Bolt Thrower was formed in September 1986, influenced largely by bands such as Slayer, Crass and Discharge.

[2] The band was founded by bassist Gavin Ward and guitarist Barry Thomson in a Coventry pub toilet during a hardcore punk gig.

Their debut LP, In Battle There Is No Law is only a half hour in length and reflects their early crust punk and grindcore influences.

The artwork for their second album was created by John Sibbick under contract for Games Workshop[4] for the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook released in 1987.

The record was released in 1989, titled Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness,[4] after the 1988 book of the same name published by Games Workshop.

The band even wrote a couple of songs about these games, including "Plague Bearer" and "World Eater".

After the recording of Realm of Chaos, they went on the 'Grindcrusher Tour' with labelmates Napalm Death, Carcass and Morbid Angel.

This EP also features two CD-bonus tracks from War Master, Realm of Chaos plus the song "Cenotaph".

[3] These three songs from the upcoming album were performed in raw versions, as well as "Lost Souls Domain" from Realm of Chaos.

[6] In 1997, Martin van Drunen decided to leave the band as he felt that he never really became a part of Bolt Thrower, and because he had a disease that made his hair fall out and gave him insecurity on stage.

Karl also returned to performing his previous style of singing; the hardcore punk influences have disappeared again.

The band members themselves do not approve of the compilation's release and warn not to buy it, considering it a cheap cash-in from Earache.

Following the release of Mercenary, the band embarked on a tour of Europe, called Into the Killing Zone, with Dave Ingram on vocals.

Honour - Valour - Pride was released in Europe on 19 November 2001,[8] and in the United States on 15 January 2002[9] on Metal Blade Records,[10] and shows a progression from the direction taken on Mercenary.

Unfortunately, right before the recording could begin, Dave Ingram decided to leave due to health and personal issues.

[6] Bolt Thrower announced that, as they were satisfied with the Those Once Loyal album, they would be indefinitely postponing the recording of another LP.

[13] Since releasing Those Once Loyal, Earache has released a remastered edition of the 1989 album Realm of Chaos featuring alternate artwork by John Sibbick, the artist responsible for the original artwork of both the Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader cover and Realm of Chaos - Slaves to Darkness.

[16] On 14 September 2016, the first anniversary of Kearns' death, Bolt Thrower announced on their website that they would not continue, explaining, "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.

"[18] On 7 March 2017, which would have been Kearns' 40th birthday, Bolt Thrower posted a lengthy statement on their website, which suggested that a reunion or possible new release in memory of him was in the works.