Title: Bathory Artist: Bathory Label:Black Mark Release Date: 1984 Rating: 3 Skulls
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Reviewed by Solomon:
Ah, eventually we'd get around to this. Here lies the debut of Bathory, the more-or-less one-man show headed by the reclusive Swedish master of evil, Quorthon. As later works would show, there was certainly more than cheap blasphemy rolling around in his head, but early works like this, The Return and Under the Sign of the Black Mark are classic (to put it lightly) displays of grammar-school black metal. The number of metal bands who would put Bathory in their top ten (or top five, for that matter) list of biggest influences is too long to fit here. The albums listed here are held as high examples of underground excellence, forging the way for armies of horned metal fiends to follow. Later works like Blood Fire Death and Hammerheart are almost artsy/craftsy when compared to Bathory, what with the odd instrumentation, Viking/pagan themes, longer songs and generally lethargic tempos.

Bathory exemplifies what the "true" crowd considers to be musical mastery. Thin, cheap production values. Constipated, indecipherable vocal clutter. Simple, repeated guitar/bass/drum assaults. Violent, infernal hymns to the underworld and its legions, you know the drill. I have to admit, even though I like a shiny new product, there is something persuasive about this kind of gritty metal like your older brother used to play. Except for a few effects here and there ("Storm of Damnation"), this is distorted madness with all the girlie, gothic frills thrown out. Even though the band (guy) is credited with helping to sprout the black metal branch of the family tree, the first Bathory album still sounds very, if I can say it, "normal" for its time, bringing to mind Motorhead, early Slayer, Destruction and the whole early/mid-80's thrash scene in general. It was probably more of a shocker back then, but now the simplicity and rawness comes through even clearer with all that Studio Fredman slickness running around. Good, dirty, evil fun.

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