Album
Realm of Chaos
Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness is the second studio album by British death metal band Bolt Thrower, released on 28 October 1989 through Earache Records. It followed In Battle There Is No Law! from 1988 and was recorded at Loco Studios in April, then mixed by Colin Richardson at Slaughterhouse Studios in July. The band produced it with Digby Pearson.
The record is bound up with Warhammer 40,000. Its title comes from a 1988 Games Workshop gaming book, and the cover art was produced by the same company. Musically it steps up from the debut in speed and riffing, leaning hard on blast beats and chaotic guitar solos, yet the band's weighty, signature riffs are still firmly in place. A 2005 Earache reissue carries new artwork, though the band themselves advise against buying it.
Realm of Chaos: tracklist and credits
12 tracks · 38:12Tracklist
- 1IntroBench, Thomson, Ward, Whale, Willetts1:17
- 2Eternal WarBench, Thomson, Ward, Whale, Willetts2:08
- 3Through the Eye of TerrorBench, Thomson, Ward, Whale, Willetts4:22
- 4Dark MillenniumBench, Thomson, Ward, Whale, Willetts2:59
- 5All That RemainsBench, Thomson, Ward, Whale, Willetts4:39
- 6Lost Souls DomainBench, Thomson, Ward, Whale, Willetts4:13
- 7Plague BearerBench, Thomson, Ward, Whale, Willetts2:54
- 8World EaterBench, Thomson, Ward, Whale, Willetts4:55
- 9Drowned in TormentBench, Thomson, Ward, Whale, Willetts3:05
- 10Realm of ChaosBench, Thomson, Ward, Whale, Willetts2:50
- 11Prophet of HatredBench, Thomson, Ward, Whale, Willetts3:53
- 12OutroBench, Thomson, Ward, Whale, Willetts0:58
- Produced by
- Bolt Thrower, Digby Pearson, Bolt Thrower, Colin Richardson, Digby Pearson and Bolt Thrower
- Recorded at
- Loco Studios
- Recorded
- Loco Studios, April 1989
- Mixed by
- Tim Lewis, Colin Richardson
- Mixed at
- The Slaughterhouse
- Engineered by
- Colin Richardson, Tim Lewis
- Labels
- Earache Records, Earache, Relativity
- Length
- 38:12
Line-up
- Jo Bench · electric bass guitar, bass guitar
- Barry Thomson · electric guitar, guitar family
- Gavin Ward · electric guitar, guitar family
- Andrew Whale · drums (drum set)
- Karl Willetts · lead vocals, vocals
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
57.8
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
1.2k
ListenBrainz listeners
38k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
3.9k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 28 October
Every year →
Around the Fur
Deftones · 1997
Never Mind the Bollocks Here’s the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols · 1977
News of the World
Queen · 1977
SURRENDER 40 SONGS, ONE PLAYLIST
U2 · 2022
Anthology 3
The Beatles · 1996
Afterburner
ZZ Top · 1985
The Stage
Avenged Sevenfold · 2016
Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions
KISS · 1997
Brotherhood of the Snake
Testament · 2016
Galore: The Singles 1987–1997
The Cure · 1997
Greatest Hits II
Queen · 1991
Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy
Helloween · 2005
More from Bolt Thrower
Full discography →
The best of 1989
All of 1989 →
Disintegration
The Cure · 1989
Bleach
Nirvana · 1989
Mother’s Milk
Red Hot Chili Peppers · 1989
Doolittle
Pixies · 1989
Pretty Hate Machine
Nine Inch Nails · 1989
The Real Thing
Faith No More · 1989
Pump
Aerosmith · 1989
Blew
Nirvana · 1989
Steel Wheels
The Rolling Stones · 1989
Trash
Alice Cooper · 1989
The Offspring
The Offspring · 1989
Hot in the Shade
KISS · 1989
More on Earache Records
The label →
Scum
Napalm Death · 1987
Slaughter of the Soul
At the Gates · 1995
Heartwork
Carcass · 1993
Harmony Corruption
Napalm Death · 1990
Blessed Are the Sick
Morbid Angel · 1991
Necroticism: Descanting the Insalubrious
Carcass · 1991
From Enslavement to Obliteration
Napalm Death · 1988
Swansong
Carcass · 1996
Symphonies of Sickness
Carcass · 1989
Wolverine Blues
Entombed · 1993
Utopia Banished
Napalm Death · 1992
Fear, Emptiness, Despair
Napalm Death · 1994
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 28 October 1989 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 28 October 1989 | |
| Wikidata | 1989 | |
| US release | 1989 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 28 October 1989 | earliest UK or European date |
14 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | US | Earache Records | 088561203429 | other |
| 28 October 1989 | GB | Earache Records | 5018615101321 | original |
| 28 October 1989 | GB | Earache Records | 5018615101314 | original |
| 1993 | KR | Metal Force | 8801035394124 | other |
| 1995 | US | Earache Records | 745316001326 | other |
| 5 April 1995 | US | Earache Records | 745316001340 | other |
| 2005 | XE | Earache Records | 5055006501315 | other |
| 21 February 2006 | US | Earache Records | 745316130125 | other |
| 25 March 2009 | XW | Earache Records | 5055006501315 | other |
| 2012 | GB | Earache Records | 5055006501353 | other |
| 22 February 2013 | XW | Earache Records | 5055006501339 | other |
| 31 March 2017 | GB | Earache Records | 817195020399 | other |
| 11 January 2019 | XE | Earache Records | 817195021082 | other |
| 2025 | GB | Earache Records | 817195020399 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · upscaled: minor: best source 1417x1417, upscaled to 1500 (x1.06)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1417×1417 | upscaled: minor: best source 1417x1417, upscaled to 1500 (x1.06) |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |