Hammerheart

The cold winds and ironclad honour of Scandinavian mythology are perfectly captured on <i>Hammerheart</i>, Bathory’s viking metal opus from 1990. While bands like Darkthrone were still developing their black-metal sound, Quorthon and co. reach new frontiers in the searing, 11-minute “Shores of Flames”, leaving a trail of screaming guitars in their wake. Thunderous riffs and melancholy keyboards narrate a tale of Christian conquest in “One Rode to Asa Bay”, and “Song to Hall Up High” invokes the sweeping melody of Nordic folk.