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Bathory > Under the Sign of the Black Mark > Reviews > Dethrone_Tyranny
Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark

Try not to get whiplashed to this... - 90%

Dethrone_Tyranny, May 6th, 2004

Man, forget the first two releases, becuase this one owns them in every way possible. The heaviness, distortion and speed have increased into something more extreme than the last two albums, and Quorthon's growls have also progressed into a more brutal tone, with screeches added in here and there. Raw, mean, evil and ugly, that's what this album is. What a fitting description...


Nocternal Obeisance - This is a pretty nice intro, and even though it could have been done better, it's pretty essential to have considering how the second track starts out...

Massacre - Without warning, this insane tune kicks right in through your speakers like a fire ball out of Hell. No musical build-up, no melody, no catchiness...just pure insanity and brutal torment to the human ear, if cranked up loud enough. Torment in a good way, that is...

Woman Of Dark Desires - Well this tune a bit more mid-paced, and much catchier than the previous tune, particularly with the chorus. The song itself is about Elizabeth Bathory, as anyone could easily tell by the lyrics. Overall, the song is very thrashy, and Quorthon's vocal work here is just genius. Even though this song is highly brutal, there are lots of groovy guitar riffs, as well as killer solos and organ synths added in. What a masterpiece!

Call From The Grave - Very nice! I love the slow, heavy pace to this one. Quorthon sounds as if he is doing mutli-growls here, as I can hear the lead vocals and backing vocals in the background behind the music as well. It adds so much to the madness and mood of the song. Now the highlight here is the guitar solo...It's not fast, nor is it extreme, but just the way it's done and the tone that is used makes it sound fucking incredible. It is the best solo on the album.

Equimanthorn - Here we have probably the fastest track on the album, very similar to most of the material on the follow up album, Blood Fire Death. The vox is sung (growled?) insanely fast, and Quorthon screeches most of the time here. The pace shifts, from 150mph beats, to a groovy mid-paced beat in the middle of the song. The speed then continues, followed by blazing fast solo to end off the song that might also ripp your face apart.

Enter The Eternal Fire - Now this is one of Bathory's all-time best. Slow and heavy, quite similar to Call From The Grave, but the growl is a bit less harsh on this one. The main riff is catchy as fuck, though. Simplistic, but catchy. Overall, the song has an evil, epic feel to it, and contains some of the coolest lyrics ever written. I mean, it's about being cast into Hell for eternity, and proof of that is heard towards the end when Quorthon is crying out to God because he's burning in the eternal fire. That has got to be the coolest part of the song, by far

Chariots Of Fire - Very similar to Massacre, both in pace and in length. I think this song has a bit more structure to it though. Straight out brutal speed metal, like a chariot ablaze, riding through the sky with nothing to stand in its path. The solo is also worth mentioning, for even though it's short, it's one of the best on the album.

13 Candles - Mid-paced and groovy in many places, along with a catchy as fuck chorus, consisting of dark, evil chants to fit perfectly with the mood. One of the more complexed songs on the album.

...of Doom - Another brutal speed metal assualt, very similar to Massacre and Chariots, but of all these three songs, this one has the best riffage. This song was actually written for the Bathory fan-base at the time. There's much more variety and complexity to this song as well, making it the best of all the speed-oriented songs on the album.