Bathory

 Today in 2002 Bathory released the album Nordland I

Stockholm,Sweden Black/Viking Metal (early), Thrash Metal (mid), Viking Metal (later)

Status:Split-up

Years active: 1983-2004

Bathory must be considered a major influence, either directly or indirectly, on virtually every black metal band in the last decade. It was Bathory, along with Venom, who helped pioneer the raw death/black style and gutteral vocals that are now standard in the genre. Basically a one-man band (with a scattered few early-career exceptions), Bathory's work have run the gamut from more simplistic Venom-ish fare (first two albums, the debut in particular) to a more epic, Manowar-ish style, steeped in Norse mythology, on much of the middle and later albums, to a more thrash-based style on releases such as Octagon. Quorthon (the man himself) also recorded apart from the Bathory name, releasing two albums under the name Quorthon, said to be very un-Bathory-like. The last releases were the two part Nordland effort released in 2002 and 2003, with an expected new album in 2004 cut short by the unfortunate and unexpected passing of Quorthon in June of that year.

Black Mark Production

Quorthon (R.I.P. 2004) – all instruments

1. Prelude (2:34)

2. Nordland (9:20)

3. Vinterblot (5:17)

4. Dragons Breath (6:45)

5. Ring of Gold (5:34)

6. Foreverdark Woods (8:06)

7. Broken Sword (5:34)

8. Great Hall Awaits a Fallen Brother (8:16)

9. Mother Earth Father Thunder (5:37)

10. Heimfard (2:12)

Total Time: 59:21

Recorded in July-September 2002.

The album was also released as a digipack

Nordland I is the eleventh studio album by Swedish extreme metal band Bathory. It was released on 18 November 2002, through Black Mark Productions. It is a return to the Viking metal of Bathory's middle period, and features songs mainly concerning Norse mythology. It was to be the first in a projected four-album set,[citation needed] but Quorthon only lived long enough to finish the first two volumes (2003's Nordland II being the second