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"Nordland" Bathory |
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The name has lay buried in the bowels of Black Metal past for the late great kings of the earliest Nordic uprising all those years ago. And concurrently, with the seeming resurrection of Black Mark, the one time rulers of Scandinavian dark, Bathory rises again from a decade long dormancy to unleash "Nordland" upon the masses, a two-part package that's expected to be completed in February 2003. Bathory's history dates back to a time when names like Blood Feast, Celtic Frost, and Venom dominated the underground with their black mass conjuring and cult followers united by the fire of the extreme that ultimately developed into the popularized Metal sub genres of Black and Death and the countless droves who'd follow, not the least of which includes names like Cradle Of Filth, Dark Funeral, and Amon Amarth among many. Bathory's resurfacing yields the most majestic and atmospheric offering of their near twenty year career (which will be officially 20 in March of 2003), which has included any number of recognized classics - "Bathory," "Twilight Of The Gods," "Requiem," and survived various attempts at scientific self-discovery as well as the sinister leanings of Quorthon's solo sell out attempts along the way. "Nordland: 1" is along the lines of Bathory's ever present Nordic trace that first gave rise on earlier epics like "Hammerheart" or the revered, "Blood On Ice" release. It's knee deep in swords, steel, snow and self-discovery as if from a wide eyed child's imaginative journey where reality and history clash in an epic confrontation that's inevitably an ode to a proud yet unforgiving homeland where "Dark grey skies and endless forests" reign supreme. At the onset, "Prelude" serves as the expected calm before the storm here. "Nordland: 1" is tied together by dominant themes of the great Nordic landscape and Norse warriors in an ever changing climate from present to past amidst great use of lyrical foreshadow, instrumentalism, and contemplative affectation. "Nordland" and "Vinterblot" are back to back follow ups that employ a wayward seafaring stab at adventure on the high seas - envision an early age Running Wild dressed in skins and draped in black. "Dragons Breath" then becomes the early epic favorite - a six-minute monument to the mythological beast's fury and the free breaking spirit of a slowly developing conquering hero. "Rings Of Gold" is an acoustically led pause to reflect upon earth and sky in a dreamlike return to origination before yielding to the eight minute mini-tale of "Foreverdark Woods," which itself soon crumbles to the suddenness of "Broken Sword." For its battle-ready nature, there's a slight return to the "roots" of the past where Bathory's acclaimed power, becomes blinded by aggression. "Hall Awaits A Fallen Brother" embarks on another eight-minute excursion through the mists of time ably assisted by crudely channeled guitar power and double bass drums, either of which serves to enhance rather than dominate. Much the same can be said for "Nordland: 1" overall, as the dynamism of shifting tones between the enchanted and extreme embody and embolden a densely produced record that's aurally prescient and conscientiously portrayed and performed by the resurgent Boss and Quorthon team. In following their massive "Destroyer Of Worlds" mixed bag undertaking of a few years back, Bathory's satisfied to revisit their roots with a nationally symbolic glimpse that's entrenched in rarely footed Nordic Metal extremes… if not set to reopen the rusty gates of yesterday's dark dungeon. Publishing & copyright
worldwide BLACK MARK AB 2002 Review by Vinnie Apicella [va85@columbia.edu] P.O. Box 20252
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