Bathory (band)

Bathory
Origin	Stockholm, Sweden
Genres	Black metal (1984–1988) Thrash metal (1994–1995) Viking metal (1988–1991, 1996–2004)
Years active	1983–2004
Labels	Black Mark, Noise

Bathory was an influential Swedish heavy metal band, formed by Quorthon (Tomas Forsberg) in 1983. They are regarded as pioneers of both black metal and viking metal. Quorthon remained the main songwriter and member of Bathory for more than two decades. Bathory was permanently ended after Quorthon's death in 2004. The band is named after the infamous Hungarian countess Elizabeth Báthory.

Biography

Early years (1980s)

Bathory was formed in Stockholm in 1983. Founder Quorthon, a seventeen-year-old guitarist, was joined by bassist Hanoi and drummer Vans. Their first recording deal came that same year, when Quorthon managed to secure the consent of Tyfon Grammofon's boss (perennially rumored to be Quorthon's father, but the mere 12-year age difference between them makes this debatable) to record two tracks for the compilation Scandinavian Metal Attack in 1984. 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. The band considered several names before settling on Bathory, including Nosferatu, Natas, Mephisto, Elizabeth Bathory, and Countess Bathory.

Although Venom's Black Metal, released in 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. Many fans have speculated Venom was an influence on Bathory; however, Quorthon has said in an interview with Kick Ass magazine in 1985 that he had not listened to Venom until after the first Bathory album was released, although this is contentious, as Quorthon often gave purposefully equivocal or misleading information in interviews. He has also stated the band's early work was influenced primarily by Black Sabbath, Motörhead, Discharge, G.B.H. and The Exploited.

Bathory's 1984 self-titled debut album, and the subsequent releases The Return (1985) and Under the Sign of the Black Mark (1987), 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.^{[citation needed]}

Bathory ceased performing live in 1985, with Quorthon viewing organizing concerts as too much hassle.

Quorthon adopted a significantly different approach with the album Blood Fire Death (1988), on which some of the tracks the pace was slowed down to allow for a more epic songwriting approach, said to be an influence on, or initiation of, the extreme metal sub-genre Viking metal. The Viking theme was also first introduced on this album. However, most of the musical elements of black metal were still present.

Viking metal years (1990s, 2000s)

With the 1990 release of Hammerheart, Bathory had changed style towards less aggressive, more epic and atmospheric music; the lyrics dealt with themes about Vikings and Norse mythology. Mistakenly said to be influenced by the American power metal band Manowar, Hammerheart was a landmark album that "formally introduced" to the metal world the "archetypical Viking metal album." The style of Hammerheart was further demonstrated on the subsequent Twilight of the Gods (1991) and Blood on Ice (recorded in 1989 but completed in 1996).

With Requiem (1994) and Octagon (1995), Bathory changed style once more, this time turning to retro-thrash in the vein of 1980s Bay Area thrash bands. However the 2000 release Destroyer of Worlds was a transitional release that lead to a full return to the Viking metal style with the releases of Nordland I (2001) and Nordland II (2003). These were supposed to be the first two volumes of a four-album saga, but Quorthon would not live long enough to complete it.

In June 2004, Quorthon was found dead in his home, apparently due to heart failure. He was known to suffer from heart problems in the past. On June 3, 2006, Black Mark Records released a box set in tribute to Quorthon containing three CDs of his favorite Bathory and Quorthon songs, a 176 page booklet, a DVD with his long-form video for "One Rode to Asa Bay", an interview and some rare promo footage, and a poster.

Several Bathory tribute albums have been compiled by black metal artists, one of which was titled In Conspiracy with Satan: A Tribute to Bathory.

Discography

Studio albums

• Bathory (1984)
• The Return (1985)
• Under the Sign of the Black Mark (1987)
• Blood Fire Death (1988)
• Hammerheart (1990)
• Twilight of the Gods (1991)
• Requiem (1994)
• Octagon (1995)
• Blood on Ice (1996)
• Destroyer of Worlds (2001)
• Nordland I (2002)
• Nordland II (2003)

Compilation albums

• Touch of Death (Black Mark Records, BMCD26) (1992)
• Jubileum Volume I (1992)
• Jubileum Volume II (1993)
• Jubileum Volume III (1998)
• Katalog (2003)
• In Memory of Quorthon (2006)

Music videos

• "One Rode to Asa Bay" (1990)

Members

Final line-up

• Quorthon - guitars, vocals, music and lyrics (1983–2004) all instruments (1988–2004)

(Known) Former members

While there have been many members of Bathory over the years, due to its more-or-less revolving door membership and the obscured nature of any reliable information, it is impossible to properly list all former members. The names Kothaar and Vvornth are generic stage names given to bassists and drummers respectively, so they cannot be given to any particular member.

• Frederick Melander (Fredrick Hanoi) - bass (1983–1984)
• Jonas Åkerlund (Vans McBurger) - drums (1983–1984)
• Hanoi - bass (early 1983)
• Vans - drums (early 1983)
• The Animal (Björn Kristensen) - vocals (early 1983)
• Stefan Larsson - drums (1984-1986)
• Paul Pålle Lundburg - drums (1986-1987)
• Kothaar - bass (1994-1996)
• Vvornth - drums (1994-2001)

Bibliography

• Ekeroth, Daniel (2008). Swedish Death Metal. Bazillion Points Books. ISBN 978-0-9796163-1-0

External links

• Official website
• Bathory on Myspace
• Black Mark Records - Bathory's record label