Review by Sam on June 1, 2026.

I was unaware of Norway's Blood Red Throne until recently when they were recommended to me by a trusted colleague. When one first hears of a Norwegian band it's easy to assume that the formation will be black metal, but in this case we're talking straight ahead, no frills death metal rooted in the old school. Led by main man Daniel "Død" Olaisen on guitar, these guys have been doing their thing rather prolifically since 1998. The here discussed new record, entitled "Siltskin", is their twelfth(!) full-length in under thirty years time. Some may be interested to know that the infamous Tchort of Emperor renown was a founding member of Blood Red Throne who rendered his six string services from '98 until 2010.

The dudes do not fuck around with cheap synthesizer generated album introductions and get right to the point on opening track "Scraping Out The Cartilage" with some glorious lead guitar atop an appropriately crunchy rhythm with the china cymbal struck on two and four to set the tone. From there, they blast off into thrashing nastiness a la "Beneath the Remains" which then settles into beefy mid-tempo double bass. The deathly vocals of Sindre Wathne Johnsen come across as a tasty blend of Corpsegrinder and Glen Benton, generally dwelling in a low register but often augmented with some higher pitched, almost black metal screams. Drummer Freddy Bolsø isn't flashy but he is highly skilled as he showcases high powered double bass variations along with some punishing thrash chops. Steve Asheim comes to mind when casting about for a comparison.

This album can assuredly be described as all killer no filler and the band's roster consists of professional, life-long musicians. Be sure not to miss Død's guitar playthrough video for third track Husk in the Grain. Olaisen appears to be quite an imposing figure as he rips his way through this barbaric beastie with the Norwegian flag proudly displayed in the background. BRT's other guitarist, Ivan "Meathook" Gujić, makes a brief appearance in the vid for his incendiary solo that ends with an epic and old school dive bomb. Well done, boys, and a tip of the cap for the cool sounding stage names.

Anodyne Rust is of particular note with its ripping introductory moments which are complimented by the blood curdling screams of Sindre Johnsen. The brutal kick drums and awe-inspiring melodicism are dialed high on this one. At about two minutes in, we are treated to a caveman stop-start crunch that allows naked and blazing double bass drums to bleed through, man I love it when that happens. Shortly thereafter are a couple tasteful deployments of the ol' Roland 808 on the downbeat. Say what you will about the implementation of this technique; I for one find it most enjoyable since I'm a big fan of Fear Factory's 1998 magnum opus "Obsolete".

It should be noted here that Metal-Archives lists Meshuggah as one of Død's favorite bands, and there a few times during the long play where this is evident. I realize that later period Meshuggah has devolved into straight up djent, but their work from the mid to late 90s was truly groundbreaking, and I'd wager that this the period that Død prefers. "Siltskin's" sixth track, "Vestigial Remnants", opens with a vertiginous sixteenth not groove with guitars and kicks synched up that drops into a tribal beat that calls to mind moments from Chaosphere by the oft-maligned Swedes. Blood Red Throne builds upon these motifs to create triumphant and memorable death metal. Additionally, I would be remiss in my journalistic duties not to mention the bass guitar of Stian Gundersen. The latter moments of the song "Vermicular Heritage" sees the musicality of the four string boldly sing out, and there are several instances throughout the record where Gundersen's adventurous playing style is prominent. Gotta love bassists who go beyond just following the root note.

"Siltskin" closes with "Marrow Of The Earth", which begins with a rare and ominous clean guitar. As I said earlier, Blood Red Throne do not fuck about. The opening calm morphs into an absolutely crushing sequence replete with 32^nd note kicks beneath tight clusters of palm muted low guitar. This song hints at an affinity for the progressive with its intricate riffage. At 4:18 they modulate seamlessly from a half time 4/4 feel into a similarly crafted 6/8 meter and the double bass defilement continues. A ponderous yet heavy as balls clean section then appears, complimented with an evilly spoken word bit. The song ends by splitting your skull on the pavement.

Blood Red Throne offers forty-five minutes of unrelenting fury with their latest release that would be suitable for fans of anything from Cannibal Corpse and Deicide to early In Flames or At the Gates. Also, I think it's safe to say that this album was created by guitarists, for guitarists. Enjoy the shred.

Rating: 9 out of 10 scraped out cartilages

Review by Jeger on November 2, 2025.

From out of the land of true Black Metal comes some true fucking Death Metal… Norway's Blood Red Throne! A project that was birthed in 1998 by then Satyricon players, Død and Tchort, who decided to start a band that would reflect their love of the Death Metal genre. Black Metal as we know it today would certainly not exist if it hadn't been for DM. Bands like Mayhem, Immortal, Darkthrone and even Sweden's Dissection began their musical journeys through playing Death Metal. And yet so many of us Black Metal folk shit on the genre. Not this ole boy… Give me Deicide, Morbid Angel and fucking Possessed all day! Give me true Satanic Death Metal, let's talk about chainsawed testicles and let's get brutal! Blood Red Throne is in, are you? Now, 27 years following their formation, Blood Red Throne are STILL killing it, and on December 5, they will unleash their twelfth LP, "Siltskin", via Soulseller Records.

Think Cancer or Massacre. "Siltskin" has that classic feel to it like how things were before everyone started getting all technical with Death Metal. I wouldn't say that Blood Red Throne is a unique band, or innovative in any way at all. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? With "Slitskin", Blood Red Throne takes an already-invented wheel and they restore it: polish it up a bit, touch it up and give it that modern gleam, all the while as they brutalize your cranium with crunching riffs, hearty chugs and a modest yet deadly drumming contribution. FFO Paganizer and Hooded Menace. For those of us who don't like a lot of fancy bullshit on our sandwich… Like a Whopper is "Siltskin" and every bit as satisfying. A slab of old-school DM done in Norway, but with a little old fashioned American and Swedish spirit.

From the very beginning of the bastardly opening track, "Scraping Out The Cartilage", all the way through to the final moments of the dagger, "Marrow Of The Earth", "Siltskin" delivers. There's something to say for sure about a band that possesses the ability to create fresh and energetic Death Metal by utilizing such classic techniques, tones and such patient tempos. Following the opening track, you'll take in the equally punishing "Beneath The Means" - a rhythmically bludgeoning album cut that will no-doubt inspire even those of you like myself who think that headbanging is stupid to bang your heads. I'm not going to actually do it, but if I were to, it would have to be to something like this. "Siltskin" just feels right. Organic is the word. There's nothing forced or awkward here, just that assured feeling that you're in good hands and that each track will be as good as the next.

You get to the point in your journey as an Artist where you have the ability to create pieces that flex your skills, but you also understand that things like tempo, mood and atmosphere are also important. In other words, sometimes less is more. Sometimes less is "Siltskin" and it just hits the spot. That's not to say that this album lacks power. "Anodyne Rust" delivers that element in spades, as a bordering-on-Deathcore brutality blitzkrieg ensues. Fucking screams, growls, pig squeals and breakdowns, but reined in by disciplined compositions, as opposed to the real radical shit that you get out of bands like Despised Icon.

You could listen to it all day. "Siltskin" is one of those albums that you could play for your friends who happen to also listen to Death Metal and just knock back some beers. It will be disliked by none, but it probably won't be considered anything like "album of the year" material by very many people including myself. I enjoyed this record thoroughly. I was neither bored nor enthralled. It was just what the Doctor ordered while I was in the mood to listen to Death Metal, and for some, that's perfection.

Rating: 8 out of 10