Bolt Thrower break up

boltthrower

UK death metal pioneers Bolt Thrower officially announced they have broken up today via their official website. They disbanded following the death of drummer Martin “Kiddie” Kearns one year ago today.

We spent over 20 years together, touring the world, with 3 different vocalists, but he was so much more than just a drummer to us. So when we carried his coffin to his final resting place, the Bolt Thrower drummer position was buried with him. He was, and will now forever remain THE Bolt Thrower drummer, our Powerhouse and friend Martin “Kiddie” Kearns.

Bolt Thrower vocalist Karl Willetts also tweeted the following:

Willetts will continue playing some Bolt Thrower material as part of his new band, Memoriam. Read our interview with Willetts for more details.

Kearns was the band’s longest-running drummer, even if he only played on their last two albums, Honor, Valour, Pride with vocalist David Ingram (currently in Hail of Bullets) and Those Once Loyal, with Willetts, which turned ten last year. Bolt Thrower, to me, represented a gold standard for death metal as a style. If anything ever reminds me of Bolt Thrower, I am predisposed to like it. That said, Bolt Thrower never sounded like anyone but themselves. I was lucky to see them perform live twice, and each time they floored me. Metal, and all music, says goodbye to an underappreciated outfit today.

Rest in peace, Martin Kearns.

Listen to all their albums on Spotify below.

this article has been edited to more properly reflect Kearns’s recorded discography with Bolt Thrower.