Bolt Thrower never had any luck with their roster. In their 15-year-long lifespan, it has been a coming and going of members (especially drummers and vocalists) and the result of this is that this band has never received the proper credit they deserved - a lack of steadiness in their releases and not being able to tour are to blame.

Even after their previous album, Mercenary, which arrived four years after ...For Victory luck wasn`t on their side. Vocalist Karl Willetts quit, and fortunately their old buddy Dave Ingram (ex-Benediction) was kind enough to fill the vacant spot. One change of drummers later, a new release is ready to hit the scene: Honour - Valour - Pride.

After listening to this album for quite a couple of times, I can say that my initial judgement on this album still stands as correct. Bolt Thrower, who have put themselves in the midtempo league, still consist of a bunch of good musicians. Through all the line-up changes, they still manage to make their music sound coherent and solid. The songs are very melodic and all share a certain groove most apparent on a song like "Honour".

The vocals of Dave are a lot better than on his latest Benediction album, and the drumming is tight. However, I am absolutely not to speak on the bass/guitar combo. The guitars in itself are okay, but combined with the bass it creates an atmosphere that is a bit too reminscent of the early 90s death-sound. Even though technically there is nothing wrong with this, it gives a strong impression that Bolt Thrower, will all the shit coming down to them, have never had the opportunity to mature and carve out a more unique and identifyable sound for themselves. The average/standard production only confirms this.

Honour - Valour - Pride is an album that probably would have been a masterpiece if it was released around 1995. In 2001, it sounds too outdated to be groundbreaking or acquire new souls. Fans will without doubt like this album, of that I am sure, and I have to give it that Bolt Thrower sounds more vital than the current dominator of their niche, Six Feet Under, has sounded for years.