Twilight of the Gods by Bathory
Twilight of the Gods is the sixth studio album by Swedish extreme metal band Bathory. It continues the exploration of the newly created Viking metal style, and also displays heavy epic doom and classical influences; it is titled after an opera by Wagner. It is a mid-tempo, more acoustic album than previous Bathory releases, though it follows on from Hammerheart. Of significance is Quorthon's total control of the album, playing all electric and acoustic guitar, keyboards, bass, and drum programming. The background vocals are a particular feature of the album, with Quorthon multi-tracking himself, as he did on Hammerheart, though on this album he sounds more like a chorus than previously. The song "Hammerheart" is based on a melody from Gustav Holst's The Planets; specifically, it is Quorthon's own rearrangement of the middle section of the fourth movement, Jupiter.
After forging the sound of viking metal on 1990’s <i>Hammerheart</i>, Bathory’s Tomas “Quorthon” Forsberg returns with more confidence on <i>Twilight of the Gods</i>, alchemising glacial riffs, classical touches and Odyssean choruses. He’s at his best on the 11-minute title track, playing all the instruments and multitracking his own voice for a one-man warrior saga. “Under the Runes” flashes like cold lightning with its distorted guitar harmonics, while “Hammerheart” reworks an English suite by Gustav Holst into a heartfelt ode to Valhalla.
