Metal Overview: Bathory (Part 1)

Hello fellow Otaku & Metalheads, and welcome......to the month of Bathory!

That right, Bathory! All throughout February I’ll be taking a look at one of the cornerstones of not just Black Metal, but the progenitors of Viking Metal as well. I’m something of a relatively recent convert to the Bathory faithful if I’m being honest, having only been listening to the band since April of 2018. However, it’s a conversion I take whole heartedly, as with so many bands outside my comfort zone I sit down and listen to I seem to like almost immediately. As with so many of the other bands with larger libraries, I’ll be splitting up this legend into 3 separate posts. This is an especially good move, since Bathory went all over the place in a sense. Let’s not waste anymore time: put on your corpse paint, light a candle in the room, and take a look at part 1 of my overview on Bathory!

Bathory (1984)

Our story begins in 1983 within the suburban district in Västerort in the western part of Stockholm Municipality, Sweden, known as Vällingby. 17-year-old Thomas Börje Forsberg (Then known as Ace, after Ace Frehley of Kiss) decided that the time was right to form a band. Taking up the guitar, he managed to acquire the services of bass guitarist Frederick Melander and drummer Jonas Åkerlund. They had the musical talent, but the band needed a name that would match their style.

After a visit to the London Dungeon, Quorthon (The new name that Thomas would select) had settled on Bathory as the name for the band, though Jonas says that it was taken from the Venom song "Countess Bathory", and the band had actually considered several names beforehand. Around this time, Quorthon was working part time at Tyfon Records, of which his father Börje Forsberg was the owner. In late 1983 to early 1984, the small record label was putting together the Scandanavian Metal Attack album, which was a collection of songs from various Scandanavian metal bands. By a stroke of luck, one of the bands happened to drop out of the project, and Tyfon let Bathory take their place on the album. They recorded 2 songs for the album, which were "Sacrifice" and "The Return of Darkness and Evil". These two songs alone incredibly drew in 95% of fan mail sent to the label after the record's release, and said fan mail was dedicated to Bathory!

After this overwhelmingly positive reception from the fans, Tyfon asked the band to record a full-length album, but unfortunately Quorthon’s bandmates had moved away. Replacing them would be Rickard Bergman as bassist and Stefan Larsson as drummer, and on the 22nd of May, 1984, they had their first and only rehearsal together before recording the album. After heading to a converted garage to record (Heavenshore Studio) and using it’s homemade eight-channel tape recorder for an incredibly short amount of time (32 and 56 hours), the recorded what would become their first album. Then on October the 2nd, 1984, their self-titled album was released.

The album must have done something right, as the 1000 copies were sold out in 2 weeks, and has gained something of a cult following since it came out. AllMusic critic Rob Ferrier wrote: "The music itself has a certain lo-fi charm, and if you're into this sort of thing the raw power of this debut cannot be ignored." Canadian journalist Martin Popoff called the album "a cruel joke but a historically poignant one" and remarked how, despite striving "to be the leading edge of repellent extreme", Quorthon's debut is very musical "versus the black-hearted Norwegian acts" that would cite him as a main influence. As for me, I like it! It’s not my favorite out of the band’s first 4 releases, but it definitely has some lo-fi charm to it that sometimes tickles my fancy.

Best Track? I’m kinda torn between Necromansy (Yes, that’s how it’s spelled on the album) & Raise The Dead. Both are lo-fi, raw, heavy, and absolutely chilling. Raise The Dead particularly so, and it feels like the foundation for another song I’ll be talking about later in this post. Regardless, these tracks are creepy to the 10th degree, and once you listen to them both you can see why this record helped create the first wave of Black Metal.

Necromansy

Raise The Dead

Worst Track? The length of time is perhaps the single biggest detriment to the band’s self-titled debut. Playing for just 26 minutes and 52 seconds, Bathory is the second shortest album to date I’ve covered (Razor’s Armed & Dangerous EP was the 1st shortest album I’ve covered). I was able to listen to this once and have it stick because of how bombastic it was, but for newer listeners you may want to play it a couple times.

Apart from the running time, the production value isn’t exactly all that good. Now, I believed the version I listened to was the re-mastered edition, but even still it comes across as incredibly dated just in terms of sound. I get that one of the appeals of Black Metal is the lo-fi sound and production, but even so I always found it lazy as far as the basic production is concerned. That being said, it provides to the atmosphere as much as it did during the second wave in the 90s (And perhaps even beyond in some cases), so I can’t complain that much.

Bathory. Maybe a bit on the short & dated side, but at the same time remains one of the most iconic founding releases for one of the most infamous Heavy Metal subgenres out there. If you’re in the mood for a quite proto Black Metal fix, then Bathory is for you. Next album!

The Return (1985)

If the self-titled debut was to show the world that they were around, then The Return was the statement. Released on the 27th of May, 1985, The Return is the album most think of as the definitive Black Metal album of the first wave of the genre. There are certainly many others (Mainly Venom’s iconic 2nd release, Black Metal), but for those like myself, we will always point to this album as where the style started. Lo-fi production, screeching guitar & vocal work, drumming that pounds like thunder, and filled to the brim with dark imagery that conjures things best left unmentioned. Even to this very day, The Return is regarded as one of the finest of Bathory’s career, and I for one agree with that sentiment. Everything they did on their last album, they amped up to 10 on The Return, and then broke to knob off so the neighbors can hear it!

Best Track? The Wind Of Mayhem is just a badass song! I absolutely love the mix of Thrash-like instrumentation coupled with Quorthon’s Black Metal shriek, and just how well both sides mesh so well together. I picture a group of metalheads deep in the woods at night, surrounding a massive bonfire, and trying to call up some kind of ancient demon to do their bidding. Quorthon himself said that The Return was the most evil piece of music he’d ever recorded, and from the sound of this song....he might be right.

The Wind Of Mayhem

Worst Track? Kinda like the band’s self-titled album, the production quality isn’t all that good. It still comes across as dated, and it easily shows it’s age. That being said, it sounds & feels far better than what came before it. It’s definitely a lo-fi production through & through, but I get the feeling that maybe Bathory had a little more money given to them on this release, and thus things sound a little bit better.

The Return. Dated? Most definitely! At the sametime, it’s the most logical step in the advancement of Black Metal, and an important step at that. However, as classic & evil as it may be, it wouldn’t compare to the blackened record that was to come. Next album!

Under The Sign Of The Black Mark (1987)

Sweet Lucifer’s light what an album! As dark & evil as the return was, I don’t quite think it could reach the level of wicked brutality that Under The Sign Of The Black Mark reaches. Released on May the 11th, 1987, the album marked something of a shift with it’s devilish imagery. Beforehand, Quorthon said that the band were not Satanists but used 'Satanic' references to provoke and attack Christianity. With this and the album to come, he realized that Satanism is a "Christian product", and started attacking both sides due to seeing them as "religious hocus-pocus". A bit odd to go after both sides, but who am I to judge, as Under The Sign Of The Black Mark is my favorite out of this terrible trio. As fantastic as The Return was, there was far more experimentation & risk taking on this album. Not only that, but it sounds the best when compared to what came before it, and has aged incredibly well since it came out 30+ years ago. If I was to recommend a Black Metal album from the 80s, this one will mostly likely be the first one I talk about!

Best Track? Call from the Grave hands down! If Kathaarian Life Code was a 90s Black Metal song that unnerved me, then this 80s titan is it’s equivalent. Atmospheric to a T, the 30-second buildup is that of a hoarse breathing, but once that time is up it tears into perhaps the most sinister guitar & bass playing there ever has been made, accompanied by drumwork that sounds like thunder. Quorthon’s vocals are at his best here, staying at a perfect mixture of shrieks, growls, and sinister rumbling. Though it only plays for nearly 5 minutes (4 minutes & 53 seconds to be exact), you’d swear that due to the immensely dark atmosphere it goes on for much longer.....but in a good way!

Call from the Grave

But take your pick everybody! Virtually every song on here is fantastic to listen to, and worth your time! From the slower paced Enter The Eternal Fire (My 2nd favorite track), to the more blistering songs like Equimanthorn and Woman of Dark Desires, there’s not a single track that isn’t awesome. Even the outro, despite being just 24 seconds long, harkens back to my favorite song off of the previous album.

Worst Track? Absolutely nothing! While still coming across as dated sounding, Under The Sign Of The Black Mark has aged far better than the two releases before it. Though the band is still using basic recording & production technology on this album, for whatever reason everything just sounds & feels like a piece of music that’s had some more attention given to it.

Under The Sign Of The Black Mark. Perhaps the most evil and sinister of Bathory’s 80s output, it might very well be one of the most important pieces of foundation for the Black Metal boom of the 1990s. Just as the band were poised for unholy domination however, for as the band would be essential for creating one metal genre......a year later they would be the creators of another. So let’s get on our horned helmets & chainmail, grab our axe, and jump onto the nearest longboat for some pillaging!

Blood Fire Death (1988)

After dominating a majority of the 1980s as one of the premiere founders of Black Metal, Quorthon and the gang made a jump from one side of the metallic fence to the other, and it’s name.....was Blood Fire Death. Released on October the 8th, 1988, Bathory departed from the satanic imagery somewhat, and instead used more from Norse mythology and Vikings. This made the band less evil in a way, but that wasn’t the only thing that changed. Songs had slower tempos, acoustic passages, and choral background singing. The end result is Blood Fire Death, the world’s first Viking Metal album. Despite this change, it was still firmly rooted in their Black Metal past, as the brutality of their older work never left. I welcome the change, as while I respect Black Metal far more than I once did, I’m still never going to be a full-blown fan.

Best Track? For All Those Who Died is an addictive little tune. Going in a more rhythmic & slower paced direction when compared to how scorchingly fast many of the songs were on the last album, it still keeps within a great deal of intensity. From the guitar & bass to the drums, and Quorthon’s smoother yet still screeching vocals, you’re in for a hell of a ride. This song definitely sounds like something that Vikings would listen to as they rode through the village, taking anything they want while they cut down any villager that gets in their way. Who doesn’t love that!?

For All Those Who Died

Worst Track? While a fantastic start for a new sub-genre, Blood Fire Death......at least for me.....comes across like Under The Sign Of The Black Mark part 2. Smoother in parts, less reliance on evil/satanic imagery, and production value that rises above the previous 3 records, but part 2 to the previously mentioned release regardless. I get that when a band tries/creates a new genre things aren’t immediate, but even then it’s shocking at how confusing it can be when you listen to UTSOTBM & Blood Fire Death back to back and not necessarily recall which album is which.

Blood Fire Death. A departure from the black & satanic into a more Norse realm, it never forgets where it once came from and delivers a blistering assault on your eardrums! If you weren’t fond of the intensity of Bathory’s last 3 releases yet still want something nice and heavy, then this is the album for you.

And that was part 1 of my look at Bathory. Not only did you see the roots of Black Metal, but you also got onto the first of their Viking longboats as well. Now we sail into the 1990s, and into the misty waters of the band’s Scandanavian age. Will they manage to be as powerful & relevant as they were in the 80s? See you all in a week or 2 to find out!


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If you’re curious about these albums, then click on the links below to listen:

Bathory

The Return

Under The Sign Of The Black Mark

Blood Fire Dead