Why did the death metal band Bolt Thrower disband?

Formed in Coventry in 1986, the British death metal band Bolt Thrower built a thirty-year career spanning eight studio albums and extensive international touring. After releasing their final album, Those Once Loyal, in 2005, the group entered an indefinite recording hiatus while continuing to perform live. They permanently disbanded in 2016 following the death of their longtime drummer, Martin Kearns.

What we know

• Bolt Thrower formed in Coventry, England, in 1986 and released eight studio albums over their career. [2]
• The band released their eighth and final album, Those Once Loyal, in November 2005 through Metal Blade Records. [3]
• Bolt Thrower announced an indefinite hiatus from recording in June 2008. [2, 3]
• The band officially disbanded in 2016 on the first anniversary of drummer Martin Kearns's death. [2, 3]

Where to go next

• how it workedWhat was the musical style of Those Once Loyal?
• whoWho was drummer Martin Kearns?
• whereHow did Coventry shape the band's origins?
• the bigger pictureWhat other bands emerged from the British death metal scene?
• how we knowHow did Bolt Thrower's album sales compare in the United States?
• an unexpected connectionHow does World War I connect Bolt Thrower to modern blackened death metal?Both Bolt Thrower and the anonymous German band Kanonenfieber center their death metal lyrics heavily around the themes of World War I.

Sources

• [1]Bolt Thrower (Wikidata Q662463) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Bolt Thrower · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Those Once Loyal · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Kanonenfieber · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Brutality (band) · CC BY-SA 4.0