«The IVth Crusade» is the fourth album by Bolt Thrower and it came out in 1992 through Earache Records. It was recorded in August 1992 at Sawmills Studio in Cornwall, with the band itself and Colin Richardson handling production. The title refers to the Fourth Crusade, and the cover art draws on Eugène Delacroix’s painting «The Entry of the Crusaders into Constantinople».
“`Country: United Kingdom
Style: Death Metal
For fans of: Obituary, Entombed, Benediction
The album sits in the middle of their discography, between «Warmaster» and «…For Victory», two records many people single out. Here the sound turns slower and heavier: the riffs are built on a steady, marching rhythm that never drops and gives weight to every track.
War stays the band’s subject, with a «head down and keep going» feel. Tracks such as «Icon» and «Embers» are among the heaviest they have ever written, while «This Time It’s War» opens with a slow, menacing build before Karl Willetts shouts the title. The line-up has Willetts on vocals, Gavin Ward and Barry Thompson on guitars, Jo Bench on bass and Andy Whale on drums.
It is not an album that wins you over on a first listen, and it doesn’t have the catchy hooks of a more melodic record. It stays faithful to one sound, though, without softening to please more people. That is why quite a few put it beside the band’s best, together with «Warmaster».
The title track «The IVth Crusade» and «Where Next to Conquer» show that turn well: slower tempos, heavy riffs that repeat, and a feeling that the band is building something big instead of rushing. On that foundation the album sounds more epic than the ones before it, without losing any of its power.
