bathory album download Enslaved’s Ivar Bjørnson: 10 albums that changed my life. Ivar Bjørnson is a Norwegian metal scene lifer. The guitarist was just 13 when he co-founded Enslaved in 1991 with bandmate Grutle Kjellson. His band’s 30-year journey has seen them transform from key members of black metal’s inner circle to prog metal éminence grises, via such landmark albums as 1997’s Eld , 2004’s Isa and 2020’s Utgard . As Enslaved gear up to release the four-disc live-in-lockdown collection Cinematic Tour 2020 , we asked Ivar to delve into his record collection and pull out the weird and wonderful albums that have shaped him. Pink Floyd – The Dark Side Of The Moon (1973) My dad had a good vinyl collection, and I would spend a lot of time sifting through it. Whenever I played Pink Floyd, there was something that really interested me, and he was really happy when he saw that spark of interest. On my eleventh birthday, he gathered up all the Pink Floyd albums he had on vinyl – which was most of them – and said, “There you go, they’re yours now.” I listened to them all, but when I got to Dark Side Of The Moon , I just didn’t get any further. I kept flipping it over and starting again. There’s something about the continuity of the album, the way it goes from relief at the beginning onto all the angst at the end. When you talk about the early Norwegian extreme scene, the prog influence gets left out. [Mayhem guitarist and black metal figurehead] Euronymous ran his record store, Helvete, in Oslo. I would go in there when I was really young, going, “Is there any good new death metal?”, and he’d say, “No, check out this Tangerine Dream album or this Swedish prog band.” For, the Pink Floyd influence comes from my dad, but most of the prog stuff afterwards came from that contact with the black metal scene. Motorpsycho – Demon Box (1993) Motorpsycho are a legendary band from Norway. They don’t do interviews or publicity - they have this mysterious aura around them. Demon Box was the first album of theirs that I heard. It’s a hard rock album, but it had incredible depth - there are parts that are almost indie-rock or grunge at times. It has the same dark vibe as Alice In Chains or Soundgarden - alienation, sorrow, contemplation on the state of things and how removed from other people are. And it has spoken-word interludes, with these distant voices that give you a feeling of a story being told far, far away. I remember all the parties we had in the early 90s, there would be Bathory playing, or some advance tape from bands we knew. But at some point, somebody would put on Demon Box, and people would sit on the floor against a wall, drink beer and listen to it because it's so full. Bathory - Hammerheart (1990) This was the first album that I bought on vinyl with my own money I saved up from doing a little bit of janitor work at the school that my dad was a teacher at. When I bought Hammerheart , I had no idea who Bathory were – I just saw the cover with this painting of the Vikings pulling a boat, on fire, onto the water, and I had to hear what it sounded like. I was already in a death metal project at the time, but this was something beyond anything I heard before. People talk about “”, but we don’t really know what it sounded like. For me, Hammeheart is the ultimate sound of that – it’s so raw and at the same time so melodic and beautiful. It’s all encompassing. Bathory - Twilight Of The Gods (1991) If Hammerheart is the sound of what I regard as heritage-oriented metal, then Twilight Of The Gods is the philosophical backbone of it. It sounds like [Bathory mastermind] grew up a lot between those two albums - it sounds more refined, especially with the use of acoustic guitar. Philosophically, it made realise how things could be used in a constructive and positive way – that it didn’t have to be just this barbaric entertainment or, even worse, politically twisting to the right. King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King (1969) The first time I heard it, I was so shocked - I didn’t realise this kind of music existed. It was the missing link between everything I loved, prog, classic rock, metal. The riff from the song 21st Century Schizoid Man is the definition of metal – when you see lists of bands who create metal, King Crimson are always left off for some reason. But there’s so much more on that record – it’s a deep dive into what it’s possible to do with a band. The way [Crimson guitarist and mastermind] Robert Fripp thinks about dynamics is mind-blowing. And the sleeve is actually the first tattoo I ever got. King Crimson - Red (1974) I was so enthralled by In The Court Of The Crimson King that I just kept listening to it for years and years. I was at some party and someone put Red on, and I immediately went, “What is this?” When they said it was King Crimson, I just said, “No, it sounds completely different, it’s a different band.” When they showed me the cover, my mind was blown again. It’s just so heavy, with this dark edge to it. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that it’s the same band! Genesis - Selling England By The Pound (1973) Norwegians have a very strong relationship to English culture. A lot of our cultural identity is built around stuff that has come out of the UK, whether that’s The Beatles or Blackadder . [Original Genesis frontman] Peter Gabriel was theatrical in a very English way – it wasn’t raw and crazy and dark like a lot of the other old prog that I like. The way I did it was just beautiful and thoughtful, and it was a way of communicating cultural heritage that was tasteful and well done – it was definitely an inspiration for the way we deal with the Viking thing. Tool - Ænima (1996) Tool was a band that people were always talking about, but I kept dismissing them: “How could I get into a mainstream band? There’s no point even giving it a listen.” But at some point, I bought Ænima just to check out what was going on, and they really proved me wrong. It's absolutely stunning that they're such a huge band, commercially, and, at the same time, they have this depth and progressiveness. Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas (1994) I remember hearing rumours at the time about a new album from Mayhem, then around 1992 these tapes began to circulate - rough mixes of Freezing Moon straight out of recording, with no vocals. We drove to Oslo in Grulte's shitty little car and went to Helvete, and Euronymous let us borrow the entire first rough mix of the album: “Here, you can have it for three hours.” We just drove around on the ring-roads outside Oslo in silence, listening to it as many times as we could before going back to the shop and giving it back to him. In many ways, it’s the same as Dark Side Of The Moon in that it still sounds like the best in class. So many years have passed, so many different styles have been invented, but nobody has made anything that sounds like this. Darkthrone - A Blaze In The Northern Sky (1992) The way Darkthrone switched from technical death metal [on debut album Soulside Journey ] to really simplistic black metal on A Blaze In The Northern Sky and Under A Funeral Moon was just fantastic. It wasn’t about being shitty musicians, it was about under-playing and doing exactly what is needed for the atmosphere and the primitive, necro sound they had. It’s still the blueprint for simplicity in my own music. But it’s also about nostalgia too – when I put this on, I’m that 15-year-old kid again. Hammerheart. Regularly cited as the archetypical Viking metal album, Bathory's Hammerheart remains an unqualified triumph for the pioneering Swedish act. Merging audacious lyrical ambitions with a sense of musical grandeur akin to the greatest epic works in metal history -- among which it is frequently numbered -- Hammerheart is a fully fleshed concept album, and a literate one at that. Chronicling with great detail and drama the Christian invasion of Scandinavia during medieval times, and his pagan ancestors' forceful conversion to the cross, Seth Quorthon became a standard-bearer for an entire generation of disenfranchised Norse-descended teens. In fact, Hammerheart's remarkably well-thought-out words and overall scope and vision engendered a deep-seated anti-Christian sentiment within the region's extreme metal scene, sentiments that were eventually brought to their most violent conclusion with the hate crimes perpetrated by members of the Norwegian black metal community in the early '90s. Turning to the music itself, the clean vocals which had made their first appearance on Bathory's previous outing, , become the norm throughout Hammerheart, further clarifying the resentful exposé of Quorthon's lyrics. Frankly, his singing voice still needed work, sounding a little out of tune here and there (see monstrous opener "Shores in Flames" and, more disturbingly, the brief "Song to Hall up High"), but this does little to detract from the astounding depth of musical diversity and inspiration contained here. Majestic overtures like "Valhalla," "Father to Son," "Home of Once Brave," and the career highlight "One Rode to Asa Bay" rarely fly with the hyper-speed of Bathory's thrashing past, but rather march inexorably out of your stereo speakers, their ghostly, layered vocal chorales bestowing each and every song with even greater pomp and ceremony. As if you hadn't already realized this, taken in its entirety, Hammerheart paved the roads upon which countless pilgrims would later travel -- bands like Mayhem and Emperor, who later possessed legends in their own. Their studious worship of Bathory's teachings are the ultimate proof. Bathory – Hammerheart (1990) Album Review. A true legend of the underground metal. In a few words, this is how I could define Bathory , originally a band, but later it became the solo project of a prodigy, Quorthon . Quorthon proved his musical skills from a young age, at only 17 years he started Bathory with 2 additional band members. By placing two of his songs in a compilation, his songs attracted a lot of attention. Hammerheart marked a change in his musical career. This was the first album he recorded alone. From now on, Bathory will be his solo project with him handling all the instruments, including recording, producing and vocals as well. Hammerheart marked a change in his style, changing from the typical hybrid metal black metal that he played until Blood Fire Death (1988) and pioneering a genre that later will be called as viking metal. Quorthon and his band Bathory are claimed to be the true creators of this genre. However, while listening through all of his albums, you can also feel black metal elements in it. The thing is, he changed his playing style. Instead of continuing with the typical fast tempo guitar riffs and blast drum beats, he choose a more atmospheric path, reducing the rawness that was featured in his more earlier works. He even gave up doing shrieked voice, which later will define all the black metal bands. Hammerheart has a more slower rhythm, you can feel the atmosphere so to say. Quorthon’s voice is purely awesome. Through this album, you can feel that he does not have the true qualities that the vocals nowadays have, at least on studio albums, but I think, this is what makes his voice rather fantastic. You can say that he has character through his voice, which is pretty much imperfect. Another change is that you can also hear choirs in the background of his songs. His songs also feature new themes. Mythological themes, historical themes mostly related to the vikings, nature themes as well but also the anti-christian theme was not abandoned either. The only thing that he abandoned was the occult and the satanic themes featured on his early albums. By far, the best song of this album is actually kept as the last track. One Rode to Asa Bay describes a historical moment when christian missionaries walked on the Norse lands to convert the native villagers to their own religion and for starters they requested the building of a church in a land called Asa Bay. This song is more or less, like a story, depicting the reaction the native villagers had and also the way the Christians reacted once the native villagers refused to build the church for them. This song is truly the work of a genius. Religious people might find it a blasphemy, but for me, knowing how cruel and how barbaric religion has been with people that had other beliefs, its the truth in its pure state. The ending of the song with the lyrics “ Still he heard from somewhere in the woods / Old crow of wisdom say / …people of Asa Bay, it’s only just begun… “. The song was dedicated to a writer named Dean Andersson a person that has been writing books about the viking culture and also the moment when they faced the christian conversion. The album actually begins with the song Shores in Flame featuring acoustic guitars. The 2nd track Valhalla is a lot more heavier than the previous one featuring fast tempo guitar riffs and amazing guitar solos. Baptised in Fire and Ice is in my opinion the poorest song from this album, it feels a little repetitive at times. It is followed up by Father to Son which is a lot more atmospheric than the other songs which makes it one of the best songs from this album. Song to Hall up High serves as a well deserved pause before the last 3 tracks, featuring melodic elements, it is like an elegy consisting of a resolution made by a viking warrior, expressing his emotions (actually 2 tracks, in the 2003 reissue). Home of Once Brave is another track which competes for the best track from this album, featuring atmospheric guitar riffs and impressive vocals from Quorthon. One Rode to Asa Bay already mentioned above is the last track of this album. Though the voice might disturb a little bit since it does not quite fit the rhythm, the guitar solos, which are few so to say, and the instrumentals are absolutely amazing. Outro servers as an end for this epic album, being the shortest song. In conclusion, Bathory’s 1990 release is one of the most noticeable and one of the most important works which defined a genre and inspired many other bands. However, in my opinion, true viking metal died together with Quorthon and Bathory but his music will last forever as a point of reference in the metal scene and also for the fans. Bathory Hammerheart. Bathory released this amazing album in 1990. It continues the change to Viking Metal that begun on the 1988 release Blood Fire Death. A video was made for “One Rode to Asa Bay”. Sound It definitely sounds like Bathory. Quorthon’s voice is one of the voices that sounds cool because of the imperfections in it, much like Ozzy’s does or Tom Araya’s voice. Quorthon does not sound anything like them but he has character. The drums are drenched in reverb and not mixed too loud, and the guitars are thin and melodic but very tight. The bass just follows the guitars, or at least does nothing memorable. Conclusion is good sound because you can hear everything, although you have to concentrate a bit to get the bass lines. Music The choir, which I think is all Quorthon, is over-used; like in “Baptised in Fire and Ice” it’s there for most of the song and kind of ruins the chorus. It does fit under the solos and in the mellow/acoustic chapters in some of the songs (as in the intro to the first track, Shores in Flames) but it started irritating me right on the first listen, maybe it would have worked if it was mixed lower, I don’t know. The guitar riffs are, as always amazing and very atmospheric, the solos aren’t very catchy nor do they sound difficult to perform, but they FIT. They serve the songs very well. Kothaar’s bass, again, follows the guitar, not that it’s a bad thing and it fits, just like the solos, no atmosphere is sacrificed for showmanship. Vvornth’s drumming is excellent, it is almost always just standard but when he differs from that rule, he does it so well. The singing melody on some songs absolutely makes them what they are (“Home Of Once Brave”), and the lyrics to all the record are very “pagan” and “Viking-esque” and suit the music, sometimes the words are a bit awkwardly fit to the vocal melody but that’s a minor con. The outro of this record is very sinister and fitting. The Single “One Rode to Asa Bay” begins with a very strange intro but then takes on a very epic form, with it’s epic verses to it’s epic solos, it’s purely amazing, and because at 10:24 it is 1/5th of the record it boosts it up a whole point. Pros: Very epic Very atmospheric Great songwriting Even the cons fit the atmosphere. Very well produced for black metal. Cons: If you’re not into black metal, this may sound raw. Quorthon’s voice may bother some people. Thin guitars. The choir in “Baptised in Fire and Ice”. Summary Very good and epic album, and though it is long it doesn’t feel long, although not a classic a 4,5 is a easy grade for this one. Bathory hammerheart album download. Bathory was formed in Stockholm in 1983, for fun, by the then 17-year-old Quorthon. After various names and numerous line-up changes, the group finally settled on Bathory. That same year, Quorthon managed to secure the consent of Tyfon Grammofon's boss to record two tracks for the compilation Scandinavian Metal Attack. The tracks which he recorded gained unexpected attention by fans. Soon afterward, Tyfon Grammofon contacted Quorthon and asked him to record a full-length album. Although Venom's Black Metal (1982) was the first record to coin the term, it was Bathory's early albums, featuring Satanic lyrics, low-fi production and an inhuman vocal style, that defined the genre. On a further note, many fans have thought that Venom was an influence on Bathory, however Quorthon has said that he never even owned a Venom record. He only heard Venom for the first time after the release of the "Bathory" self-titled album. He received a promotional package from Neat Records one day in early December 1984 which contained some Raven records, but also the first and second Venom albums. Bathory's subsequent releases, the self-titled debut, The Return and Under the Sign Of The Black Mark are now regarded as major influences on the Norwegian bands which extended Black Metal's musical progression and popularity in the beginning of the 1990s. The first signs of what was to follow appeared on what some fans consider to be Bathory's best album: Blood Fire Death, where on some of the tracks the pace had slowed down to allow for a more epic song writing approach. It was also here that the Viking theme was introduced. Most of the musical elements of Black Metal were still present, however. It was with the release of Hammerheart that Bathory surprised many of its fans. The style had now drastically changed towards less aggressive, more epic and atmospheric music; the lyrics dealt with themes about Vikings and Scandinavia's Norse mythology. Bathory had become pioneers in yet another genre within the world of extreme music�that of Viking Metal. The style of Hammerheart was further perfected on the subsequent Twilight Of The Gods and . With 1994's Requiem, Bathory changed style once more, this time turning to vicious retro-thrash in the vein of 1980s Bay area Thrash bands. With the Nordland albums of 2002 and 2003, the band largely abandoned the retro-thrash sound of the mid-1990s in favour his more popular, more epic style for which he is best known. In June, 2004, Quorthon was found dead in his home, apparently of a heart failure. 1983-1984 Fredrick "Freddan" "Hanoi" - bass 1983-1984 Jonas "Vans McBurger" �kerlund - drums 1983-2004 Tomas "Ace" "Quorthon" Forsberg - vocals, guitars, bass, drums 1984-1986 Stefan Larsson - drums 1986-1987 Paul P�lle Lundberg - drums 1989-1991 Vvornth - drums 1989-1991 Kothaar - bass 1993 Bj�rn "The Animal" Kristensen - vocals. 1983 - 1984 - Demos - Celtic Frost Live Weinheim - 01.06.85 - split 1984 - Bathory (Remastered) 1985 - The Return. (Remastered) 1986 - Under The Sign Of The Black Mark (Remastered) 1988 - Blood Fire Death 1990 - Hammerheart 1991 - Twilight Of The Gods 1992 - Jubileum volume I 1993 - Jubileum volume II 1994 - Requiem 1995 - Octagon 1996 - Blood On Ice (Remaster) 1998 - Jubileum III 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - Nordland II.