The 1990 release of “Hammerheart” saw Bathory shed themselves completely of their image as a “satanic” band, firmly establishing the Viking metal tendencies shown on “Blood, Fire, Death.” This, in my opinion, was a Good Move ™ by Quorthron and the boys. While their earlier works do have a certain immature charm about them, they can never really live up to the much more focused efforts put out later in the bands career.

“Hammerheart” kicks off with the sound of waves breaking on the beach. A short acoustic intro later, and the band starts the ball rolling with “Shores in Flames.” While Quorthrons vocals are at times ridiculous, and the solo drowned in bad production, this song well conveys the Viking imagery associated with the lyrics. After “Shores in Flames” comes “Valhalla”, another great Viking anthem with an epic chorus, which is followed by the equally good “Baptised in Fire and Ice.” Not for one second does the album lose interest until “Song to Hall Up High”, a ballad which could have been left out. As it is, it’s an OK song (despite the poor vocals), but this reviewer thinks that it does break the flow of the album a bit. “Hammerheart” is brought to a close by the 10+ minute “One Rode to Asa Bay”, no doubt the highlight of the album in its epic grandeur.

The main downfalls of “Hammerheart” are, as already mentioned, the vocals and the production. Quorthron makes it quite apparent throughout that he doesn’t have much experiece singing clean vocals, and while his hoarse shout has personality, and to a certain degree fits the music, I can’t help but think that this album would be much better if he had more control over his voice. Also, while the production is pretty damn good for a garage (literally) recording, the lead guitar sounds like utter crap. I’ve never heard a thinner lead sound in my life. Despite these faults, however, “Hammerheart” is definitely a good album, chock full of well-written Viking anthems that if anything get the blood pumping.

Year Released: 1990
Label: Black Mark
Related Link: Twilight: The Unofficial Bathory Page
Date Reviewed: 2003-12-23
Author: Goran