Karl Willetts (born 21 September 1966) is an English death metal vocalist, best known as the lead singer of

Bolt Thrower Bolt Thrower were an English death metal band from Coventry. They formed in 1986 and released their first album with Vinyl Solution in 1988. The band then shifted to a new record label, Earache Records, soon becoming one of the best selling b ...

and Memoriam.

Biography

Willetts joined the British death metal band

in 1988. Before that, he drove the backline of the band. He stayed with Bolt Thrower until 1994, after the recording of '' ...For Victory''. He left the band mainly because he wanted to go back to university and finish his degree. Willetts rejoined as a session vocalist for the recording of ''

Mercenary A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any ...

'' and left shortly thereafter because of financial reasons and lack of commitment. In the meantime, he got a job as a salesman of insurances besides other jobs. He resides in

Solihull Solihull (, or ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in West Midlands County, England. The town had a population of 126,577 at the 2021 Census. Solihull is situated on the River Blyth ...

. Rumours persisted he had returned in 2001, but he did not. However, in November 2004, he actually did re-join Bolt Thrower after the departure of

Dave Ingram David Richard Bjerregaard Ingram (born 25 January 1969) is a death metal vocalist from Birmingham, England. He began his career replacing Mark "Barney" Greenway in UK death metal band Benediction when Greenway decided to focus solely on Napal ...

. Willetts now has a degree in Cultural Studies from the

Birmingham University , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

. Willetts stayed in Bolt Thrower until the band broke up in 2016, following the death of drummer Martin Kearns the year before. Willetts also did some guest vocals with UK

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

band

Doom Doom is another name for damnation. Doom may also refer to: People * Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed * Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist * Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher * ...

on their Peel Sessions album and UK death metal band

Benediction A benediction ( Latin: ''bene'', well + ''dicere'', to speak) is a short invocation for divine help, blessing and guidance, usually at the end of worship service. It can also refer to a specific Christian religious service including the exposit ...

on two accounts; one on "Jumping at Shadows" which appears on ''The Grand Leveller'' and ''Dark is the Season''; the other on "At the Wrong Side of the Grave", which is a cover of

The Accüsed The Accüsed is an American crossover thrash band from Seattle founded in 1981. The band was a progenitor of the crossover style that bridged the gap between thrashcore and thrash metal, later influencing grindcore and some crust punk bands; ...

and appears on the ''Transcend the Rubicon'' album. Willetts was a vegetarian for a long while, but started eating meat prior to 2006.

Discography

Bolt Thrower

* '' In Battle There Is No Law!'' (1988) * '' Realm of Chaos'' (1989) * ''

Cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the vast majority of cenot ...

'' (1991) * ''

War Master ''War Master'' is the third album by British death metal band Bolt Thrower. It was recorded at Slaughterhouse studios in September 1990 and produced by Bolt Thrower and Colin Richardson. It was released on Earache Records: Mosh 29 in 1991. W ...

'' (1991) * '' The Peel Sessions 1988–90'' (1991) * '' The IVth Crusade'' (1992) * '' Spearhead'' (1993) * '' ...For Victory'' (1994) * ''

War War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

'' (1994) * ''

'' (1998) * ''

Who Dares Wins ''Who Dares Wins'' (Latin: ''Qui audet adipiscitur''; el, Ο Τολμών Νικά, ''O tolmón niká''; french: Qui ose gagne; it, Chi osa vince; Portuguese: ''Quem ousa vence''; German: ''Wer wagt, gewinnt'') is a motto made popular in the ...

'' (1998) * '' Those Once Loyal'' (2005)

Memoriam

* ''For the Fallen'' (2017) * ''The Silent Vigil'' (2018) * ''Requiem for Mankind'' (2019) * ''To the End'' (2021)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willetts, Karl English male singers Bolt Thrower members Alumni of the University of Birmingham English heavy metal singers Living people 1966 births