Three Years Standing Proud in Valhalla...

Three Years Standing Proud in Valhalla... is the second and, sadly, last installment of 7” Bathory tributes put out by Necroterror Records in 2007. Once again the label brings two bands together celebrate the legacy of Quorthon. The first edition, Two Years Standing Proud in Valhalla... featured two Greek black metal bands, Macabre Omen and Order of the Ebon Hand, and was marketed as a Hellenic tribute to Bathory. This second installment again features Macabre Omen, but this time alongside Canadian black metal outfit Thesyre. Both bands contribute a single track to the split, which was, like its predecessor, limited to 250 copies.

Macabre Omen chose to cover “To Enter Your Mountain” from Twilight of the Gods. Macabre Omen's sound owes heavily to Bathory, but rather than outright mimicry, the band's back catalog is filled with the epic pacing and grandiose majesty of Bathory's Viking era combined with the theatrics and melodic tendencies of the Hellenic black metal scene. Macabre Omen does a great job with the cover, bringing a sound that's very similar to the original. Vocalist Alexandros has a style that it pretty similar to mid-era Bathory, but his vocals sound more confident during the cleaner sections. While everything seems to be spot on, the drum sound is a little loud, which takes away from the meaty guitar riffs. It's still a great cover from a band that owes a hell of a lot to Bathory.

Thesyre is a Canadian black metal band that formed in 1995. Led by Eric Syre, the band was a solo project until around 2002. The band is one of the forerunners in the Quebec black metal scene, with four full length albums to date. Much like the addition of Order of the Ebon Hand on the first split, it's interesting that Thesyre was chosen to participate, as their material really doesn't have a lot of Viking era Bathory vibes. Regardless of what Thesyre's other material sounds like, their cover of “Home of Once Brave”, from Bathory's Hammerheart is competent and enjoyable. That being said, the band sticks fairly close to the original, as even Eric Syre's vocals croon with that mid-period Quorthon chant, although a little smoother (read: less strained than Quorthon's style). The acoustic guitar bits at the beginning sound a little thin, but once the heavier chords kick in it's close to the original. Sure, the production is a little cleaner and the bass is less prominent, but it's a good cover. Perhaps I was expecting the band to add a dash of their blackened, punked up riffing into the song, but being that this is a tribute to the legacy of Quorthon maybe my expectations were out of line. It's a good cover that brings a relatively clean sound to a classic song.

Once again two bands bring excellent covers of Bathory to pay tribute to the untimely passing of a legend. Sure, both tracks are really close to the original, but perhaps tinkering with the songs too much would detract from the point of this split series. While the majority of Macabre Omen's catalog owes much to Bathory, I was expecting Thesyre to bring a bit more of their own sound to the mix. Unfortunately this was the last split in the series by Necroterror Records, but it was a good run while it lasted. The first edition of the split was just a little stronger, but this is still a worthwhile addition to any Bathory fan's catalog.