Released 8 October 1988 Length 45:41 Artist Bathory Label Under One Flag | Recorded February 1988 Blood Fire Death
(1988) Hammerheart
(1990) Release date 8 October 1988 Producer Quorthon | |
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Studio Heavenshore Studio, Stockholm, Sweden Genres Black metal, Viking metal, Thrash metal Similar Bathory albums, Black metal albums | ||
Blood Fire Death is the fourth studio album by Swedish extreme metal band Bathory. It was released on 8 October 1988, through Music for Nations sublabel, Under One Flag. The album, although mostly black metal, includes some of the first examples of Viking metal. According to the book Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult by Dayal Patterson, Blood Fire Death began a second trilogy, an era Quorthon described as the "pre-Christian Swedish Viking Era".
Contents
Background and recording
The lyrics to "For All Those Who Died" were taken from a poem by Erica Jong, first published in her book Witches (1981), while first three verses of "A Fine Day to Die" are taken from "Cassilda's Song" of Robert W. Chambers' The King in Yellow.
The front cover comes from the painting Asgårdsreien (1872) by Peter Nicolai Arbo.
Critical reception
In 2009, IGN included Blood Fire Death in their "10 Great Black Metal Albums" list.
Track listing
All tracks written by Quorthon.
Note: The "Outro" is not listed on the cover, and is not included on the cassette release.
Personnel
Songs
1Odens Ride Over Nordland3:01
2A Fine Day to Die8:36
3The Golden Walls of Heaven5:23