1989-10-28
Realm Of Chaos (Slaves To Darkness)
Bolt Thrower
By Maeve C.
Games Workshop supplied the cover art for Realm Of Chaos, and the title comes from Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness, a gaming book the company published in 1988. The whole album is tied to the Warhammer 40,000 background, in songs such as “World Eater”, “Plague Bearer” and “Through The Eye Of Terror”.
Bolt Thrower recorded at Loco Studios in April 1989 with engineer Tim Lewis, then mixed at Slaughterhouse Studios that July with Colin Richardson. Digby Pearson co-produced with the band for Earache. Compared with their earlier work, the songs push harder on speed and blast beats, with chaotic guitar solos from Gavin Ward and Barry Thomson around Karl Willetts’s vocals.
Sources
Label-run Bolt Thrower Bandcamp page (navigation “more from Earache Records”): “released October 28, 1989”. Fetched 2026-10-09.Metal Hammer feature (Joel McIver) on Louder: “On October 28, 1989, Bolt Thrower released the album Realm Of Chaos.”
Corroborates release on 28 October 1989 (Earache, Mosh 13); recorded at Loco Studios April 1989 (engineer Tim Lewis), mixed at Slaughterhouse Studios July 1989 (Colin Richardson); produced by Bolt Thrower and Digby Pearson; Games Workshop cover artwork; album tied to the Warhammer 40,000 background; title from a 1988 Games Workshop book; more speed, blast beats and chaotic guitar soloing than earlier work; line-up Willetts, Ward, Thomson, Whale, Bench. No reputable source seen gives a different day; a search summary noted some streaming listings of a later remaster showing 1 January 1989, a year-only placeholder, which is disregarded.