The Classic Metal Album Reviews:

	Title: Hammerheart Artist: Bathory Label: Black Mark Release Date: 1990	There are currently 1 Reviews of this classic album. Average Rating: 3 Submit a review of this album.
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Reviewed by Solomon (7/24/02):
No history of black metal is complete without extensive coverage given to the much-revered Bathory. Even if black metal is often directly associated with Norway, no one can deny the place of Britain's Venom, Switzerland's Celtic Frost or Sweden's Bathory in Valhalla's Great Hall of Heroes. Bathory's most influencial years are often split into two "periods." The first is the "black" period, embodied by fast, raw and satanic records such as the infamous self-titled debut (can't leave out that goat's head!), The Return and Under The Sign Of The Black Mark. The second era for Bathory is known as the "Viking" period, where mastermind Quorthon moved away from blatantly infernal themes and concentrated more on slower, more melodic music with "atmospheric" textures and a new lyrical emphasis on ancient Nordic culture and mythological subjects. This tendency started with tracks like "A Fine Day To Die" off Blood Fire Death and continued through Hammerheart and Twilight of the Gods. These records are unified by a knack for poor production, an attribute that some fans actually view as a badge of honor. Quorthon's more-or-less one-man act has continued through the Nineties, releasing more studio albums, Bathory Jubileum compilations and a solo record or two.
After certain old-world flirtations on Blood Fire Death, Hammerheart is often seen as the band's first true "Viking" album, and song titles like "Valhalla" and "Shores In Flames" leave no doubts as to the focus of the record. Hammerheart is hardly "black metal" in a musical sense, but its pre-Christian/pagan theme is tied closely with the genre. Bathory's catalog up to this point is held in high regard, and this one remains a fan favorite. The album cover is a classic all by itself, a painting of a Viking burial ceremony that brings to mind the gothic, deceptively beautiful artwork of those other Swedes, Candlemass. The songs on Hammerheart are epic and long as hell, even by metal standards, the opening track itself clocking in at just over eleven mintues. For such lofty lengths, the music isn't really "progressive" in any modern sense, revolving around slow, repetitive and crushing guitar riffs. I can see this stuff maybe influencing the doom scene to a certain extent, and I can't help but think of Hypocrisy's more grinding moments when listening to Hammerheart. Quorthon and co. do add a few unique "soundtrack" embellishments, such as crashing wave sound effects and even what sounds like a Jew harp in the intro to "One Rode To Asa Bay." Bathory layer their vocals for a haunting "choral" effect not all that common in 1990. The sound production, as indicated above, is not great... not bad, either. The dirty nature of the recording does add some character to it, and the addition of a tambourine in the percussion ("Shores In Flames," "One Rode...") is a noticable effect, painting visions of Nordic mauraders tromping through the countryside on horseback.
Even with Bathory's reputation, I found it hard to gloat over Hammerheart. Like all records, it has its positive aspects. The blunt, epic quality of the album is attractive, any one of the seven tracks a cover song waiting to happen. I dig how the band uses heavy/atmospheric elements to support the lyrical emphasis of the record, but the songs, for the most part, leave me wanting. The intro passage to "Shores In Flames" is interesting, almost shocking in its resemblance to Devin Townsend's style. The heavy grind of "Father To Son" is good and the hymn "Song To Hall Up High" is really the album's highlight. Sure, Quorthon's vocals leave something to be desired, and I think this is the album's weakest element overall, but this acoustic number is the most passionate display of pagan pride on the album. "One Rode To Asa Bay" has a cool, plodding guitar line that started to grow on me but, like the album in general, it goes on for about half-an-hour too long.
Whatever my opinion, Bathory is a major black/pagan metal institution, and Hammerheart offers something truly underground and different from the kind of metal that dominated the charts in the late 80's/early 90's. Mount up!

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