Just two weeks after dropping their acclaimed sixth full-length album, Survival Of The Sickest, death metal beasts BLOODBATH massively hail towards the annihilating spirit of old-school death metal with a new music video for thrillingly violent song ‘Putrefying Corpse’. This vicious onslaught is driven by explosive death, thrash and black metal and features a roaring contribution by Barney Greenway (Napalm Death), proving the critically-acclaimed, cult-followed band has no limitations, leaving the scene in shreds.
With Survival Of The Sickest the legendary wicked force featuring current and former members of Paradise Lost, Opeth, Katatonia and Lik marks an evil comeback, presenting death metal at its ugly best: vicious, unrelenting and irrevocably sworn to the black!
Nick Holmes on ‘Putrefying Corpse’: “The process of human life with a soul and humility, to eventual death, as nothing but rotting meat for vermin.”
Formed by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström (both of KATATONIA), Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth) and Dan Swanö (Edge Of Sanity) in 1998, BLOODBATH devoted themselves to resurrecting the increasingly forgotten art of pure death metal. In 2014, they unveiled a new frontman – legendary Paradise Lost vocalist Nick Holmes, now redubbed Old Nick – and yet another macabre musical evolution.
With a line-up of Renkse, Nyström, Per ‘Sodomizer’ Eriksson, Martin ‘Axe’ Axenrot and Holmes, the only way to go was grim. Fueled by new guitarist Tomas ‘Plytet’ Åkvik (Lik), BLOODBATH’s latest and greatest album and Napalm Records debut, Survival Of The Sickest, gleefully confronts the slavering ghoul lurking in the shadows, and treats him to songs of ripping death metal frenzy.
Alongside BLOODBATH’s official alumni, Survival Of The Sickest boasts a smattering of irresistible cameos from the great, good and ghoulish of the metal underground, including Barney Greenway (Napalm Death), Luc Lemay (Gorguts) and Marc Grewe (Morgoth).
From the thuggish brain-smash of opener ‘Zombie Inferno’ to the bleak, obsidian ooze of closer ‘No God Before Me’, Survival Of The Sickest is the sound of a great band in blistering form. In contrast with The Arrow Of Satan Is Drawn, which borrowed heavily from the blackened end of the death metal world, the new BLOODBATH goes straight for the jugular in true old school fashion. With strong echoes of everything from Morbid Angel and Death to Deicide and Obituary, songs like the disgustingly slow and heavy ‘Dead Parade’ or the deliciously twisted ‘Tales Of Melting Flesh’ breathe fresh fire into an arcane, perpetually rotting formula.
Survival Of The Sickest tracklisting
1. Zombie Inferno
2. Putrefying Corpse
3. Dead Parade
4. Malignant Maggot Therapy
5. Carved
6. Born Infernal
7. To Die
8. Affliction of Extinction
9. Tales of Melting Flesh
10. Environcide
11. No God Before Me
Survival Of The Sickest is available in the following formats:
Digisleeve CD Edition
Digital Full Length Album
1 Tape Edition – Brown Transparent with blue print – limited to 200, Napalm Records Shop exclusive
Wooden Box Edition (incl. Digisleeve, Mouse Trap, Album Cover Flag, Cover Patch) – limited to 500, Napalm Records Shop exclusive
1LP SKY BLUE – limited to 300, Napalm Records Shop exclusive – SOLD OUT!
1LP DARK GREEN – limited to 500, Napalm Records Shop exclusive
1LP PICTURE VINYL – limited to 500, Napalm Records Shop exclusive
1LP GLOW IN THE DARK – Band Shop only
1LP BLACK
BLOODBATH are:
Nick Holmes – vocals
Anders Nyström – guitar
Tomas Åkvik – guitar
Jonas Renkse – bass
Martin ‘Axe’ Axenrot – drums
