Bathory
Formed: 1983
From:
Stockholm,
Sweden
Last Known Status: Disbanded
Latest Bathory News
Below is our complete Bathory news coverage, including columns and articles pertaining to the band. Some articles listed may be indirectly related, such as side projects of the band members, etc.
Note: We began associating news directly with bands in late 2003. Therefore, earlier band news may not be listed on this page.
Displaying records 1 - 20 of 40 1 2 Last
Report
The Final Day Of Mystic Festival Was Bittersweet
The day I was dreading had arrived, that day being the last day of Mystic Festival 2025. Another bummer was that there was more rain today. Lots of it. It’s an expected risk and there’s nothing you can do about it other than soak it all in, literally. Rain jackets and ponchos were ever-present today and if you were one of those that thought you could hold out not wearing rain gear during the first 3 days of the festival, today was your true test.
Fortunately for me the first band on my must-see list was going to be indoors. When I arrived, the stink of humidity permeating the venue but that would be a distant memory once Death Angel tore into “Mistress of Pain” from their debut album, “The Ultra Violence.” That surprised me because that last few times I’ve seen Death Angel, they rarely play material from their early releases. When the second song turned out to be “Voracious Souls,” my mind was blown. This is how you win back your OG fans Death Angel! Bravo!
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Death Angel
Because Polish death metal legends Vader was starting only fifteen minutes after Death Angel’s set began, I could only stay around the halfway point of “Voracious Souls.” The rain was falling steadily by the time I exited the venue. Between dodging crisscrossing poncho clad metalheads, random rain puddles and putting on my own rain jacket, I made it just in time for Vader’s first song. When I arrived, all the photographers were told that we would have to wait until the start of Vader’s second song to enter the photo pit because Vader was going to deploy a ton of pyro during their opening song.
This Vader set was going to be special. They were going to play the whole “Litany” album. The album released in 2000 and was recorded right here in Gdansk. It garnered massive acclaim throughout the metal cosmos and death metal circles. The crowd that gathered for this special set was massive. I’ll do my best to give you a visual. The Park Stage area is about 50 yards long and then it butts against a circle of food trucks. When this stage area gets packed, the crowd spills out into the asphalt roadway that in turn is the main artery walkway for the festival. During Vader’s set, that walkway was jam packed with onlookers. It was practically impossible to navigate in either direction if you wanted to go to the Main Stage area or the Desert and Shrine stages.
As the final notes of the opening song “Wings” faded out, we were allowed to enter the soggy mud laden pit area. The first thing I noticed was the fans standing on the other side of the security barriers. These were the hardcore fans. There were numerous Vader logo adorned banners draped over the barriers and one of front row fans had a giant Vader band logo tattooed over his whole back. I grabbed a shot of this and you can see it in Day 3 photo gallery HERE.
Between the rain, Vader’s unforgiving playing, the overzealous crowd energy and copious amount of fire pot blasts, it felt like I was in a war zone and I loved every second of it. Most of the press at Mystic Festival are from Poland, so to say there wasn’t much room to move about the photo pit was an understatement. In addition to playing the whole “Litany” album, Vader played several more songs and closed their fantastic set with “The Imperial March” of Star Wars fame.
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Piotr Wiwczarek of Vader
After a wild (an understatement) Vader set, I was looking forward to something a little more subdued. I know what you’re thinking, what is subdued at a metal festival?, Well, that would be Apocalyptica. The rain was still drizzling, but at least it wasn’t heavy. This was going to be another 15-minute turnaround set. I could only stay for about a song or so before I had to run across festival grounds to catch Pentagram. Apocalyptica opened their set with Metallica’s “Ride the Lightning” and that was all I was able to see since that song is over six minutes long. It was going to take me at least 7 minutes to get to the Desert Stage. The minutes math didn’t have much wiggle room.
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Apocalyptica
This was my second time seeing Apocalyptica live and I was a lot closer this time so I could really see all the intricacies of their playing. It’s quite impressive how three cellos and a drummer can layer and mix so many complex melodies without stepping on each other. I made it to right around the dual guitar solo part of the song and then I had to haul ass (See professional journalism nomenclature) to the distant Desert Stage.
Bobby Liebling, the frontman of the historic doom metal band Pentagram, just about broke the internet earlier this year. A video surfaced showcasing his trademark death stare and his wispy white hair billowing like a geriatric lion’s mane on a windblown plain. The video went massively viral on social media platforms such as TikTok and Reddit which in turn caused renewed interest in the Black Sabbath doom inspired band that reached the apex of its popularity during the 1970’s.
Fast forward to 2011, a biopic titled “Last Days Here” showcased Bobby Liebling’s struggles with drug addiction. The indie film garnered a lot of attention and renewed some interest in the mostly forgotten doom legends. More doom and gloom would fall upon Pentagram. In 2017, Bobby Liebling was arrested for "abuse and neglect of a vulnerable adult custodian” and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Most everyone thought that this was the end of the road for Bobby and Pentagram until “the video” surfaced and spread like a pandemic through the metal interwebs and obviously caught the attention of several festival and concert organizers. That brings us to the current moment where I was arriving just in time for Pentagram’s second only appearance in Poland and their first time at Mystic Festival. More...
Mystic Festival Adds Blood Fire Death To Lineup
They say that no one is irreplaceable. Well, that’s not entirely true… In 2004, the world of metal suffered an irreparable loss – Thomas “Quorthon” Forsberg passed away. The man who, under the sign of Bathory, singlehandedly changed this music and laid the foundations for contemporary black metal, and but a moment later, also for viking metal, forging the path ahead for the next generations of artists who combine the uncompromising nature of metal with their local, traditional culture.
In the summer of 2024, a black metal Quorthon tribute supergroup took the stage of the Norwegian Beyond the Gates Festival, performing the classic Bathory repertoire and proving that this flame is still burning. We are elated to announce that this special project, Blood Fire Death – A Tribute to Quorthon and the Music of Bathory, will come down to Gdansk in June to let you peek behind the gates of Valhalla.
The band will perform with the following line-up:
Erik Danielsson (Watain) – vocals
Ivar Bjørnson (Enslaved) – guitar
Blasphemer (Vltimas, ex-Mayhem) – guitar
Apollyon (Aura Noir) – bass and vocals
Faust (Djevel, ex-Emperor) – drums
They will be joined on stage by many distinguished guests… Their identities will soon be revealed.
The concept behind the Blood Fire Death – A Tribute to Quorthon and the Music of Bathory performance was conceived in line with Quorthon’s own conceptualisation of how a Bathory concert should be staged if his music were ever to be performed live.
Mystic Festival will take place in Gdansk, Poland at the Gdansk Shipyard on June 4th through 7th, 2025.
Tickets are available now on the Mystic Festival homepage here More...
Brutal Assault Announces All-Star Bathory Tribute
Twenty years after Quorthon's passing, his legend comes alive at a unique performance, which will bring the cult songs of Bathory - Blood Fire Death: A Tribute to Quorthon and the Music of Bathory at Brutal Assault led by members of Enslaved, Aura Noir, Watain, VLTIMAS, Mayhem and with a few more special guests! More...
Boreal Hymn Premiere "Man of Iron" (Bathory Cover)
Vancouver band Boreal Hymn premiere a a cover of Bathory’s classic "Man of Iron". The band will be donating 100% of the sales in May to The Canadian Mental Health Association for Mental Health Awareness month.
Check out now "Man of Iron" below.
See: New Trailer For Mayhem Film ‘Lords Of Chaos’
The official trailer for ‘Lords Of Chaos‘ has recently been posted online. That movie is scheduled to open in theaters on February 08th and focuses on the early years of pioneering black metal veterans of Mayhem. Mayhem were infamously involved suicide, murder, church burning and more during the early 90s .
Jonas Åkerlund ( a former member of Bathory) directed this movie, starring Rory Culkin, Emory Cohen, Sky Ferreira and more.
First Teasers For "Lords of Chaos" Streaming
Over the holiday break, two teaser trailers for "Lords of Chaos" have surfaced. The movie is based on the book of the same name and tells the story of the beginnings of the Norwegian black metal scene. It will open in theaters February 8 and be available on demand on February 22.
Trailer #2:
Trailer #1: More...
Full Bathory Tribute Album Streaming Online
CVLT Nation is proud to present the next in an ongoing covers compilation series with Bathory's infamous self-titled, debut album.
For tis latest offering, CVLT Nation has brought together nine bands to pay tribute to one of black metal's greats: Meka, Grave Coven, Plagues, True Love, Expander, Worsen, Morast, Ultha, and Fever Nest.
Side Darkness
1. Storm Of Damnation (Intro) - Meka
2. Hades - Grave Coven
3. Reaper - Plagues
4. Necromansy - True Love
5. Sacrifice - Expander
Side Evil
6. In Conspirasy With Satan - Worsen
7. Armageddon - Morast
8. Raise The Dead - Ultha
9. War - Fever Nest
10. Outro - Meka More...
Ereb Altor Posts Live Bathory Cover
Ereb Altor recently performed at the Lithuanian festival Kilkim Žaibu, and now footage has come online from that show.
Check out a professionally shot clip below of Ereb Altor covering Bathory's "A Fine Day To Die." Ereb Altor also released a Bathory tribute album earlier this year.
OpEd
1985-1995: The Golden Age of Death Metal
Death should be credited with creating death metal, at least the old school style we recognize now, as they birthed the infamous Tampa, Florida sound. Bands such as Autopsy and Obituary—two of the forerunners—would not exist without Death. Death is not the true father of death metal, though. That distinction goes to Possessed. The California Bay Area group not only played a style of brutal, vicious metal, with loads of Satanic imagery, they also coined the term “death metal” on the “Seven Churches” album.
Around 1985, albums similar to “Slowly We Rot” (Obituary) and “Mental Funeral” (Autopsy) simply did not exist. Thrash was the fasted, craziest music around. Of course Possessed has already been mentioned, but the influence of Slayer, who obviously influenced Possessed, can not be under recognized. Where Possessed was different was they used a rougher production. Dark Angel, whose drummer, Gene Hoglan, would go on to be one of the most heralded drummers in the metal biz, certainly showed a good dose of Slayer in their sound. In the beginning, Slayer was nothing more than a faster, nefarious, more solo-oriented Venom protégé. More...
OpEd
A Second Look At Heavy Metal In Video Games
Two weeks back we asked a simple question: why isn't there more heavy metal in the video game world?
Our Facebook page blew up with gamers offering up their favorite titles with metallic soundtracks, and we took a closer look at several worth your time. In that post still available here if you didn't read it, we looked at the king of heavy metal video games – Brutal Legend – as well as Saint's Row The Third, Killing Floor 2, Painkiller, and Guilty Gear X2 Reload.
After that post went online, Zynthetic – responsible for much of the music in Killing Floor and Killing Floor 2 – wrote up an article attempting to answer the question of why more metal doesn't show up in video games since they seem like a perfect and obvious match.
For his take on the lack of metal in gaming, including the difficulties in licensing existing music and the lack of metallic knowledge among composers, read the full article right here.
Since we love gaming and we love metal, it seemed like a good idea to keep checking in every so often with new entries that combine the two, and this week we'll cover four more solid games filled to the brim with extreme metal. Don't see your favorite game listed? Don't worry, we'll cover more in the future, but be sure to still give us your picks in the comments below.
Splatterhouse
Five years ago a reboot of the '88 arcade game Splatterhouse hit consoles, and it was very much notable for the inclusion of an all-metal soundtrack featuring the likes of Lamb of God, Mastodon, Municipal Waste, Cavalera Conspiracy, and Goatwhore.
As the name would suggest, it's filled with buckets of blood and guts, and the action-oriented beat 'em up style is somewhat similar to Dante's Inferno/God Of war/etc. The frantic combat will see your character Rick frequently losing limbs and more, but that's not a problem because they grow back – and hey, you can pick up the severed appendages of your foes to continue beating them down!
This one's filled to the brim with all sorts of horror goodies (and ridiculousness) like time travel, cosmic horror deities, and plenty of nods to Lovecraft with names like “Dr. West” and places called “Arkham.” Someone helpfully put all the songs from the soundtrack together into one playlist at YouTube here, and you can check out a game trailer below:
Moonspell Comments On The Passing Of Quorthon
Portuguese Gothic metal band Moonspell has issued the following statement about the 10th anniversary of the passing of metal legend Quorthon:
"Ten years and one day have passed since Quorthon left us and headed to Valhalla but his legacy lives through, in the shape of the many fans and enthusiasts whom followed his footsteps with their bands and projects.
"Moonspell is one of them and we would like to pay just a modest tribute by hailing Quorthon and his memory, not only in many of our songs and lyrics but also in the way he dealt with his fans.
"Fernando and many of the original members of Moonspell to be (Morbid God) were there and you can spot him/them at 4.29 (Fernando is on a Sodom shirt, mullet hair eheh) but according to him, this was maybe the happiest day of his life.
"The week after Moonspell was born. Enjoy and never forget Quorthon on his way up high!"
Be sure to also read "Call From The Grave: The Lost Quorthon Interview" right here, or check out the Bathory edition of our Sunday Old School column. More...
Bathory Tribute Album Teaser Available
A new teaser video has been posted online for the upcoming Bathory tribute release "Voices from Valhalla," due out May 2012 via Godreah Records. Check out the clip below.
Bands set to appear on the tribute include The Meads of Asphodel, Old Corpse Road, Skyforger, Darkest Era, and more. Head over to the Godreah Records website for full details.
Skyforger Announces New Shows
Skyforger has checked in with the following announcement about upcoming live shows and working on a Bathory tribute song:
"At this moment, we can announce just 3 live appearances. There's going to be more dates/festivals announced soon.
9 March - Hasselt (Belgium)), De Witte Non
10 March - Eindhoven (Netherlands), Dynamo
11 March - tba
13 July - Masters Of Rock festival, (Czech Republic) http://www.mastersofrock.cz
"We have been taking part in contest for possibility to play biggest Scandinavian rock / metal festival Sweden Rock. Out of 1500 band applications Skyforger is now been voted into final round of Top 20. Out of these 20 bands - only 3 bands gets to play!
"Please go to this link and make your support click for Skyforger. You can do one vote every day per every available to You computer's IP address until next Monday, 23 January. Make as many votes as possible, please!
"Skyforger right now is working in studio completing track 'The Woodwoman' from 'Blood On Ice' album for soon to be released Bathory tribute double CD via English label Godreah Records. More information at this location."
Old Corpse Road Recording Bathory Cover
Old Corpse Road has issued the following announcement about recording a Bathory cover track for an upcoming tribute album:
"We have chosen to cover the song 'Equimanthorn' from the classic Bathory album 'Under the Sign of the Black Mark.' The track is currently being recorded alongside our debut album, and will feature on a new Bathory tribute album 'Voices from Valhalla' due out via Godreah Records this year. Check out the original classic here."
Godreah Records also commented:
"Godreah Records will release a 'TRIBUTE TO BATHORY' double cd titled, Voices from Valhalla, in April 2012. The bands appearing are, Taake, Thornium, Nine Covens, Folkvang, Meads of Asphodel, Eastern Front, Throne of Katarsis, Bloodshed Walhalla, Gods Tower, Skyforger, Sigh, Nokturnal Mortum, Mael Mórdha, Darkest Era, Ancient Ascendant, Vrani Volosa, Old corpse Road, Hellsword, plus a few more to be confirmed."
Bathory To Release Vinyl Box Set
A special career spanning retrospective box set of Swedish black/viking metal pioneers Bathory will be released on July 18th through PlaticHead.com, in honour of the band's founder Quorthon, who passed away on June 3rd 2004. The set will only be released on vinyl and will include the following items:
-- 3 double gatefold LP's
-- 48 page booklet
-- Bathory 'Goat' poster (70x100cm)
-- picture disc recreation of the original Bathory Yellow Goat 1984 pressing of the debut album.
The track listing is as follows: More...
Watain Discusses New Album, "Lawless Darkness"
Watain recently announced the release date of their upcoming album, "Lawless Darkness."
"The title symbolizes the unbound chaotic potential of that which is void of light", frontman E. comments. "The light that defines, the light that shapes and restricts. The light by which the forces of law and order uphold their reign. In the absence of that light lies the wellspring of WATAIN: in Lawless Darkness.
"With this album and in all of our efforts with WATAIN we aim to capture the hungry madness and glimmering purity of darkness beyond illusion, the void that holds all yet where naught is manifest, the primordial tomb into which all the vanity of man and his creation shall collapse: indeed, The Lawless Darkness!
"Lawless Darkness shall be seen as a monument erected in honour of that collapse and a dedication to all those brave souls, who have willingly dared to venture the winding paths towards it."
"Shed not thy light on me
Get thee hence, thoughts defined
Blind me not with your bright structures
For I am of the night
"Let not thy rays caress me
Judged by them I will not be
For they are the light that governs man
And I am the enemy"
In other news, WATAIN will return to the United States once again in late May as part of the annual aural offensive known as the Maryland Deathfest, appearing with Sodom, Obituary, Entombed, Possessed, Necrophobic and countless more.
And, after completing the regular portion of their set at this year's Sweden Rock Festival in on June 12th, WATAIN will return to the stage for a unique 45-minute tribute concert featuring classic Bathory songs. The event promises to be even more special as the Bathory part of WATAIN's performance will be introduced by none other than late Bathory mainman Quorthon's father and producer, Börje "Boss" Forsberg. "It feels great to have Boss participating in a part of the show, since he, in a way, is the only living link to the Bathory myth," says E. "It will still be a tribute show and nothing else, but we are, of course, honored to be able to do it with his blessing!"
Column
Sunday Old School: Bathory
In previous Sunday Old School articles, we have looked at three of the bands that really helped to inspire and form the genre of black metal, in the forms of Venom, Celtic Frost and Mercyful Fate. However there is another band just as important in the formation of black metal that we are yet to examine. Namely, Sweden's Bathory. The band was formed in the city of Stockholm in 1983 by Tomas Forsberg, better known to his fans as Quorthon, and two friends. They went through a number of name changes before settling on Bathory and released their self-titled debut album the following year. This album, along with "The Return" and "Under The Sign Of The Black Mark" are now regarded as huge influences on the infamous Norwegian black metal scene's music in the 1990s.
Bathory not only helped to pioneer black metal, but also viking metal too, when they began incorporating viking themes on their next album, "Blood Fire Death." The group went further with this styling on their record, "Hammerheart," now regarded as a landmark in the field of viking metal. They would continue the "Hammerheart" style on their next two albums, "Twilight Of The Gods" and "Blood On Ice" before changing their sound once again, this time sounding more like thrash metal. This move was criticized by many of the band's fans and they returned to the viking approach on their last albums. Sadly, the band would not be able to continue, as in June of 2004, Quorthon (now the band's sole original member) was found dead in his home from an apparant heart failure. The legacy of Bathory has since been remembered with a box set released in 2006 and several tribute albums. More...
Ereb Altor Posts Bathory Cover Footage
Swedish metallers Ereb Altor have posted a video clip online of their performance of the Bathory cover "Home of Once Brave." The video clip, which can be viewed below, was recorded at the Dutch Doom Days 2009 festival.
GTA4: The Lost and Damned Gets A Metal Station
"The Lost and Damned," the first expansion pack for Rockstar Games' hugely successful video game, Grand Theft Auto IV, is out now on Xbox 360. Aside from the new missions and characters, one of the biggest features of the expansion pack is the addition of all-new radio shows - with one aimed squarely at metalheads.
The game's LCHC (Liberty City Hardcore) radio station now features a new show hosted by MAX CAVALERA of SEPULTURA/SOULFLY fame, which includes a slew of timeless metal favourites such as Earache Records legends AT THE GATES, ENTOMBED and TERRORIZER - providing the perfect soundtrack for hitting the streets of Liberty City.
For more information on "Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned" and to see the full list of new music included in
1. At the Gates - "Slaughter of the Soul"
2. Drive By Audio - "Jailbait"
3. Celtic Frost - "Inner Sanctum"
4. Entombed - "Drowned"
5. Sepultura - "Dead Embryonic Cells"
6. Deicide - "Dead by Dawn"
7. Cannibal Corpse - "I Cum Blood"
8. Bathory - "Call From the Grave"
9. Kreator - "Awakening of the Gods"
10. Terrorizer - "Fear of Napalm"
You can check out the rest of their music selections here. The rock station in particular features some decent metal songs as well. More...
Max Cavalera To Appear In New GTA Game
Former Sepultura frontman and current leader of Soulfly Max Cavalera will appear as the host of the L.C.H.C. (Liberty City Hardcore) radio station in the new video game, "Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost And Damned" Rockstar Games revealed today. The radio station will include some more metal songs this time around, including "I Cum Blood" by Cannibal Corpse, Bathory's "Call From The Grave", Entombed's "Drowned" and "Fear Of Napalm" by Terrorizer. The Classic Rock station will also be updated to include "Wild Side" by Motley Crue and "Wheels Of Steel" by Saxon amongst others. You can check out a sample of the new stations and DJ by heading to the games official website.