Blood on Ice

Ah yes, the "lost" Bathory album. It's also a concept album that alludes to Norse mythology. If you want more background information, look elsewhere, because under all the drama is an overlooked Viking gem.

The first thing to note is how wildly diverse this album is - giving further credence to Quorthon's incredible versatility: you have your typical hulking and slower paced viking fare ("Blood on Ice", "The Lake"); more traditional, slow, and melancholic folk ("Man of Iron", "The Ravens"); straightforward, fast, and flashy power metal ("Gods of Thunder, of Wind and of Rain"); and even a bit of punk/thrash ("One Eyed Old Man"). It all flows so effortlessly, making listening to the album straight through quite an entertaining experience.

Being varied is meaningless if the writer doesn't have the skill to back it up. Since this is Bathory we're talking about, of course it does. The compositions are catchy, even if it does feel like it we're treading old ground here and there ("Revenge of the Blood on Ice" is yet another "Blood Fire Death" clone. Well done, but a clone none the less). This album also hints at some of the greatness to come, like the folk masterpiece that is "Ring of Gold" to the emphasis on catchier tracks on Nordland I and II. I do wonder what other genres Quorthon could have conquered if he was given the time...

The actual performances, too, are impressive. I'd argue this album has Quorthon's best cleans, at least at points. His high end is way better here than it would be on the Nordland albums, at least in my opinion. I skimmed the concept album status briefly, but it works. It has a clear story, and Quorthon, excellent lyricist he was, tells it well. We also get to hear Quorthon say "Yee Haw!" on the last track, which if nothing else is amusing to picture. The other instruments are still excellent and up to Bathory par. Quorthon still has time to throw in his flashy solos, as if we expected anything else. Nothing feels out of place and everything comes together to create the cold landscape the title suggests. Well, almost.

Despite the good playing, the production mars it a bit, especially on the drums. A gross over correction of Octagon, no doubt. At their best, the drums are too loud and distract from the cool vocal harmonies and riffs, and at their worst they completely overtake the song. Everything else sounds serviceable, but not nearly as good as the later albums. This probably has to do with the fact that half of this was recorded in the 80s and the rest was recorded in the 90s.

In any case, Blood on Ice was an album that still feels kind of lost, even after being released. It's rarely mentioned in comparison to its follow ups, both intended and actual. It was released in a dark era in the Bathory timeline and suffered as a result. Would the album have fared better if it was released when it was intended? No, I don't think so. This album gave us (arguably) Quorthon's greatest vocal performance (Hammerheart and Twilight of the Gods are frequently derided for Quorthon's less than stellar vocals). He also now knew what worked and what didn't.

What I'm trying to say is Quorthon had the time to fix Blood on Ice, to make it something more than "That black metal whackjob's made a crap Manowar record!".

If only he had more... Hail Quorthon!

Highlights:
"Man of Iron"
"Gods of Thunder, of Wind and of Rain"
"The Lake"

P.S. This is probably my favorite Necrolord cover, if for no other reason than it's not "Evil Mansion #8125".