Bathory

Considered one of the pioneers of black metal and the founder of Viking metal, Bathory was founded in 1983 in Stockholm as a single man's project, Tomas Forsberg alias Quorthon. The band made its debut on a compilation, Scandinavian Metal Attack before releasing its first album, Bathory , in 1984. The next two albums by Bathory , The Return and Under the Sign of the Black Mark set the stage for black metal with satanic lyrics, a raw sound and a loud voice as possible. It was only with his fourth album that the band changed its optics. Blood Fire Death introduces Viking theme and an increasingly epic writing on upcoming albums. Hammerheart shows a significant advance towards a more atmospheric music imbued with Scandinavian mythology. Again, the group will influence more than one formation. Twilight of the Gods (1991), Blood On Ice (1996) and Nordland I & II (2002-2003) perpetuate these Viking inspirations. Meanwhile, Bathory found time to record three thrash albums entitled Requiem (1994), Octogon (1995) and Destroyer of Worlds (2001). The end is unfortunately tragic since Quorthon was found dead of a heart attack on June 3, 2004.
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