Bolt Thrower were a British death metal band from Coventry, England. They formed in 1986 as Bolthrower and changed to the commonly known spelling after their first official practise rehearsal demo in December. In September 14th 2016, a year after the death of Martin Kiddie Kearns, the band disbanded.

Bolt Thrower takes its name from a weapon in the popular tabletop strategy game Warhammer Fantasy Battle. The lyrics and artwork of their second and third albums were based on Warhammer Fantasy Battle and its futuristic companion Warhammer 40,000, with much of the art actually being provided by the game's publisher, Games Workshop.