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GRAND SUPREME BLOOD COURT
Bow Down Before The Blood Court

Century Media (2012)
Rating: 9/10

Finally, a record that will hopefully shake the death metal genre to its foundations and wake it from its dormant state. With countless records emerging over the last few years that suggest a stale scene, and with too many “big” bands sticking to a formulaic approach, Dutch deathsters Grand Supreme Blood Court have risen from the depths and torn down the walls with their monstrous debut.

The band comprises of former Asphyx guitarist Eric Daniels and current Asphyx members, Martin van Drunen (vocals, Hail Of Bullets / ex-Pestilence), Alwin Zurr (guitar) and Bob Bagchus (drums), along with Theo van Eekelen (bass, Hail Of Bullets).

Bow Down Before The Blood Court is a mini-masterpiece, boasting 11 flesh-ripping tracks that give a big nod to the classic death metal scene of the late 80s and early 90s. The band are heavily influenced by the rip-roaring sounds of Obituary, Entombed, Possessed, Dismember and Pestilence, and that is how I would describe the record – a deadly mix of all those classic bands.

The chainsaw guitars are very much in that old Swedish sound, with the riffs sounding loose and lethal, bringing to mind Entombed’s legendary Left Hand Path (1990) debut opus. The vocals are reminiscent of Obituary’s John Tardy – which is no mean feat considering how unique his shredded vocal chords were, and still are.

Produced in fine fashion, album opener ‘All Rise’ begins with an ominous bell toll before the buzz-saw guitars fade in and the band enter full throttle mode. The drums cascade and a distinctive groove is maintained throughout, lined with Martin van Drunen’s hoarse vocal delivery. As he rasps, “All rise, raise your weapons”, that distinctive Obituary-buzz fills the speakers.

Next up is the title track, featuring a staggering mid-tempo which drags its feet for almost a minute before the band hurtle into a steamroller thrash riff until the pace drops once again. The guitars on this record shine in their gritty groove, and accompanied by those frenzied drums, bass and harsh vocals, Grand Supreme Blood Court have a swaggering arrogance about them; something I’ve not heard since those hazy days of the 80s when Death, Morbid Angel and the like infected our souls.

The three-and-a-half minute ‘There Shall Be No Acquittance’ is equally horrifying; a brutal master class in European death metal that brings to mind the bleakness of Obscura in those fiendish vocals, while the band effortlessly shift between dense, chugging death-fuzz and a more brutal, speedier assault. ‘Veredictum Sanguis’ is another perfect example of that chainsaw chug injected with pacier moments. Grand Supreme Blood Court would no doubt have taken the early 90s by storm; I just hope that today they can be appreciated for taking the scene by the scruff of the neck.

‘Behead The Defence’ is a ferocious three-minute workout, with the vocals here taking on a Possessed-feel, but my favourite monstrosity has to be the five-minute ‘Circus Of Mass Torment’, which features some fantastic drumming from Bagchus, who provides an almost jarring backbeat to the suffocating, swampy guitars.

‘Public Castration’ is just as formidable, rising from the bloody pit on a doom-laden riff before heading full throttle into battle. ‘Piled Up For The Scavengers’ rips the flesh with great steamroller effect, before the 10-minute ‘,,,And Thus The Billions Shall Burn’ takes us into the darkness with its slow, ominous whine. It takes some four-minutes to get going, but as an album closer it is an epic skull crusher, with each instrument coming into its own until it slowly bleeds to death all over the place, leaving the listener in grotesque harmony.

Grand Supreme Blood Court may not be around forever, but as a project goes this is a much needed kick up the arse for a genre that hasn’t given us anything truly terrifying since those halcyon days. Ever since the early 90s, classic releases and original bands have been sporadic, but with Bow Down Before The Blood Court Grand Supreme Blood Court have created a hideous beast we must worship in our masses.

Neil Arnold

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