This record has a historical importance separate from its simple status as a musical statement.
This album is regarded by many as the first black metal record, a genre that purported to take metal not simply into well-charted Satanic waters, but into the Nordic pagan past of these young Scandinavian men.
The music itself has a certain lo-fi charm, and if you're into this sort of thing the raw power of this debut cannot be ignored.
For others who may be looking for the sturm und drang fireworks of Slayer or Metallica, this probably won't do much for you.
Whatever your predilection, this is eerie music, not so much for what's on the disc as for what it spawned.
As a final note, the command of the English language these Nordic lads have is astounding.
The lyrics, while uncomfortable, are several steps above what most American or English bands could do.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HadesQuorthon | Bathory | Play | 02:45 | 6 MB | 18 MB |
| 2 | ReaperQuorthon | Bathory | Play | 02:44 | 6 MB | 18 MB |
| 3 | NecromansyQuorthon | Bathory | Play | 03:40 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 4 | SacrificeQuorthon | Bathory | Play | 03:16 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 5 | In Conspiracy With SatanQuorthon | Bathory | Play | 02:29 | 5 MB | 16 MB |
| 6 | ArmageddonQuorthon | Bathory | Play | 02:32 | 5 MB | 16 MB |
| 7 | Raise the DeadQuorthon | Bathory | Play | 03:41 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 8 | WarQuorthon | Bathory | Play | 02:15 | 5 MB | 14 MB |
| 9 | Storm of Damnation | Bathory | Play | 03:07 | 7 MB | 15 MB |
| 10 | Outro | Bathory | Play | 00:23 | 0 MB | 1 MB |
| 26 mins | 61 MB | |||||
| 26 mins | 168 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bathory | Primary Artist |
| 2 | Quorthon | Composer |
| 3 | Quorthon Seth | Producer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |