(Fourth Crusade)
Wow, Spearhead is the battle cry of the ages. Whale's drums have never sounded more like a platoon of soldiers "marching onward" than here. I love the almost tribal sound he achieved as Baz, Jo and Gav rise up to join him in the ranks.
Karl is in wonderfully brutal form here, the lyrics direct viciousness make his delivery even more potent: the loss of one's self to the (not quite) greater cause of war.
"I look to the reflection/Fail to Recognize what's seen/A figure clothed in hatred/I pray this cannot be..."
The downward spiral of the good soldier as they realize the only way out is by giving into berserk fury.
And that riff which closes the longer version, like the exotic Cenotaph-riff that plays over the most brutal part of Entrenched, I hope that Baz builds songs around these riffs. They're too brillaint to be consigned as a bit of ump. This epic Bolt Thrower song retains all the trademark butt kick of their shorter bombasts - yet it achieves what the band strives to do in creating more a grandiose style track.
I bang my head in tribute.
Lyrically it seems like the psychological breakdown of a young, inexperienced soldier dying on the field. As usual, the music works in tandem to convey this visual in my head. I love when the heavier Bolts tunes do this and Tank remains one of For Victory's more lethal attacks.
©Selected imagery/lyrics Bolt Thrower, graphics/code modified by Kaz, all other content © Kaz
