Bolt Thrower continues its war march with For Victory, blasting back from the dirgy IVth Crusade with a faster, more urgent sound - if IVth Crusade was a march to war, For Victory is the chaotic heat of battle. The pace picks up again here, though no where as fast as Bolt Thrower’s blast-beat past, and it still dips into their signature mid-paced trudge. To me, this is Bolt Thrower’s most “accessible” record (a relative term, I suppose) - polished with very clean production and some more melodic aspects over the punishing low end, particularly on When Glory Beckons, the fan-favorite title track and Armageddon Bound.
For die-hard fans of the dirty early stuff this might feel too much like pop death metal but this was the album that cemented my love for this band. They’ve trimmed the fat here, coming in under 40 minutes.