British death metal heroes Bolt Thrower began in the mid-1980s, playing a combination of hardcore punk and thrash. The intense sounds of their 1988 debut album were more in the grindcore mode, but over time they slowed down their sound and moved more towards death- and doom-metal stylings. Many of Bolt Thrower's fantasy-oriented lyrics are heavily influenced by the Warhammer fantasy games, from which the band also derived its name. Despite a number of personnel changes over the years, Bolt Thrower continued touring and recording into the 21st century.