 (Unwilling Flesh, Brutally Deceased, Revel in Flesh) the collective innate experience and veteran song writing chops of these guys oozes through every crawling lope and blast, like its in their very pores. Sure there is no instant classic like “Eaten” or “Like Fire”, but each song is strong, even “Unite in Pain”, when taken as a whole. The likes of “Anne”, slow lurcher “Church of Vastistas”, romping “Mental Abortion”, “Beyond Creation” (arguably the album’s standout) and the sprawling closing title track, perfectly mix catchy and brutal mid range savagery in confident tight deliveries that simply show the band as the possible pinnacle of the style. Even when putting the pedal fully to the metal like “Total Death Exhumed” or “My Torturer”, it never loses its sense of restraint or memorability, but the band is definitely more effective working with heftier crawls and grooves all imbuing the best parts and classic sound of Entombed, Grave and Dismember into one as heard on “His Infernal Necropsy”.

I think Vallenfyre’s Splinters just nips this in my year end list, and I’d be lying If I said it wasn’t partly because of Nick Holmes’ dry performance which seems to sap just a little of the albums power. And lets not forget that the band debuted over a decade ago when Swedish death metal and death metal in general was in a lull (and had Dan Swano), and a lot of bands have done this style really well (and bands like Entrails, possibly better) since then, possibly further lessening Bloodbath's immediate impact. But that does not stop Grand Morbid Funeral from being great and certainly sure to litter many year end lists.

Two out of three isn't bad - 75%

autothrall, December 12th, 2014
Written based on this version: 2014, CD, Peaceville Records (Mediabook)

I admit to being a little swept up in the 'guess who our new singer is?' gimmick Bloodbath was spinning up until the announcement of Nick Holmes earlier this year. Not so much that I was obsessively checking for clues, but when they were presented I would follow them to the natural conclusions, one of which was that the veteran Paradise Lost crooner was going to shed off his Goth Hetfield tone and return to the growls of his mainstay's formative period, which if you ask almost anyone still remains their most notable phase, self included. My immediate reaction was 'this is going to sound like Vallenfyre... Nick is a little jealous of the attention Gregor has gotten, and so is taking up the reins of nostalgia himself.' But of course Bloodbath is already a well-established act in its own right, having produced a number of great albums which don't rely solely on the retro thing but actual riff-writing, genuine energy and excitement. So this was actually quite an interesting team up...and it works to a point.

Musically, where Bloodbath have come up in the past with a number or fairly ingenious grooves or melodic spearheads that characterized their songs among a very busy flock of Swede impersonators and throwbacks, I feel that Grand Morbid Funeral is their album most interchangeable with a huge number of their peers...the songs here could have been written by Revel in Flesh, or Entrails, or any other bootlickers of Entombed and/or Dismember and nobody would know the difference. Like the breaks in "Total Death Exhumed", or the opening barrage in "Famine of God's Word" where the guitars go off on their own for a few seconds to showcase that thick rhythm tone; both could have appeared on a hypothetical Clandestine 2.0. But that's not to say they aren't written at a slightly higher level than the standard knockoffs in the sound, and where Bloodbath balance it out is in the amount of variation. You could trace all the songs to particular sources, perhaps, and yes many of those would be Swedish, but one area in which the record excels is how each of the tunes does not seem like a repeat of the others. They'll go for dire, brooding atmospherics in one tune, gut tearing tremolo guitars in another, and nary a tune goes by without some sticky riff erupting somewhere.

The leads and melodies are solid, and unlike Vallenfyre they don't go too far into old Paradise Lost worship, preferring instead to incorporate a more airy, light death/doom sense to bridge elements in tunes like "Mental Abortion" which prove among my favorite individual moments of the recording. Solos might feel frivolous, but they definitely reek of the excess we used to love in the 80s, albeit shorter here. The guitar tones wrap the entire affair into a very consistent feel, despite the gulfs in pacing and structure. Despite the seasoned craft Anders exhibits in creating an album as a whole, I did feel there were a number of excessively bland note progressions, specifically in the d-beat driven parts, which sort of balanced off my appreciation for the better bits. Had I stopped listening to death metal of the Swedish inclination after about 1993 and then picked it back up with Grand Morbid Funeral, then I might find it more of an engaging memory trip, but I've been inundated with the stuff for a good decade now, 100s of bands clinging to the same tones and riff techniques without even a spark of imagination, promos piling up. Color me jade, and for at least part of its run time, this record just doesn't deal with it more spectacularly than the majority. Granted, Bloodbath have arguably more rights to this than others, and have excelled within the same parameters in the past, but they often tempered the sound with more Floridian or mildly brutal influences and it just felt fresher...

Grand Morbid Funeral, while good, just doesn't have a bunch of songs I want to keep coming back to time and time again. It's a worthwhile 46 minutes, and won't disappoint you if you're really dying for more of this, but I had higher hopes going in than enjoyment coming out. Now, this is no fault of the vocals whatsoever. Nick Holmes certainly delivers, he's still 'got it', and his more gravelly, ugly, imperfect timbre makes for a refreshing alternative to Akerfeldt's broader guttural palette. The drums and bass sound fine, Renkse owning up to the Swe-tone with fatter, plunky bass lines, but apart from 4-5 of the tunes where Anders and Per make more compelling choices with the guitars, I found myself 'zoning out' more often than the other full-lengths. I should mention that it is slightly darker and more atmospheric...the tongue-in-cheek quality of the prior albums is somewhat supressed, and it strives to capture the din of that old late 80s/early 90s death metal production rather than the 'punch' of previous albums. The lyrics are decent, slightly more thoughtful than you'd expect. I also like it more than either of the Vallenfyre albums. I guess the real question is: when do we hear retro death projects from Stephen Edmondson and Aaron Aedy? Gauntlet has been thrown, guys.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

One of the Years Best Albums - 90%

stallan, December 1st, 2014

I come into this review of Bloodbath’s Grand Morbid Funeral with no real expectations and relatively fresh ears. The only album I had heard before this album came out was the excellent live album The Wacken Carnage. I can’t even say I am a huge fan of all the member’s main bands. There was a lot of buzz on this album and I wanted to see for myself if they matched the metal community’s ridiculous standards. For me, they absolutely did. This album is heavy, fast and yes, morbid.

The album explodes with the opener Let the Stillborn Come to Me and I would rank it as one of the album’s best. Lethal riffing, excellent vocals and a dark feel keep me coming back to this song again and again. Granted those three qualities (along with pummeling drums) can be said for every song on here and that is why this thing is so good. It is not brutality for its own sake. It is not coasting off the successes of the other affiliated bands (as I’m sure most could gather at this point in Bloodbath’s career). Every song on here is unique, well written and executed. Other stand outs for me include Anne (with a start reminiscent of Morbid Angel), Famine of God’s Word (another riff fest featuring a blazing closing) and Church of Vastitas (a doomier song with great atmosphere in the verses).

Obviously the star of the show here is Nick Holmes. The band dragged the announcement out for quite some time and since his predecessors are rather noteworthy figures there are high expectations. Ol’ Nick (as I believe he is going by in the band) has a sort of twisted, evil growl that goes more for a vile feel than typical guttural delivery. As I have not yet checked out Paradise Lost (on my to do list thanks to his performance on this record) I cannot compare his vocal style/performance, but judge it on its own merits. He delivers the fucking goods and fits right in. It really matches the feel of the music. The guitar and bass performances and riffing are all fantastic, and there are some guest musicians supplying guitar solos and vocals. The drumming on here is badass. Some blasts are sprinkled in here and there and since they are not over used they add some power to the music. There are lots of technical and tasty fills to be found in all the songs.

The production is for the most part excellent. The guitars sound razor sharp and evil. I love that crunch that these guys and bands like Rotten Sound use. The drums sound pretty good, my only complaint would be I wouldn’t mind the bass drums being a little higher/clearer in the mix. The bass has a fuzzy and heavy tone but it is buried. It is what it is I suppose. Obviously I would like to see it clearer. Some atmospheric snyths/backing vocals are used here and there and they are a very nice touch.

This album is one of the year’s best. I can’t stop listening to it. If you are a Bloodbath fan already, you need to buy this album. If you are a death metal fan, I highly recommend this. If you aren’t necessarily either (somewhat like myself) and want to check this out I think you will be very pleasantly surprised.

A really solid piece of death metal art - 89%

Cause of Death, November 21st, 2014
Written based on this version: 2014, CD, Peaceville Records (Mediabook)

IT'S FINALLY HERE!!

After two years of waiting, Bloodbath have finally released the follow-up to 2008's "The Fathomless Mastery", and it comes in the form of "Grand Morbid Funeral", which is also to be the final Bloodbath album. Though there has been a lot of skepticism and derision from some fans about the vocal abilities of Nick Holmes, who hasn't growled in any form since 1992, on Paradise Lost's "Shades of God" record. And even then, those growls were pretty tame compared to what he did on the previous two albums, and not as "full". So I suppose it's reasonable for some fans to be skeptical, especially considering how powerful Mikael Akerfeldt's grunts were (but not Peter Tagtgren - that guy fucking sucks). Well, I can't speak for everyone (and I'm sure loads of people are going to disagree), but I can safely say that I, for one, was totally blown to smithereens by not just Nick Holmes's vocals, but the music as a whole on this new album. This is an album loaded with catchy death metal, crushing doom, and a heightened sense of atmosphere and mood that suits the disturbing album cover, and general theme of this album (which appears to be the Bubonic plague).

I should probably start with the elephant in the room, the vocals of Nick Holmes. His growls are raw, rough, and totally fucking disgusting. They're rotten and teeming with the essence of death that is lacking in so much modern death metal. If you want an example of what they sound like, take his incredible performance on Paradise Lost's "Gothic": clear and well-enunciated, and then hit it repeatedly over the head with a shovel. Bury it in the cold Earth, wait 25 years, then proceed to exhume and reanimated it's rotten, desiccated carcass. Place it, rabid and raving, in a recording studio and let the death-magic happen! I can see how some people might think he sounds a bit flimsy here and there, like on "My Torturer", but one could probably make the same argument against Chris Reifert (whose death growls can be heard on this very album, at the end of the title track), Dave Gregor, or Lord Worm (though I wouldn't say Holmes's performance on this album is as "out-there" as some people are saying it is). It doesn't sound bad, I think it adds a different dimension to the music...not all death metal vocals need to sound like Corpsegrinder. At any rate, I think he did an absolutely fabulous job on this album, and I'm amazed that it's been so long since he last growled.

Moving right along, the riffs on this album are as catchy as they've ever been. I think "Beyond Cremation" might be one of the catchiest death metal songs I've heard all year, and "Total Death Exhumed" certainly has the power to become a death metal classic. However, it is "Famine of God's Word" that I think has the power to become the next "Pull the Plug" or "Chapel of Ghouls"...for one, the lyrics just have that easily chantable (is that a word?) quality ("OH - WHAT A TRAGIC SIGHT!!! TO SEE ALL YOUR FAITH COME CRASHING DOWN!!!), and the riffs have a distinct quality that I can only describe as "hacking". The verse riff literally makes me feel like I'm mercilessly hacking off some poor sap's head with a pickaxe, and I'd like to think that's a positive feeling when talking about a death metal record. Other songs, like "Anne", bring forth a slower, doomier-element that is absolutely crushing. That first riff alone could topple any cathedral in seconds.

The album's closer is another standout tune. It is the title track, and manages to establish and perfectly epitomize the atmosphere that "Grand Morbid Funeral" bestows upon the listener. The song is loaded with doomy riffs, Chris Reifert's disgusting rotten growls, an extremely effective use of church choirs, and odd vocal effects that give the song a very dark, and mysterious vibe. This is the perfect way to send off such a wonderful album from Sweden's finest, and I personally don't think that there's any way the album could have possibly been better. Though some of the other vocalists proposed by fans might have given a more traditional approach, namely Jorgen Sandstrom, I feel like there's something about the idea of Nick Holmes performing the vocals that makes the prospect so interesting to me. Even now, after I've heard the album front to back a number of times, I can't help but think how fuckin' cool it is to hear Nick Holmes doing this. The only person I might have seen as potentially better would be Aaron Stainthorpe (that's right, not even Matti Karki), but even in that case, I think this album is destined to become a classic of the death metal scene. If not, well, it will be one to me!!

I'd recommend this album to anyone who loves old school death metal. The album comes in a very nice digibook, which gives the viewer a clearer view of the album cover. It'll let you absorb the dark clouds in the backgrounds, the decaying worms writing between the dead nun's fingers, the field of crosses reaching their rotten hands towards a dead horizon, and most of all, the dead, rotten eyes of the nun gazing down in sorrowful hatred. The cover looked kind of lame when I saw it as a pathetic .jpeg file, but after having a look at the CD, it's one of the best covers to be unveiled since Vader put out "Welcome to the Morbid Reich", and I'm gonna have to pick up a vinyl too. The digibook itself is nice, Peaceville did a great job with the packaging & booklet (as always), though do hope the paper that holds to booklet in place doesn't get ripped apart by the paper clips that hold the booklet together (this happened to me for both Autopsy's "Born Undead" DVD & "The Headless Ritual" CD). Anyway, don't miss the opportunity to submerge yourself in rotten death, buy this fucking album NOW!!