Venom was clearly an influence on his early material, no doubt. The same thing goes for In the Sign of Evil era Sodom(to the point of being a rip-off) but Bathory was a hell of alot better than Venom. Quorthon took Venom's sound and improved on it by injecting some epicness on Blood Fire Death and Hammerheart. You can still heat alot of that Venom influence in those albums too.

I can't hear any Venom on Hammerheart. I'm not really sure I'd say Sodom was a Venom clone at any point, they certainly took a hell of lot of influence from them but the two's characteristic sound was always very different.

All true. Also, I'd say that Quorthon had purged most of the Venom influence by "Under the Sign". As great as the first two Bathory albums are, I don't think they really outdo their progenitors. That's why I valuee "Under the sign" and "Blood Fire Death" above all his other work.

Sodom was doing something completely of their own in 1982. Definitely not a Venom clone.

For Hammerheart, the vocals of Venom in a song like Vahalla for example are what came across to me. If you pull back,listen and squint you can hear it. It's more of melodic take on some of Venom IMHO.

I find it interesting that he not only disavowed knowledge of Venom but went out of his way to insist that he didn't like Manowar and they weren't an influence. Not that I would have suspected him as a Manowar fan, so why would he mention it? Maybe I need to dig up the interview in question.

You wouldn't? I sure would! LIsten to "The Sword" from "Blood on Ice" ... also "Gods of Thunder, Wind and Rain"....hell, the Manowar influence is all over those albums, but it goes back further than that ... the intro to "A Fine Day to Die" sounds more than a little like "Bridge of Death" to me, to say nothing of "Enter the Eternal Fire". When he started using the "Battle Hymn" drum beat, you could pretty much spot the influence from there onwards. He claimed not to be a fan and that they weren't an influence on his music .. I read as much at least on the Bathory site and perhaps elsewhere as well ... but I don't believe a word. Yes, it's possible for a band to unwittingly stumble upon something that's been done before, but QUorthon managed to "borrow" ideas liberally from all sorts of bands that he claimed never really interested him. While I admire his refusal to pander to scenes and so on, I think this was pretty low and transparent of him .. not so much to "rip off" these other bands, but to turn around and pretend that he knew nothing about it.

I remember an interview somewhere with him talking about seeing one of Manowar's album covers (had to be 'Hail to England') and liking it and then laughing when he saw a picture of the band because they looked like, to paraphrase, 'spaghetti eaters from the states' or something like that haha. Then he went on to say that he finally heard them and thought they were interesting and had their own unique sound. Was it in Lords of Chaos? Fuck, I can't remember.

I'm sure he's denied it too though, along with Venom of course, but I think he's just being facetious and/or he's just really insecure.

That's pretty much what Joey and Eric look like! I can remember reading Quorthon saying how NWOBHM had taught him to mistrust most American music, Manowar was obviously the exception along with some thrash. I think I saw a picture of him with Slayer or perhaps it was Slayer signing a Bathory vinyl for him. Either way there was definitely a story about him going to a Slayer gig and Bathory fans recognising him and chanting, well, "Bathory!" in the 1980s at some point.

Oh yes there's a picture of him with Slayer. Quorthon donning the majestic hairdo courtesy of Vidal Sassoon's anti-ozone products.

Hell, Quorthon's work is among the most influental works of metal. I think its safe to say he made music for us all to enjoy and bitch about.

Quorthon said in an interview once that he heard Slayer in 1983, but hated the annoying guitar solos and Araya's falsetto.

What's funny is that he was probably jacking off to "Metal Storm" right before the interviewer called.

Any person that doesn't jack off to Metal Storm is an idiot in my book.

i wonder if Slayer even remember meeting him, much less who he was.

A few years after that picture was taken, probably not but now I would be surprised if they don't know who Quorthon was. They can't be that far gone.

quorthon looks like he belongs in the Cold Lake era Celtic Frost lineup.

and i always thought Kerry King looked really cool with long hair.

You know, I REALLY tried to like Bathory, but I just find his music boring. I always think,"Hey, since I love Graveland, I should check out the guy Rob Darken completely copied from!" But I listen to Bathory and I just can't get myself to like it. Again, it's just...boring.

You say you tried but apparently you didn't try hard enough. Not that it takes any sort of trying. A few more listens of his golden era records and you will be a believer! Go with Hammerheart a little more and I promise you'll see the light. You can't miss it.

The first three albums are untouchable. But I like some stuff on the viking era, although Octagon and Requiem are so bland but there was nowhere to go after TotG and I didn't expect him or anyone else to even come up with a good enough follow up to that album.

The thing I hate about the first three albums is the production. It's so bad, its kinda hard to actually hear the riffs being played. I hear the guitar, but I could barely hear the riffs being played because of the fuzzyness. It's fucking weird that I would say that because I love black metal. Those albums are what turn me off to Bathory. I listen to songs like Nordland and Shores In Flames, and those songs kick ass. I'm going to give the Viking-era Bathory another whirl.

It's supposed to sound like that. That's what makes it genuine and authentic early black metal. There's no doubt you'll come around to being a huge fan of at least the Viking era. I'll put money on it.

I feel like Blood Fire Death has the most grating production. The tone is quite piercing in some sections. I find the production on even the debut to be easier to listen to.

I just finished listening to Twilight of the Gods again, and it's excellent, though not as good as Hammerheart and the Nordland albums. But the title track is probably one of his best songs.

I really love the Hammerheart song, it's a particularily beautiful piece in his awesome set of Viking-era albums.

Blood Fire Death was THE album that turned me off to Bathory. Songs were too long and boring, and they barely go anywhere. So since people consider that album to be his finest, I just thought to myself,"Why listen to his other stuff if his suppose best album is not enjoayable to me."

Oh and marktheviktor, you might, just might be right about me liking the Viking albums, because Hammerheart is kicking my ass. Going listen to his other Viking albums, and I'll be back.

I rate the albums in this order:

1. Under the Sign
2. The Return
3. Debut
4. Twilight of the Gods
5. Blood Fire Death
6. Hammerheart
7. The rest
11684385: Octagon and Requiem

The first three usually alternate depending on my mood.

If Blood Fire Death was reduced a little bit, it would be one of their best. The fast songs could do without a few verses and choruses.

Melody was taken from a classical piece. I believe it was Gustav Holst's The Planets. Anyway, Bathory certainly isn't for everyone. It's why he never went on tour or played live gigs _ever_. His biggest promotion thing was flying/driving around Europe meeting fans and signing shit. He certainly had influence from bands like Manowar and admitted to taking influence from Motorhead but, regardless of what influence he's had or claims he's had, what matters at this point is what music he has left seeing as how (extremely sadly) he's dead now.

But again, Bathory isn't for everyone. Some people like the real first 3 black metal albums (s/t, The Return and Under The Sign Of The Black Mark), some people prefer the Viking era of Bathory (BFD-TOTG+Nordland I+II) and maybe even some prefer his short solo stint/thrash stuff. He gave 3 different options of metal in order to not only express his creativity but so his fans always had something of his to listen to that would be different than the last. At least, that's my opinion on it, seeing as how the real-deal of what he decided to talk about is available on the official website (slightly out of date though: http://www.bathory.nu/index2.htm).

Basically what I'm getting at here is that Quorthon did what he wanted, he did it well and he founded 2 of the best genres of metal (in my opinion) in the process. Creating music for over 20 years and being a _God_ of metal you could say. Hopefully someone agrees with me over these statements..

My favorite album is "Blood On Ice". That album is awesome and has great atmosphere to it. There isn't enough love for this album.

I just finished reading a great interview on the BWBK forum from Quorthon (shortly before he passed). Interesting read. He says he doesn't remember 97% of the songs he's written from his catalog. He said that once he finishes an album he never listens to the material again, and doesn't recall the songs or even the song titles. Thought that was weird.

'Blood On Ice' is my favourite too.
I don't beleive he invented viking metal though - that award goes to Manowar, as abominatrix pointed out.


It's not worth analysing everthing Quorthon claimed - it's wellknown he made sport of spreading misinfo in interviews. Bullshit artist in otherwords
He did some hilarious interviews though, like when he claimed a Satanist female fan sent him a bag of dirt in the mail with a letter saying 'I masturbated on a grave last night - here's the dirt'

I just wish he'd collaborated more - his vocals, clean or extreme, were ALWAYS horrible, hate the drum machine use and shitty garage-production.

My favourite what-if metal lineup is if he'd joined Sodom as guitarist in '86 (Witchhunter went to Sweden at that time and rehearsed with him so it was possible) after Destructor left.
Before Angelripper and Quorthon traded Satanism for war and vikings. Imagine the album they'd have made... Would've been full-on, extreme, storming black metal.
You'd wipe out war-era Sodom (I could live with that), 'Under the Sign' and viking-era Bathory out of history though.

Twilight of the Gods is the easiest to get into. Give it time.

I have only started truly appreciating Under the Sign of the Black Mark recently. There is a lot to appreciate in his catalog if you are patient with it.

Here's some other things fans have sent him:

"The most bizarre photos would arrived, depicting everything from a young female fan dressed up as a nun masturbating with a crucifix, to a young male fan munching away on a dead rat. Fans would cut the band's name into their arms and happily snap a shot or two of themselves proudly displaying their arms spelling out the word BATHORY in fresh cuts, with heaps of blood splattered all over the floor. Youngsters around the world absorbed the lyrics and the imagery of the few January 1984 shots that had been published, and would send in pictures of themselves dressed up in a similar way. The difference was their pictures would usually show them either cutting a pig's head to pieces or torturing a kitten for added spice. Then there's always the old famous story with the plastic bag of dirt sent in by this girl in California back in 1987. Believing the dirt she had collected right next to this grave - where she had laid down to masturbate under the full moon one night - to contain unimaginable powers, she figured Quorthon might have some use for the dirt in his magic rituals...

One Swedish fan decided to get the band a present, but obviously didn't have the knowledge how to actually mail something, so he decided to leave the parcel by the door to the office building where the record company was then situated. And he couldn't think of anything more suitable to get the band than a decapitated kitten or whatever it now was. Luckily neither the band or the record company actually got the parcel. The mail staff thought it smelled funny and threw it away before it even got through to the office.

And these weird, amusing and/or charming stories were numerous during the late 80's and early 90's."

See Quorthon I can appreciate but that shit is just fuckin' disgusting.

next to their carving that says SLAAAAAYER!!!

Well, I just finished listening to every album of Bathory from Hammerheart onwards, and I gotta say that they were fucking awsome. Here's my ranking:

1) Hammerheart
2) Twilight of the Gods
3) Nordland I and II
4) Blood On Ice
5) Destroyer of Worlds

Hammerheart was my favorite album, while Twilight of the Gods come in close second. The Nordland albums were really fucking good, but there were a few songs here and there that didn't really work well with me. I really enjoyed Blood On Ice, but there were moments that sounded too much like Power Metal instead of Viking Metal. Destroyer of Worlds was the only album that I would say was bad. There was only about 5 songs that were good, while the rest was more into the Thrash Metal realm. You know I hate Viking Metal, except Graveland. I find it extremely boring, but for some reason, it seems Bathory does it the right way.

As for the first four albums, well I don't really enjoy them. As I said before, Blood Fire Death is what always turned me off to Bathory and I never gave an album after that a listen (big mistake!). I understand the signifigance of the first three albums, but the production is so bad that its hard to fully appreciate the albums. I'll keep them and wait for that possibility of them growing on me, but as of right now I just don't like them. So, marktheviktor, thanks for the reccomendation for Hammerheart.

I gotta tell you, after listening to the Nordland albums, the first thought that came to my head was, "Fuck! Why does Quothorn have to be dead?!"

I don't know what the hell Graveland is but based on this thread I guess I should listen to it.

I like it.

If you can get passed the vocals and the ridiculous imagery, Graveland is pretty good overall. I guess the 'Fire Chariot of Destruction' album is a good start.

Yeah, your seeking out of Hammerheart for another Viking-era Bathory twirl is what prompted me to write a review for that album recently.

Most Graveland albums are a good place to start. He's pretty consistently great, in my opinion. "Will Stronger Than Death" seemed to do a good job of pleasing fans of both Graveland's older and newer material. Personally I think "Memory and Destiny" is very underrated.

I think I already mentioned Morrigan in this thread, but they're another good band inspired by Bathory.