Bathory - Blood Fire Death
By LePhilosopheAthé

Blood Fire Death is Bathory's fourth album, and possibly the darkest of them all. This album doesn't stretch too far from the band's traditional sound, yet a keyboard-played introduction and more melodic guitars have been incorporated into the music this time. The sound is as macabre and raw as on previous albums (Bathory, The Return and Under the Sign of The Black Mark), but now feels a bit more melancholic, a fact which left metalheads pondering on whether the band would change styles or not. This was case with Blood Fire Death's successor Hammerheart , but that's another story.

This album is the first on which the mysterious Quorthon doesn't act alone. Drummer Vvornth and bassist Kothaar accompany Bathory's legendary founding member on this incredible album. The cover uses a superb ancient painting representing the army of Odin/Wotan marching to death as the apocalyptic Ragnarök takes place. This is quite an aesthetic change for Bathory, when compared to previous cover artwork.

The melodic introduction aside, Bathory mostly retains - throughout the majority of the album - it's primitive, aggressive and raw trademark sound (that of its three first albums, that is). Its typical uninspired thrash solos also abound, and Quorthon's vocals remain the same, just like the fans want them to be. The sound is still dark and dirty, but the riffs feel a lot less thrashy in general. Blood Fire Death is Bathory's last Black Metal album, before Quorthon decided to take a more Folkloric turn. Massive. Historical.

10/10

Black Metal



Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark
Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark
By LePhilosopheAthé

One thing is important to mention about Bathory: at the beginning, they (he, should I say) have composed some Black Metal influenced by Thrash, and evolving towards pure black, they added medieval and Viking elements to finally become completely folkloric. The evolution is a main part of their music, and, even if I don't appreciate the path this band had taken, it was in this way that the band destroyed itself for some, and improved for others.

"Under the Sign of the Black Mark" was one of the first Black Metal albums. Bathory's first ones ("Bathory" and "The Return") were more based in Thrash Metal. However, the one I am presently talking about is completely black. Considering the context of 1986, this album is a classic of this style, as Mayhem's "Pure Fucking Armageddon" and "Deathcrush" are. These albums are real Black albums. Many who consider Venom as Black Metal are in opposition with this affirmation, because Venom is older than Bathory, and even older than Mayhem. It is true to say that Venom was one of the principal influences of many Black compositors of our time, (favourite band and principal inspiration of Euronymous), but their music wasn't Black Metal. Bathory was the very first Black band to appear and "Under the Sign of the Black Mark" is one of their best.

Musically speaking, the album is fast and dark like real Black Metal should be. The simplicity is flagrant, but it is so dark and bad as music, that we loose ourselves in the beauty of this simplicity. On the album, Quorthon is the unique member of the band. The songs are as good as the others. On another hand, it isn't as melodic as we find it today. It is cold. The most ceasing piece is "Equimanthorn". A classic of brutality! For those who appreciated Dark Throne and company and who didn't taste Bathory's first album (an improbable thing), this album is a MUST. The only unpleasing thing for a Black Metal album is that there are too much guitar solos that leave the mark of the Thrash influences of the band.

If you want to hear a real good old album of pure Black and you don't know which one to choose, "Under the sign of the Black Mark" is an excellent choice to make; a classic of the style. After having heard the entire album, I feel like screaming with Quorthon:

"Woman of dark desires
Woman of eternal beauty
Woman of dark desires
Elizabeth Bathory!!!!"

10/10

Black Metal



Bathory - Octagon
Bathory - Octagon
by Kint

Bathory's first album I listened to was "Bathory", the first of them all. On first listen, Bathory seemed to play a kind of melodic Black Metal music. Oh, by the way, this band is entirely (music, lyrics, design, photos) produced by a man named Quorthon, which never do any shows. The years pass and I finally get another of Bathory's recording, "Octagon". What a disappointment!!
First, this album is more about Hardcore than Black. Second, the sound is atrocious, exactly like that of a garage band. Drums are worse, guitars inexistant and vocals sound like a raucous grand-mother's voice. Recording quality is bad too. Lyrics aren't better, I could've written something greater in ten minutes during a Metro ride. Bathory produced, to this year, 10 albums in 10 years. Impressive, if it was not of the fact that, with each passing album, Bathory seems to become more and more mediocre. Octagon is composed of eleven songs, but listening to the first two songs makes us want to climb into an elevator and listen to more "intelligent" music (noticed the irony here?). There really is nothing good about this album, except the fact that it makes a good frisbee... well, not that good, for 25 dollars... anyway this is Bathory's worse, and I truly hope Quorthon will immediatly correct the situation.

2/10

Black/Death Metal



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