Well this is an interesting concept. A 5 piece death metal band called Grand Supreme Blood Court by vocalist Martin Von Drunen whereupon each member takes on a name to match their court position and function within the court. So we have Magistrate, Judge, Prosecutor, Registrar and Executioner so with song titles like Behead The Defence, Fed To The Boars and Public Castration, they are not pulling any punches!
Netherlands based, the band formed in 2009 when former Asphyx/Soulburn guitarist/songwriter Eric Daniels approached the then current line up of Asphyx to form an uncompromising death metal band and judging by the feral rage of their debut album Bow Down Before The Blood Court, they have succeeded! The album was released on November 12th 2012 via Century Media Records. Worthy of mention is the grisly artwork of the album sleeve by Axel Hermann, reflecting the mood of the music.
Opening track All Rise sets the standard for the rest of the album as it’s ominous tolling bell intro segues into a churning riff similar to Slayer’s Black Magic. It breaks into a Motorhead style rumble as the tortured vocals precede speed metal riffs that seem to just keep piling on top of each other. The title track follows with a stomping tempo for the verses and insane speed metal riffing for the choruses. There Shall Be No Acquittance rushes in on 100mph buzzsaw riffing and literally a drum avalanche as the bass heavy verses give way to a breakneck finish to the song.
Veredictum Sanguis’ measured grinding riff intro is followed by off kilter rhythms against a roaring vocal as slashing down tuned riffs 2 minutes in and tortured howls from Martin Von Drunen precede a Sabbath type groove to end with. Behead The Defence is no nonsense old school death metal bringing to mind Bitter Loss by Entombed from the Left Hand Path album. The instrumental Grand Justice, Grand Pain’ s amp shattering bass intro riff is taken on by the guitars with some wailing whammy bar for added effect.
Fed To The Boars has a chopping thrash metal main riff as the concrete heavy breakdown at 2 and a half minutes leads into the number ending with stunning warp speed fluid guitar lines. Circus Of Mass Torment has a vocal similar to John Tardy from Obituary backed up by tempos that literally steamroller out of the speakers! Public Castration is a punk like aural assault to the senses, very short ,sharp, to the point and containing some of the most graphic lyrics on the album.
The debut album saves it’s best material for the closing 2 songs. Piled Up For The Scavengers is a 4 minute long hardcore/thrash crossover with speed metal flourishes throughout the riffs. A grinding breakdown at 2 minutes leads into a mauling riff as the song goes into a car crash finish of noise. Album highlight for me is the 10 minute long, final track And Thus The Billions Shall Burn. It deals with armageddon and the music certainly sums it up as the funeral march intro leads into razor sharp riffing as an almost spoken word vocal gives way to a steady, grinding tempo. The riffs speed up as do the drums until the main riff kicks back in at the 6 minute 30 mark as the song fades out with the doom intro with an added morose guitar solo.
Bow Down Before The Blood Court track listing :-
All Rise.
Bow Down Before The Blood Court.
There Shall Be No Acquittance.
Veredictum Sanguis.
Behead The Defence.
Grand Justice, Grand Pain.
Fed To The Boars.
Circus Of Mass Torment.
Public Castration.
Piled Up For The Scavengers.
And Thus The Billions Shall Burn.
Grand Supreme Blood Court band line up :-
Grand Magistrate Bagchus – Firing squad commander and coffin drummings.
Grand Judge Daniels – Axe wielding beheading guitar.
Grand Prosecutor Van Drunen – Verdicts, sentences and tortured howls.
Grand Registrar Zuur – Blood runes and flesh-saw guitar.
Grand Executioner Van Eekelen – Torture instruments and slaying bass.
I award the album 10/10!