Genre(s): Black Metal, Viking/Thrash Metal
Lyrical Theme(s): Anti-Christ, Satan (old), Norse Mythology, Odinism
Origin: Sweden (Stockholm)
Last Label: Black Mark Production
Status: Split-up
No matter how long ago Tomas Forsberg passed away, his music, every album lives on in each one of us that loved him and his tunes that he put out just about each year. "Hammerheart" is no different, giving birth to a whole new sub-genre is exactly what this album did, giving life to Viking Metal, as we know it today.
Every album up until "Hammerheart" was just violent, raw and aggressive, no mellowness to it at all, with this record though, Bathory brought us a sense of changes that were for the better, in my opinion. As many people love to call this record black metal, it is not that at all, it's pure, heavy "lets sail ships at dawn to take back our land" viking metal, at it's best might I add.
A lot of people have said the production is not very good on this album. I have to disagree with this. True, it’s not a high fidelity undertaking but the most impressive thing about the recording is that it always sounds rich and deep despite the limited budget. The mixing in of all those ambient sounds of fires, choral backing vocals, crashing waves, nature and movement is always convincing.
There are no clunkers to be found on this record. I think that the weakest tracks to be found here are "Baptized in Fire and Ice" and "Valhalla" and that says something because both of those songs are great. As much as I love the first four Bathory albums, "Hammerheart" continues to be my favorite and is in heavy rotation in the autumn and winter months of the year. This record is highly recommended to any fan of black, folk or viking metal that has not heard it and is, in my opinion, one of the greatest heavy metal records of all time. You’ll get swept away in it, I have no doubt about that.
Dedicated to the memory of Quorthon, 1966 - 2004.
"The vast gates to hall up high
Shall stand open wide and welcome you with all its within
And Oden shall hail YOU, Bearer of a pounding Hammerheart..."
98% out of 100%
Download Album Here
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