Since they are one of my favourite bands of all time, I've decided to review every album from the self-titled to the Nordland-albums. It's for all the newcomers to this band and for everyone else who are interested in my opinion. I love every era of the band (maybe not the more thrashy one if I even should count that one in...) and especially the viking-era with albums such as Hammerheart and Blood on Ice. So here we go!
Bathory
This is their first release, and here we have thrashy early black metal in the veins of Venom, but more rawer and evil in it's approach.
This album was one of the very few that shaped black metal and made it a genre on it's own, it's also my favourite among the first Bathory-albums. The album is fast and straight to the point with lyrics about satanism and stuff. It's hard to choose standout-tracks from this album since all the tracks are on the same (high) level and there's not much to set them apart, but I will try.
Standout-tracks: Sacrifice, In Conspiracy With Satan, War, Raise the Dead
The Return...The first intro-track sets the tone, Bathory are back and they are even more evil and menacing than before! The production is muddier and the album has a darker tone than before, but otherwise things are pretty much the same, though I prefer the first album.
Standout-tracks: The Return of the Darkness and Evil, Born for Burning
8/10
Under the Sign of the Black Mark
Things are slowly starting to happening here as Quorthon & co releases their 3th album. The songs are longer and some songs like Enter the Eternal Fire has some more epic stuff going on in it. But people still had no clue about what would come later on.
Stand-out tracks: Enter the Eternal Fire, Chariots of Fire, Equimanthorn
9/10
Blood Fire Death
This album is like a mix of black metal and the viking metal that would come here-after. It has some very fast, almost thrash-songs like The Golden Walls of Heaven and For All Those Who Died but also some very much epic songs like A Fine Day to Die and the title-track. While still retaining the harsh vocals from the band's earlier records this album stand on it's own feet.
Standout-tracks: A Fine Day to Die, The Golden Walls of Heaven, Dies Irae
10/10
Hammerheart
Here it is, labelled as the first viking metal-album ever from some people which means Quorthon single-handely created two genres if we should count Bathory as the first black metal-band. In this album we've got acoustic guitars, viking-choirs, all that stuff! Also the band's probably most famous songs, One Rode to Asa Bay, is on here. The album is full of classic songs, the only ones that I think are not really worthy to be on this album is Father to Son and Baptised In Fire and Ice.
Standout-tracks: One Rode to Asa Bay, Shores In Flames, Song to Hall Up High, Valhalla
10/10
Twilight of the Gods
With songs such as the 14-minute long title-track, Bathory's early minimalist black metal-days seems pretty much over. This album continue in the vein of Hammerheart, but a little less harsher and even more epic. Though I think that it doesn't really has the guts to beat Hammerheart. Still, a classic and a mindblowing album.
Standout-tracks: Twilight of the Gods, Under the Runes, To Enter Your Mountain
9/10
Requiem
Twilight of the Gods was meant to be the last Bathory-album but they returned only three years after with this one. This album is another complete turnover in the Bathory-catalouge, what we have here is actually thrash. It's ok if you listen to it as a thrash-album but doesn't live up to the high level Quorthon has set for himself at all.
Standout-tracks: Requiem, Crosstitution
6/10
Octagon
This is the ONLY Bathory-album which is actually bad. Still retro-thrash but it seems like Quorthon just throwed this album out on the market. The only song I enjoy from this one is Born to Die. Luckily enough Quorthon would not ever come near this low level again.
Standout-tracks: Born to Die
3/10
Blood on Ice
Here we have Bathory back in top-form! (even if the tracks were done between Hammerheart and Twilight of the Gods). Most people seems to see this album as one amongst the others but I think it's a worthy challenger to Hammerheart, the album is as epic as it gets! It's also the first and only concept-album from Bathory but I'm not gonna write about the story here, discover about it yourself!
Standout-tracks: The Lake, Gods of Thunder of Wind and of Rain, Man of Iron, The Stallion
10/10
Destroyer of Worlds
This is to be seen as the real continuation to Octagon since, like I said, Blood on Ice contained old tracks. Sounds like a mix between Requiem and Twilight of the Gods. Not 100 % good but much, much better than Octagon.
Standout-tracks: Ode, Sudden Death, Lake of Fire
7/10
Nordland I & II
Quorthon's last albums before he died, was supposed to be four Nordland-albums but he only managed to finish two. A full return to the viking metal Bathory played before Requiem. The production is a bit clearer this time and it also seems that Quorthon has putted in some more traditional metal-riffs in it but pretty much the same style as Hammerheart, Twilight of the Gods etc.
Standout-tracks: Nordland, Foreverdark Woods, Vinland, The Messenger
9/10
