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Bathory - Bathory review



Reviewer:
7.8

501 users:
7.96
Band: Bathory
Album: Bathory
Release date: October 1984


01. Storm Of Damnation (Intro)
02. Hades
03. Reaper
04. Necromansy
05. Sacrifice
06. In Conspirasy With Satan
07. Armageddon
08. Raise The Dead
09. War
10. Outro

Well, before you read this review, just forget all you know about black metal! Forget all those modern black metal bands, forget all those awesome symphonies and forget even the epic viking albums of Bathory. For all the young metallers that don't know much about the history of black metal and listen often to Cradle Of Filth, this album (maybe) will sound like the worst thing ever made, but there is much history behind this release and all of Bathory, that I will explain. Now we will see what black metal was before... before...

First, when listening, you will notice that the sound is (very) rough, well... it's because the album was recorded in a garage. Not all the bands have as much money as they can spend and make the most epic symphony, the most epic solo, hire the best musicians and buy the best instruments. Bathory was one of these bands. Not only this album, but The return... and Under The Sign Of The Black Mark, both by Bathory, have the songs and vocals being pretty rough (though Under The Sign Of The Black Mark doesn't have the songs too rough like this), and this rough song became too famous that Bathory is known for being one of the pioneers of Black Metal, and many bands are influenced by the band. See some other black metal bands: they have songs... like... rough, but not because of the low production, but because of the influence of Bathory in the black metal scene... their rough sound became the black metal starting point. Oh! And Bathory NEVER was influenced by Venom! In fact, Quorthon, the founding member, saw the band for the first time after the release of their debut album, Bathory.

Ok, I think I spoke a bit of the influence. About the songs, this album is very good. The songs have a fast pace, very fast indeed, good solos and introductions (highlight for "Raise The Dead"). Every song has a different and proper beat, making every song different to one another. The vocals are proper enough for the genre. The lyrics are about common things in black metal: drink the blood of angels, rape virgins, forget all about god and join forces with satan, serve hell and more. Again, highlight for "Raise The Dead", that talk about... raise the dead ones! Basically, all the songs talk about the same thing, but in other ways, making them very good for listening.

Resuming: The quality is poor, but the originality is high. This is a piece that must be owned by all the black metallers, both because it's created as what it is, and because it's very cool to listen. Well, that's it! I hope you liked my comments about this classic, great band! Now, after read all this, why not buy this?

I think that the following tracks are the best: "Hades", "Reaper", "Raise The Dead" and "In Conspiracy With Satan".

Thank you for read! HAIL QUORTHON! R.I.P.!


Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 9
Originality: 10
Production: 6

Written by Cuca Beludo | 13.05.2011




Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.

Guest review by
AndyMetalFreak
Rating:
7.4
This album certainly had a huge influence on black metal to the point that many would even consider it the very first true black metal album - I certainly would - and that album cover has become one of the most iconic covers in black metal history; a simple satanic logo that had huge effect on creating the black metal genre.

Read more ››
published 17.08.2021 | Comments (12)


Comments

Comments: 10   Visited by: 227 users
13.05.2011 - 23:56
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Bathory pioneered black metal, not fucking Venom. They were the first band with the shrieked vocals, the low-quality production, and the trademark "black metal guitar tone." Nuff said.

QUORTHON LIVES FOREVER!!!
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I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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14.05.2011 - 00:51
Fane

Yeah, yeah... Everyone who has dug out even a little tiny piece of information about black metal knows that Bathory was the pioneer for the genre. hail Quorthon and so on.

About the review on the other hand: Why 7,8? If you do some basic math, you'll get 8,5 for the average value. I'm not going for 9,5 - 10 here, but considering the fact that the album literally wrote the history of black metal, you give it the same value as a Cradle of Filth album has got from the users in here. Now that's something I'd call blasphemy. 8,5 - 9 would be more rational and justified. (preferably over 8,6 so that the CoF fanboys/-girls could slit their wrists).
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Music for creativity
Sarcasm for fun
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14.05.2011 - 01:05
Cuca Beludo
Account deleted
Written by Fane on 14.05.2011 at 00:51

Yeah, yeah... Everyone who has dug out even a little tiny piece of information about black metal knows that Bathory was the pioneer for the genre. hail Quorthon and so on.

About the review on the other hand: Why 7,8? If you do some basic math, you'll get 8,5 for the average value. I'm not going for 9,5 - 10 here, but considering the fact that the album literally wrote the history of black metal, you give it the same value as a Cradle of Filth album has got from the users in here. Now that's something I'd call blasphemy. 8,5 - 9 would be more rational and justified. (preferably over 8,6 so that the CoF fanboys/-girls could slit their wrists).


Well, i think it's more "telling the truth" than making senseless wars with another bands ( as metallers, we must be united! ).
The album is good, influenced a lot of peoples and all, but i think it isn't "excellent" to be rated with 9. I rated the album with an 8, and with 7,8 in the review because i can rate it more carefully!
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16.05.2011 - 01:34
Fane

Written by Guest on 14.05.2011 at 01:05

Written by Fane on 14.05.2011 at 00:51

...


Well, i think it's more "telling the truth" than making senseless wars with another bands ( as metallers, we must be united! ).
The album is good, influenced a lot of peoples and all, but i think it isn't "excellent" to be rated with 9. I rated the album with an 8, and with 7,8 in the review because i can rate it more carefully!

Reviews are all about opinions and as we all know there are millions of those. I just think that the album should've higher score because of the originality and the impact it had to the music scene at the time. Regardless of the quality. Even with low quality it's a masterpiece.

But the truth is: your review, your score. I just did my duty and posted critic =D
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Coffee for power
Music for creativity
Sarcasm for fun
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17.05.2011 - 14:24
immortal83

I always thought that Mercyful Fate and King Diamond were an influence to black metal. Is that true?
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18.05.2011 - 16:27
jazar94

I've only been listening to black metal a month, and within the first week I had decided that Bathory owns and Cradle of Filth is shit. Then again, I'm more of an Immortal fan..

Ignore this comment, and carry on.
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20.05.2011 - 19:39
fabregassed
Account deleted
Written by immortal83 on 17.05.2011 at 14:24

I always thought that Mercyful Fate and King Diamond were an influence to black metal. Is that true?


Yeah, they're an influence. But musically they're more of an influence to thrash. Thrash influenced black metal e.g. Sarcofago, Celtic Frost and the early Bathory Stuff is kinda thrashy. King Diamond and Mercyful fate were more of an influence lyrically for black metal artists.
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06.09.2011 - 04:01
The Brown Umber

Really good review. Great work!
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03.04.2012 - 22:46
Cuca Beludo
Account deleted
12/05/11...When I was still learning the difference between the most common metal genres, and I stepped into Quorthon music... great times... I remember how this album sounded different and strange that night, when I first experimented black metal, and somehow I liked it.

Today, this review I wrote one year ago looks like so weird And my passion for Bathory and for this album grew so much after all this time... 7.8? Was I drunk? Now I rated this with an 10, I guess the time changes the person...

Finally, I agree with you, Fane, and disagree with my stupid and senseless quote.
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06.02.2016 - 21:38
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
This rought sound and garade demo is why I hate such type of sound, all must be mixing in good studio, well DM is worst in this case, never liked this band before Viking era, musically, Lyrically, but I wont rejected and even deny what huge influence is this ... media say there wont be Motörhead, there wont be anthrax, metallica, well, there wont be Bathory, Euroeian scene would be much poorer in all genres what we have
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Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
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I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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