BOLT THROWER's 'Boltfest' Raises $20,000 For Teenage Cancer Trust

BOLT THROWER's birthday bash, Boltfest, has succeeded in raising a considerable sum for Teenage Cancer Trust. The show held at the HMV Forum in London, England on April 7, included an impressive lineup handpicked by BOLT THROWER: AUTOPSY, DISCHARGE, BENEDICTION, and VALLENFYRE — all of whom, according to BOLT THROWER, helped "contribute to great memories" throughout their 26-year career. All 2,050 tickets sold out in just over two weeks, with the band hoping to achieve their target of £10,000 for Teenage Cancer Trust.

Commented the band: "The next piece of news, and the one which we're most proud of, is to let you all know the amount we've raised for Teenage Cancer Trust: £12,411.80 (approx 15,000 Euros / $20,000)!!! The money has already been handed over to TCT, so on behalf of them we'd like to thank everyone who donated by participating in Boltfest."

BOLT THROWER previously stated about its decision to stage Boltfest, "Anniversaries are kind of easy to achieve. For a band, just don't split up and you'll reach one, whether it's 10, 20 or 35 years. And this year we've reached '25 years of not splitting up!' We managed to stop others from making a big fuss about it, and didn't give in to the numerous offers and suggestions on how we should cash in on it! But it has made us appreciate the opportunities we've been given since 1986, and that we've been able to do everything we wanted to do without compromising in any way.

"We've been lucky enough to have played a lot of killer shows with great bands and met a lot of very cool people over the years, and we think that's the stuff that deserves some kind of celebration. So, we want to organize a ['Boltfest'], where we can reunite with some of these bands and invite you, the people who have supported us over the last 25 years."

As previously reported, the last three albums from BOLT THROWER — "Mercenary" (1998),"Honour Valour Pride" (2001) and "Those Once Loyal" (2005) — were reissued on vinyl on October 24, 2011 via Metal Blade Records. All three albums were released as gatefold LPs in colored vinyl, limited to 1,000 units each.

BOLT THROWER indefinitely postponed plans to record a new studio album after the band realized that the new stuff it had written "just doesn't match up" to the group's last CD, "Those Once Loyal". "We have a lot of pride in our back catalogue, and we refuse to turn into one of the many bands (like the ones we grew up listening to) who end up releasing crap, and we're also not prepared to compromise by instead releasing an album of cover versions or a 'best-of' album," BOLT THROWER explained in a statement.

"Those Once Loyal" entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 76 — the group's highest-charting release in Germany so far. The follow-up to 2001's "Honour, Valour, Pride" was recorded at Andy Faulkner's Sable Rose studios and was the band's first album since the return of original vocalist Karl Willetts as a full-time member.