### Grand Supreme Blood Court: Bow down before the blood court

#### 21/01/13 || Habakuk

Look, I’m a huge fan of old school death metal – I was happy when Asphyx got back together for Death… the brutal way, liked Deathhammer even more, had dug Pentacle and Hail of Bullets in the meantime, even enjoyed newcomers Chapel of Disease last year.

It’s just that there’s a time when you’ve heard it. This is the third active Martin van Drunen-fronted band, complete with almost all of Asphyx’ line-up, current and past. The notable change is that Eric Daniels takes part – again. Sure, this could lead to uncontrolled slobbering with a fan of the style, and it does with some apparently. To me, this comes a few years late, and although I’m fully sympathetic to the idea of doing what you do best or playing traditionalist metal in general, at some point it’s a bit superfluous. That point has now been reached.

No, there are no real weaknesses that you don’t know anyway – Bob Bagchus is still a bit sloppy, the songs still blur together a little, and that’s all cool. The strengths are there as well, after all. Sawing guitars, death/doom alterations, church bells,…it’s just – man, haven’t I written this review before? This is absolute stagnation. You have to admire the sheer output of consistent quality releases by van Drunen and company, but calling it creative is beginning to stretch the term a bit. I recommend this to people who either REALLY REALLY REALLY love this style or have never ever heard it. Everybody in the middle – even those like me, who only really like it – have by now been saturated for at least a year or so.

It’s great to see the Dutch scene is still so tightly knit, but in this here case it’s beginning to feel a little incestuous. Maybe just form this big Dutch death/doom think tank, release half the number of albums, but only put out the very best material? There sure would be enough source material to choose from. Yeah, and that standard image with the score is a bit ironic:

- Information
- Released: 2012
- Label: Century Media
- Website: Grand Supreme Blood Court Facebook
- Band
- Martin van Drunen: vocals
- Eric Daniels: guitars
- Alwin Zuur: guitars
- Theo van Eekelen: bass
- Bob Bagchus: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. All rise!
- 02. Bow down before the blood court
- 03. The shall be no acquittance
- 04. Veredictum sanguis
- 05. Behead the defence
- 06. Grand justice, grand pain
- 07. Fed to the boars
- 08. Circus of mass torment
- 09. Public castration
- 10. Piled up for the scavengers
- 11. …and thus the billions shall burn