On the 26th of October 2018, the supergroup known as BLOODBATH released their 5th studio album The Arrow of Satan is Drawn after an entire 4 YEARS in the making!!

With a build-up/wait time of 4 Years, a band cannot disappoint; my friends in metal, BLOODBATH does everything but thwart the listener into thinking that their four year hiatus will bring another "generic black metal" album, it speaks in ways only a devout metal listener can understand.

Although this is singer Old Nick's second go-round at 'lyrical assault', he brings a new approach to old-school metal and darkness. The lyrics (the majority of which were written by Blakkheim - lead guitar), are centred mainly around "humanity's unfaltering march, prone towards our downfall. World leaders are TWEETING; our economy and trade is being ruined - 'WHO WILL SAVE US'????'".

Blakkheim continues, and as he does, we grasp his concept ideas (hint: ALBUM TITLE)!!  "....less there is no Christ, there is then no plan!!??  Only the god of emptiness will survive us ALL.... And Satan's arrow HAS BEEN DRAWN!!". A simple concert, a thousand year old story and hence Bloodbath continues to explore. Bringing together the members of Opeth, Paradise Lost, Katatonia & Kraft, BLOODBATH is the twisted, macabre demon-child!!

The first song on the album, "Fleischmann", brings "impending horror with eudaemonic elements"; a fast-paced track with all of the proper Sounds and nightmarish qualities a black metal song should possess. The fundamentals are strong; Lord Seth doesn’t abandon the bass for a piano solo, which might be doable in ANOTHER band, in ANOTHER life; it will NOT HAPPEN with Bloodbath.

“Bloodicide” is an interesting song for a couple of reasons; first, the title alone!!!!  It literally means to kill with one’s own blood. Think about that for a moment…..and secondly, this song brings an already full house of talented musicians to a ‘SUPER SUPER GROUP’ status!!!! We have Jeff Walker of the band Carcass’, Karl Willetts of Bolt Thrower & last but by no means least, John Walker of Cancer (Cancer just released an AMAZING new album as well- check out my REVIEW.

"Morbid Antichrist"  is a solid song that summons the 'classic' death metal spirits; Bloodbath mix their own finely-tuned black metal intonation with a little death metal vexation to put an ear-pleasing twist on this four minute groovy journey to hell.

"Chainsaw Lullaby", the last track on the album yet the first to be released near HALLOWEEN, is the icing on the fecund child that is "The Arrow of Satan is Drawn”.  This song brings the darkness of Blakkheim and marries it to the “wicked bite” of Joakim Karlsson (of Craft) on guitar.  Both Blakkheim & Joakim compliment each other’s style and lurid sound.  This sound is pushed front and centre in “Chainsaw Lullaby”; Old Nick’s guttural vocals as well as his pain-staking enunciation of each detestable word is only reinforced and made to sound more substantial.

As Blakkheim says, “The world is a mad place full of darkness, horror, disease and terror.  Hell on Earth is here, and not just limited to 'fiction'....” Bloodbath are merely contributing a wonderfully gruesome soundtrack to the world - and it could NOT have come at a better time!!

Review by Marisa Dymond 

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(BLOODBATH will be on the European Apocalypse Tour with Kreator, Dimmu Borgir and Hatebreed in November/December

BLOODBATH will be on 70,000 TONS OF METAL CRUISE ON JAN 31 - FEB 4

BLOODBATH will be at INFERNO FESTIVAL IN OSLO; APR 18th-21st, 2019

BLOODBATH are;

Old Nick-Vocals, Blakkheim-Guitar, Lord Seth-bass, Joakim-Guitar & Axe-Drums is BLOODBATH.

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