BATHORY — Hammerheart (review)

BATHORY — Hammerheart album cover Album · 1990 · Viking Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
5/5 ·
Wilytank
As if it wasn't enough to give us the first true taste of black metal, Quorthon went ahead and gave us viking metal as well. The result? Another influential album by this crafted by this glorious gentleman: Hammerheart.

If you're not getting the epic feeling as "Shores In Flames", then you don't know the meaning of the term. That song alone hooked me on that album, but that wasn't all. The "whoa-oh-oh-oh" in the pre-choruses of "Valhalla" and Quorthon's vox hitting the high notes (so to speak) of the pre-choruses of "From Father to Son" are awesome.

Then we have the legendary "One Rode to Asa Bay", Bathory's only music video. What a way to end this album! It's a really somber viking ballad about the Christianization of the North. Quorthon couldn't have chosen a better way to end this album.

I'm really sad Bathory never played live. All of these songs would sound epic played live. Especially in open air.
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Murphy wrote:
more than 2 years ago
Need to spin this again. When I first heard all their albums, Hammerheart was the point my interest began to waver, but for some reason I feel I've not done it justice.

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