Blood on Ice

My perception is that when people talk about Blood on Ice, the vast majority of people refer to it as a good album but nobody seems to have it among their favourites from the band, no matter if they are more fans of the black or the viking era, Blood on Ice always seems to be that temporary anomaly that was released in the middle of what for many is considered the worst Bathory era. That combined with the fact that in terms of production the album has a much weaker sound compared to Bathory's previous viking metal albums, results in a work that is generally well appreciated but is totally in the shadow of its predecessors.

And the truth is that to a certain extent I agree that this is the case, Blood on Ice is not peak Bathory, but if I think it necessary to emphasize some of the genialities that this album contains, not in vain the nature of this work makes it one of the most interesting albums of the band.

The first thing that is remarkable about this album is that it is a concept album, a feature that although it doesn't end up being the centrepiece of the work, it is to value certain creative decisions that, although they can be ignored, if appreciated only enrich the value of the album even more. Quorthon knew how to transmit the narrative of a story through the musical resources (leitmotifs, narration) being the album good by itself but it gains a lot if you make an effort to listen to it the way it was conceived. Just the intro itself marks this pattern when the horsemen riding to cause the slaughter in contrast to the quiet village are so clearly intercut that one can even visualise it in a cinematographic way.

Getting into the music, the truth is that this work builds on the trail already left by Hammerheart and especially Twilight of the Gods, being most of the songs slow passages with absorbing riffs and epic background choirs, but it becomes very melodic or emotional, it really enhances with the music the perception of a story with many tropes being told, added to that each song has a strong personality of its own helps a lot to make each of the riffs and choruses feel really special. This is emphasized to the point where songs like "The Lake" or "Gods of Thunder, of Wind, and of Rain" are a standout because they do their job within the concept album but outside of it they are also true masterpieces.

And although short in appearance, the truth is that there is also part of experimentation within the limits of Bathory, "Man of Iron" is an acoustic song, brief but emotional and serves as a bridge to the situation of the protagonist of the story as well as a musical contrast to the epic and destructive beginning of the first track. And the later "One Eyed Old Man" becomes by its own merits in one of the most unique themes of Bathory, starting with a riff and a style almost close to punk rock fuses with the atmospheric elements and voices of viking metal to merge in an ephemeral but spectacular solo, after that it turns into an atmospheric and narrative piece to, guided by some glorious keyboards, return in a circular way at the end of the song with the initial musical style. And all this only in four minutes where the listener goes through a multitude of emotions and impulses, being also the first example of a current that Quorthon would develop in the three following albums to this one, where he would fuse the elements of viking metal with a much more aggressive riffing.

Then there is the issue of Quorthon's vocals on this work, as I said the sound of the album is in line especially with Twilight of the Gods, and Quorthon's vocals are along the same vein, but as I also mentioned the production quality is markedly worse, and that added to the fact that the swedish performer's clean vocals were never his strong point makes him sound a bit ridiculous at times. But it is also true that Quorthon puts all his passion and emotion into this performance, showing that he takes his music and his story seriously, and in the end that is what is most valued, and also that with Bathory there is a strange relationship where even knowing that Quorthon's voice is not the best, you can't imagine another voice singing that kind of music.

The album ends on a very high note with the epic "The Revenge of the Blood on Ice", an almost ten minutes long track that recovers the motiv of the first track as a conclusion of the story, but this time taking all that musicality to greater extremes of interpretation, as if it was a classic work, the climax of the story is bombastic and heartbreaking, taking to its maximum exponent the styles exposed throughout the album, in a way that very few have known how to do in extreme metal, and that Bathory always seemed to do with great facility.

And maybe that ease and perfection that so many times Bathory touched caused that this is an album that is not appreciated as it deserves, being a complex album, with a multitude of ideas where everything fits, maybe it is not as rounded as other albums of the band, but that only speaks well of their great musical legacy, an album like this would be the highest aspiration for many bands and here it is not even the pinnacle of Bathory. But that doesn't mean it deserves to be overshadowed by other works. Quorthon's work is unique, many bands cite his work as an influence but few sound like him, in the same way that many of us are fascinated by his music, and although there are better albums, that should not be an impediment to celebrate all that this great work represents.

If you're in the extreme metal scene, Bathory should be a familiar name to you. Quorthon has been a highly influential artist in the metal scene from day one, with his first three albums being one of the first to morph the raw and crazed black metal sound we know today. Starting with "Blood Fire Death", however, Quorthon would begin to experiment with some viking themes that would eventually morph into a new subgenre called viking metal, and his decision to go all the way with this then-new genre was very controversial at the time, since that would mean we won't hear the roaring shouts in "Equimanthorn" or the dark and gloomy atmosphere of "The Return..." ever again.

This leads us to 1996, where Quorthon decides to release a new album titled "Blood on Ice". The album's history dates back to 1989, where it was first recorded and was intended to be the original "Blood Fire Death". However, Quorthon never got to finish the recording until years later, and about 40% of the original recording would eventually make it into the final product. This release was also more of a breath of fresh air, since Bathory was experimenting with a thrash metal sound with "Requiem" and "Octagon", both of which were met with mixed and negative reviews from critics and especially fans. Because of this, "Blood of Ice" is considered a black sheep among the viking metal Bathory albums and, along with "Destroyer of Worlds", is considered by many to be one of the weaker albums in Bathory's diverse discography. Well I'd argue otherwise. While not as good as "Hammerheart" or "Twilight of the Gods", "Blood on Ice" still remains an excellent album.

One strong highlight of the album is the instruments. Bathory's instrumentals have mostly been excellent, and BOI is no exception. The guitars play these really powerful riffs that bring in an atmosphere of grandness and pride. The drums also mainly beat in slow, but precise patterns, and they sound great with its mighty sound. The bass is also a lot more audible than in the previous albums, and it is good at providing a foundation for the tracks. One great example of this would be the title track "Blood on Ice", where it has a heavy emphasis on the grandness of the atmosphere, and it is very fitting to the lyrics of a village being burned down. Other tracks that have excellent instruments would be in "The Sword", "The Lake", and "Gods of Thunder of Wind and of Rain". The instrumentals on this album are amazing, and they execute the vast and epic atmosphere just as good as most other Bathory albums.

The vocals are also good. Quorthon's vocals have always been versatile, ranging from the brutal shrieks from his black metal days to the more melodic singing in his viking metal days, and BOI in particular follows the latter. Quorthon's singing sounds great, and his prideful personality gives the vocals a more powerful and striking tone. One of the strongest vocal moments on this album would be in "The Woodwoman". Quorthon mixes in some chants along with the singing, and they mix perfectly with the track's more slow and immersive instruments. Quorthon also puts in a lot of emotion in this particular track, so his story about the woodwoman seem genuine. "The Stallion" and "The Revenge of the Blood on Ice" also have some strong vocals. The vocals may have some flaws in it, but they are still great.

But while the instruments and lyrics are great, the album's strongest element would be in the lyrics. "Blood on Ice" is a concept album about a boy being the only survivor of a brutal village raid, and he lives in a forest for 15 years before an one-eyed old man trains him to fulfill his destiny. Each track is an essential part of the story, and no track feels like filler at all. Not only that, but the lyrics themselves are also great. For example, in "The Lake", this verse quotes:

The one eyed old man told me that the face that I will see
Has paralysed a thousand brave men sure of victory
I cannot fight blindfolded and I'd freeze if I should see.
So I need to sacrifice my eyes to see all from within.

This verse is about the one-eyed old man telling the boy that the only way to see a certain face is if he "sacrifices his eyes". It sounds crazy, but later on in the story, we see that by throwing his eyes at the lake, his vision is greatly improved, and therefore, he will be able to see what he needs to see. There are a lot of these twists where you think it's gonna be bad, but it turns out to be better, and the execution is fantastic. So while there are a couple of aspects of the story that need some work, especially the lyrics to "Man of Iron", they're still excellent.

So with all of these reasons, it's easy to see why "Blood on Ice" is a fantastic album. The instrumentals sound epic and vast, the vocals are very melodic and flow well to the instruments, and the story about the boy finding his true destiny remains one of the greatest stories ever told in Bathory's discography. It's kinda a shame to see this album be pushed aside as a mediocre viking metal album, because it has a lot going for. If you want to hear a viking metal album that has some fantastic storytelling, "Blood on Ice" is an album I'd highly recommend.

I absolutely adore Bathory. They (he technically, since it was only really one man, called Quorthon.) are my absolute favourite band of all time. I own all their records, even the somewhat rare Blood on Ice promo album that I managed to snag from my local radio station when I worked there! So when I came round to listening to this piece of re-recorded and old material dating back to the late 80's I was very excited to see where Bathory had gone after the admittedly terrible Requiem and Octagon double whammy. Well I was shocked, to tell you the truth!

After reading the liner notes from the album's booklet I found out that Blood on Ice is a concept album that follows a young boy who's village is raided by horsemen clad in black and who slaughter all the men but carry all the women and children off to the far North. The boy survives by hiding up a tree and at the end he charges into the gates of Hell and defeats a great twin-headed serpent whilst also freeing the souls of those trapped there. OK, it is certainly a more interesting and strong story than can be said for a lot of other heavy metal concept albums. But I did notice a definite influence from Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian novels. Still good though. Right, back to the music.

The last thing I had heard of Bathory was Twilight of the Gods in 1991, and also the last that main band member Quorthon thought it was going to be for his band (until the misfires that were Requiem and Octagon), that's why there's no spooky outro on Twilight of the Gods like there usually was on each subsequent Bathory record up until that point. Because Bathory wasn't going to return, Quorthon and Black Mark Productions decided to dump the Jubileum albums on us to ensure Bathory wasn't forgotten. For now...

Well, I suppose that Quorthon couldn't contain himself, and Bathory returned in 1994 after 3 years off with a little album called Requiem. Utter faux thrash crap! Anyway, one year after that in 1995, he decided to have one more stab at thrash metal with Octagon. Even worse faux thrash crap!! I suppose Quorthon must have been feeling a bit disheartened with the response both Requiem and Octagon received because in 1996 he didn't actually release an album proper, he just "dug into the archives" to retrieve some material written in 1989, right after Blood Fire Death. As Quorthon wasn't entirely happy with this new material's musical direction (as it was, he felt, a drastic shift from Blood Fire Death) he shelved everything written and instead pumped out "Hammerheart."

So, Blood on Ice isn't actually an album that was entirely written and recorded in 1996. Parts of it are from 1989 and there is some new material recorded in 1996, but I believe the majority is from 1989. So how is the actual music? Well for that we don't technically need to turn to Hammerheart or Twilight of the Gods since THIS album was supposed to be the first proper Bathory viking metal album. Is it as good as either of those albums I just mentioned? Well, if it came out first, perhaps this would be a different story but since it was released so late in the viking era of Bathory, after two subsequent masterpieces (Twilight and Hammerheart), it isn't quite the spectacle nor is it as majestic as I expected it would be.

We start things off with an action packed intro that concerns the raid of the young boy's village that moves the whole album's concept story into motion. It's short and only lasts for 1 minute and 40 seconds but then it leads into the the title track which was where I discovered that the majority of the problems with this album unfortunately lie. The production is a big part of those problems. The drums are of particular note; they sound like garbage. Really flat and tinny snare, horrendous sort of lo-fi sound to the cymbals and the toms all sound the same. I know of course that it was a machine programmed by Quorthon; but he could have done a much better job of it than this.
Along the way, I noticed sound issues with the song "One-Eyed Old Man" suffering serious problems at the guitar solo part. There is horrible crackling and volume issues where it sounds super compressed. Also, I gave the remastered version of this album a go to see if it fixes any of these grievances and it seemed to solve some of the serious peaking issues of sound levels on some songs, but then it all sounds like it was bass boosted to hell and back (and like the album was recorded in a submarine!!! Which it wasn't.) The remastered recording sounds so much worse. All of the Bathory remasters do. Bah, remastered my backside!! Of course, I don't know if that was Quorthon's intention when producing this record (and remastering it) to have this different confluence of sound quality and production values or not, but it all sounds so very amateurish regardless. Like seriously, here was a man who had been in the music industry since 1983, producing, playing and participating on so many musical albums and compositions, yet when given the perfect chance, nay, the perfect OPPORTUNITY to go back and flesh out this stuff on brand new equipment years later and to REALLY make this album come to life he instead he comes out with all this! I really cannot fathom the thought process here.

Anyway, the album rumbles along at a mid to slow pace the entire time. The fastest track on Blood on Ice is the aptly named "Gods of Thunder of Wind and of Rain" as listening to it makes you feel like you are caught up in the middle of a thunderstorm, gale force wind and heavy rain all at the same time. Great! Another neat little thing is the way that the title track and the last track "The Revenge of the Blood on Ice" start the same way and carry similar traits and sound to each other. Like I said, it was a neat thing to bookend the album with. Quorthon's voice is a lot more loud, powerful and confident on this album than on Twilight of the Gods (no funny voice cracks or off-key moments anymore! For the most part) and he certainly handles calm, melodic and soothing songs like "Man of Iron" and "The Ravens" better than on either Hammerheart or Twilight of the Gods. Another thing to note is "The Lake." The best song on Blood on Ice. It has one of the most powerful, uplifting and best choruses I have ever heard on a heavy metal record to date. An absolute banger of a track. Almost 7 minutes of brilliantly executed MUSIC. It doesn't actually get any better than this on Blood on Ice. The rest of the songs I haven't mentioned like "The Sword", "The Stallion", or "The Woodwoman" aren't really worth talking about much since to me personally they come across as filler songs, designed purely to set the musical backdrop for the story currently charging along through this album.

So where would I put Bathory's 9th semi-studio affair on my list? Just above Destroyer of Worlds. Yes, it isn't the greatest Bathory album recorded in my opinion, perhaps, like I said, if it was released properly back in 1989 and not redone 7 years later it may have been perfect. Who knows? All I do know is that Quorthon still remains a musical genius who created TRUE masterpieces in the shape of albums like Nordland II, The Return...... and Hammerheart and unfortunately I don't feel Blood on Ice deserves that label, yet. Maybe a few more years and a few more spins of this album might do the trick...

Ah yes, the "lost" Bathory album. It's also a concept album that alludes to Norse mythology. If you want more background information, look elsewhere, because under all the drama is an overlooked Viking gem.

The first thing to note is how wildly diverse this album is - giving further credence to Quorthon's incredible versatility: you have your typical hulking and slower paced viking fare ("Blood on Ice", "The Lake"); more traditional, slow, and melancholic folk ("Man of Iron", "The Ravens"); straightforward, fast, and flashy power metal ("Gods of Thunder, of Wind and of Rain"); and even a bit of punk/thrash ("One Eyed Old Man"). It all flows so effortlessly, making listening to the album straight through quite an entertaining experience.

Being varied is meaningless if the writer doesn't have the skill to back it up. Since this is Bathory we're talking about, of course it does. The compositions are catchy, even if it does feel like it we're treading old ground here and there ("Revenge of the Blood on Ice" is yet another "Blood Fire Death" clone. Well done, but a clone none the less). This album also hints at some of the greatness to come, like the folk masterpiece that is "Ring of Gold" to the emphasis on catchier tracks on Nordland I and II. I do wonder what other genres Quorthon could have conquered if he was given the time...

The actual performances, too, are impressive. I'd argue this album has Quorthon's best cleans, at least at points. His high end is way better here than it would be on the Nordland albums, at least in my opinion. I skimmed the concept album status briefly, but it works. It has a clear story, and Quorthon, excellent lyricist he was, tells it well. We also get to hear Quorthon say "Yee Haw!" on the last track, which if nothing else is amusing to picture. The other instruments are still excellent and up to Bathory par. Quorthon still has time to throw in his flashy solos, as if we expected anything else. Nothing feels out of place and everything comes together to create the cold landscape the title suggests. Well, almost.

Despite the good playing, the production mars it a bit, especially on the drums. A gross over correction of Octagon, no doubt. At their best, the drums are too loud and distract from the cool vocal harmonies and riffs, and at their worst they completely overtake the song. Everything else sounds serviceable, but not nearly as good as the later albums. This probably has to do with the fact that half of this was recorded in the 80s and the rest was recorded in the 90s.

In any case, Blood on Ice was an album that still feels kind of lost, even after being released. It's rarely mentioned in comparison to its follow ups, both intended and actual. It was released in a dark era in the Bathory timeline and suffered as a result. Would the album have fared better if it was released when it was intended? No, I don't think so. This album gave us (arguably) Quorthon's greatest vocal performance (Hammerheart and Twilight of the Gods are frequently derided for Quorthon's less than stellar vocals). He also now knew what worked and what didn't.

What I'm trying to say is Quorthon had the time to fix Blood on Ice, to make it something more than "That black metal whackjob's made a crap Manowar record!".

If only he had more... Hail Quorthon!

Highlights:
"Man of Iron"
"Gods of Thunder, of Wind and of Rain"
"The Lake"

P.S. This is probably my favorite Necrolord cover, if for no other reason than it's not "Evil Mansion #8125".

One of stages which metal has been passed is the viking metal; which is a genre that tries to portray the moments, history and religion of vikings, being Bathory the pioneer or main precursor since the rhythm they use is an epic, troubadour feeling that makes you think "Wow, I'm listening to the heavy rhythm of vikings". I present you one of the albums which Bathory got to their cusp with. I also like the cover art, almost all songs are described there. Blood on Ice was recorded in 1989 but released in 1996, because when it was recorded, the band was very focused in black metal and Quorthon, the band's creative leader (rest in peace), thought this wouldn't work and fans wouldn't like it, but after a while, he polished his project and went on sale seven years later. Sincerely, I'd wish this album were the successor of Twilights of the Gods, so this band could've got a flawless catalog that every fan would boast having "their first seven albums". But not, this album came after constant pressures by fans and after releasing two retro-thrash discs.

The rhythms are perfect, they're coquettish as I normally like, overwhelming and epic as fuck, although sometimes slowed down in "Man of Iron" or "The Ravens", but that's perfect because it lets you rest from so many crazy epics and lets you think what's happened there. Although the production isn't raw and polished like their predecessors, the songwriting is pretty exceptional, enjoyable from start to finish, like a cinematographic trip while you listening to story. Quorthon gives us an awesome heavy metal stuff with a proto-viking touch which will accompany the child in his epic battles against outsiders. "Intro" means the introduction to work, a small instrumental piece that presents a well-developed exercise, like a cinema beginning. It doesn't take too long when the most rhythmic, elegant riffs do us enter to "Blood on Ice" and then, we've got entirely acoustic passages like "Man of Iron" and "The Ravens", which only add variety and novelty to the album. "The Woodwoman" and "The Lake" have exceptional performances (both vocals and acoustic intro) that give an emotivity and portray a purely viking ambient. As if war preparations were concerned, the potent and powerful "The Revenge" gives the way to great end that the story deserves, which gathers the album essence in ten minutes.

What would happen if this album had the same production as in "Twilight of the Gods" or that in "Nordland"? Surely, this one would've got the same estimation as those, also a massive recognition from the fans, which unfortunately didn't happen because this is a very underrated album, probably because it's interspersed between their worst albums. As I said, this album should've been released in 1994 or so, but everything affects to estimation that unconditional fan can grant to this, you probably prefer the "Nordlands" above this one, but anyway, this represents an essential puzzle about their viking records. Just like the missing link, as our friend hells_unicorn said, there's always a connector that unifies the pieces and explains everything, and this album is the connector between their early twins Hammerheart/Twilight and the later Nordland saga, which constitutes a collection of five albums representing the genre, being "Blood Fire Death" only a reminiscence of that.

Again, some people don't like this album and they despise it due to its technique or different sound. I must tell you, I disagree; therefore, I think I have the authority to defend this release, which was the saw that did split into two pieces the big steel beam that supported the grunge in 90s, along with Burzum's "Filosofem", also my favorite album from that year. The instrumental section has an exceptional job, especially on Vvnorth's druming and Quorthon's guitar playing, since his guitar riffs are fucking bastard, as well as the beautiful during the harmonious arpeggios in "The Ravens". With this masterpiece, we find again a melodic beginning, as if they told us the moments lived by the child and by all us, converted into a majestic experience that will be fought in a legendary world along with our hero, mounted on galloping guitars and epic drums. Also with the most hopeful choruses and perhaps the most successful album from their early viking era (1990, 1991, 1996). And this is friends, a clear example of how music makes us free, free to imagine, to create and to adorn the world for us. This has been my story... what's yours? Thanks for reading me.

Quorthon, the Grandfather of Epic. That enigmatic and seclusive genius who created some of the first (and best) black metal in history and later went on to pursue heroic Viking themes, thus being an ancestor for two metal subgenres: black metal and Viking metal (though I hate the term). All this was done through his first-born, baptized in fire and ice with a name that strikes fear in the feeble and is honored by metalheads across the world: the mighty Bathory. If you don’t know Bathory or haven’t listened to them extensively, making them one of your life’s musical priorities – do it. Now.

“Blood on Ice”, or parts of it, was originally recorded in 1989 when Quorthon’s Viking longship was just making its first raids to the shores of the metal scene. The songs being in Q’s mind all too different from Bathory’s previous material, they were set aside for the moment. Instead, he recorded and released the immortal classics “Hammerheart” and “Twilight of the Gods”, which had a somewhat rawer vibe to them and made the transition from the band’s BM roots smoother. And finally, in 1996, “Blood on Ice” was finalized…

This album is one of the most Epic metal albums ever recorded. Yes, it deserves the capital E. I’ll explain the style of music found now. Bear with me – blackened viking heavy metal with a grandiose aura of Wagnerian proportions manifesting a saga of fire and steel. Yeah. I know, categorizing sucks but now you probably understand what it sounds like. Sort of. All songs are great, and some hold purely amazing qualities of composition and arranging, such as “The Lake”. This fantastic anthem is catchy as hell, with a dark atmosphere perfectly reflecting the lyrics, heightened by background choirs and ambient guitar leads, and to cap it off – as strong a chorus as there has ever been in the realm of metal. And what’s most impressive about all of this is that Quorthon managed to fit all the pieces together in the best way possible, so that transitions between parts are not just smooth or natural, they just couldn’t be done in any other way. It just has to be just like it is. The sing-along factor of the tracks overall on “BoI” is so high that there should be a fucking karaoke version of this motherfucker.

Speaking of singing along: if I’d score the passion, feeling, and conviction in Q’s vocals, I’d give him an 11 out of 10. Unluckily, he’s so off-key at times (for example the 1st verse of “The Stallion”) that even Enrique Iglesias cringed when I played a few songs to him. Yes, I know Enrique. He’s my manwhore. Meaning, I rent his ass to people and take the money. Too bad he starts singing after a while, most clients can’t bear the noise. Back to Quorthon’s vox – there’s no growling or shrieking on “BoI”, only mid- to high-pitched melodic heavy metal vox which sound mighty fine for the most part. Almost all of the time, or at least more than half, there are “Aaaaaahh” or “Oooooohh” choirs in the background, enveloping the songs in epicness, epicity and epichood. Sometimes Q gets a nice rasp/distortion to his voice, and sometimes he gets something else, which is not at all as pleasant. To say the least, he sounds raw – but he fucking means every syllable.

"Blood on Ice" is a concept album. You might have guessed that by now. It’s a tale of a boy whose village is ravaged, his family killed, his life destroyed – and his quest for revenge. He gathers heroic things like strength, wisdom and a sword and sets upon a trip to hell to avenge the fallen. Sounds familiar? Yeah… it’s Conan all over again. Also, Quorthon borrowed a lot from both the Viking and German mythologies so most of the stuff feels like you’ve heard it all before. Still, the epicness wins you over with such tasteful lines such as:

”Creator of life. Guardian of the dead.
Goddess of battle and war.
All of yee watch me. My sword by my side.
Proudly I sit on my horse.”

I’m serious. The tale is so macho it makes your dick hard just by reading it, and twice its normal size if you dare sing along. I do it all the time while performing in the sack. Quorthon writes at length (six pages) in the booklet about the record’s historical aspects, recording details and influences. All you could possibly want to know about it. This, combined with all the lyrics, with written introductions to every song that tie the saga together, make the booklet more valuable than on most records.

What about the sound on "Blood on Ice"? An album's production in itself has no value, it’s how well it works with the song material that counts. So what do we get here? Well… The drums sound like a drum machine, with lots of reverb. The choirs sound far away, with lots of reverb. The guitars sound frizzy and fuzzy, with lots of reverb. The acoustic guitars sound like acoustic guitars. With lots of reverb. There’s a lot of stuff going on here, and there’s lots of reverb all over the place. Sounds…chaotic? Yes, a bit. Indistinct? Actually, not that much. All the hits by the drum machine are so clearly punctuated that you never lose the beat or sense of rhythm. The sound canvas is instead huge and epic, but the lo-fi recording makes everything sound raw. Sounds like a pretty good production for this record to me.

The guitars are not as dominant as on most metal albums, many riffs are doubled by the choirs and the guitars often bring a supportive chordal texture more than a leading role. Ambient guitar leads and melodies are found aplenty, but they’re seldom in-your-face. Acoustic guitars come to the forefront much more when they kick in and bring a great heathen atmosphere. Whatever that is. Some not-so-well-played solos play their part but nothing more. All in all, guitars are just another piece in Quorthon’s puzzle, not bigger than the other instruments. But the riffs, oh man – the riffs!! The bass contributes nothing mind-blowing, but very melodic playing and some cool solo interludes (5:51 on “The Revenge of the Blood on Ice”).

The drums sound, as mentioned, like a drum machine. I guess it is a drum machine, although Quorthon mentions drum kit placements and whatnot here and there when speaking about the recording sessions. Q liked to lie a lot, though, we all know that. I’m going with my ears on this one and calling it a drum machine. It’s programmed OK, and there are many “I feel the need to air drum”-parts, but that’s mainly due to the songwriting and not as much the drum arrangements. Still, nothing wrong here. Except that it’s a fucking machine.

The cover art was done by Kristian Wåhlin aka Necrolord, who, as we all know, knows how to paint. This one has a drawback though; it’s quite chaotic, as KW tried to get as many parts of the saga as possible into one picture. It’s still quite nice, with a flaming penis and all. Huh? Oh, right. A flaming sword. Bummer.

While “Blood on Ice” wasn’t released during the pinnacle of Bathory’s viking era, I still rate it as high on the classic scale as “Hammerheart”. In fact, “BoI” is my favorite Bathory album. Its bombastic and epic arrangements coupled with the superb songwriting make for a match in heaven/hell (your choice). If there ever was a viking metal album that was worth purchasing, it’s this one. Served with chilled mead and raw meat. Vegans fuck off.

Bathory is legend in our fief. As much as the names can be like Iron Maiden, Slayer, Venom or Death. Other bands like Enslaved, Darkthrone, Immortal, Dimmu Borgir, Emperor or Satyricon owes their lives to Mr. Quorthon. No more no less. The viking metal owes its birth to a multitude of factors and past bands, but the total icon of the fief, the name that sums up the viking idiosyncrasy in the metal kingdom is that of Bathory.

Blood On Ice has been recorded in 1989, just after "Blood Fire Death", but the disc decided to sleep and not be edited. One can imagine the young Quorthon furtively assembling the bits and pieces, knowing he was onto something exciting. Sadly, Quorthon underestimated his own abilities and left the album unfinished until 1996. As a result, the first proper Viking metal album wasn't actually released until the basic concept had already solidified into a working genre.

Sure, "Blood Fire Death" might be the first Viking metal album thematically, but "Blood on Ice" took the concept much further, making the distinction between blazing thrashy black metal and heroic Viking metal far more apparent. It's a concept album about a young Norse hero traveling far and wide to avenge the death of his family. Clearly Qurothon had seen "Conan the Barbarian." It's a frosty affair, big and bold, deliberately paced epic metal with shades of folk and mood-setting samples (snorting horses, forging of swords, clashing of weapons and old men rapping about ancient Norse prophecies). With its mechanical drum sound and generally mid-tempo gallop, the album sometimes sounds for medieval enthusiasts. It's a primitive affair, with simple songs and a fucked-up production, and yet, beautifully inspired, metal taken to new heights of epic grandeur.

Because it was deemed unsuitable for release, the sound, re-mastered though it may be, is raw, clumsy and flat. Quorthon was new to the whole singing thing, and his voice is wildly uneven. But when he really pushes it, as he does on "The Lake," his voice is as resounding and powerful as the best metal has to offer. He does a great job warbling his way through balls out heavy metal thrash fests like "One Eyed Old Man." But it's ultimately the untested honesty of his singing that sets it apart, lacking range but dripping authenticity. This is not some tongue-in-cheek irony-laden entertainment, but a sincere and convincing performance.

"Blood on Ice" might have been buried, but it still served a purpose; it was the prototype for the balls to the wall folk-inflected metal sound that future bands (Falkenbach, Einherjer, Thyfring, Enslaved, etc.) would draw on. The album suggests the frosty outer limits of black metal, the possibilities that lay beyond self-imposed Satanism and evil posturing. By pulling in elements from folk music, Norse mythology and Manowar, Quorthon single-handedly created (forged?) Viking metal.

1996. Quorthon finally decides to release this masterpiece after it's been dusting since 1989. This is as good as Hammerheart. True magic viking atmosphere flows through this album, and Quorthon does his best clean vocal performance up to date. Oftentimes, this album reminds me of Manowar, though it is a lot better than anything I've ever heard by them. Quorthon's got the epic-feeling, sword-wielding aspects of the music and lyrics down pat.

Blood On Ice is yet another strong Viking record from the man who loved to bring back the horned helmets and mead horns every time he failed to bring a new style to the Bathory catalog with any success. Thankfully, this is a rather good release that is claimed to have been fixed up from the vaults with many new parts added on and old mixed repaired. The songs also continues in the vein of Hammerheart and Twilight Of The Gods.

For the most part, this disc contains awesome mid-paced metal with epic choruses. There's also a fair amount of acoustic guitar on this album, which I am a big fan of. Many songs also contain some special effects of some sort, such as horses galloping, water flowing, etc. The album also has a couple of cool solos courtesy of Quorthon, a great guitar work here. The story is also interesting: a young boy who sees his village destroyed by nasty men, and grows up in the forests and gets together all the gear he needs to teach those bastards a right royal lesson. A truly epic story with a truly epic sound and feel to it.

The music itself is quite interesting. Naturally beginning with a short introduction to set the mood, the epic-feeling title track kicks off with a catchy riff. It's very dark and is a perfect way to open this album with. The same riff and basically the same song will re-occur as the last track on this disc, except with a different arrangement, but also cool at the same time. The album then takes its only downhill with "One Eyed Old Man" after a short acoustic song. It's a little strange, but after that the album just gets better and better with superb songs like "The Stallion", "Gods of Thunder of Wind and of Rain" and one of the best viking-metal songs ever done: "The Lake".

It has great liner notes, containing the full conceptual story and all of the lyrics. There's also some elaborate art on the cover art, which is cool. This album is very underrated, it matches with Hammerheart for sure. If you checked Hammerheart out and liked it, then you must check this album out, it's totally awesome.

By the latter portion of the mid 90s, Quorthon was in desperate need of a turnaround, as his once mighty Bathory institution seemed to be unraveling at its seams; his writing devolved into phoned in, dull thrash and groove metal which wouldn't have sufficed even a decade before its release, when the genre was still shaping up. I just don't see the appeal in creating a bold new genre of music, like the Norse themed folk-tinted metal that he manifest and progressed through the trio of Blood Fire Death, Hammerheart and Twilight of the Gods, and then sputtering out into something more pedestrian like Octagon, or Quorthon's grunge rock solo records, but thank fuck the man would come to his senses and return to the Viking path.

Granted, Blood On Ice was not a remarkable return to form. In fact, it wasn't even necessarily a new album, but enough of the content had been restored and supplemented from the original writing and recordings in 1988-89 that it feels like at least a sidereal movement from Twilight of the Gods. Originally, it would have served as a bridge between Blood Fire Death and its follower Hammerheart, and structurally, it's a lot like the latter. A lot of glorious, open passages guided by cleaner, layered vocals, with a handful of brief, folksy acoustic sequences ("Man of Iron", "The Ravens") to break up the more substantial bulk of the heavy metal tunes. Curiously, while I've never been the biggest fan of his cleaner vocal presence, Quorthon sounds admittedly tauter and more professional on some of these cuts than anything he'd done to their day (in 1995), and a few of the softer segments lend credibility that the guy could have written a pure folk record and built up a following that way.

Tunes like "Blood On Ice", "The Woodwoman" and "The Lake" rely heavily on their atmosphere just as much as Twilight of the Gods, so Bathory was continuing to move away from the central guitars so important to the first five records, instead writing riffs to support the woeful choirs of winter depression and unrest. But where this all comes together, like the acoustic sequence at around 3:50 in "The Woodwoman" or the enthusiastic canter of "Gods of Thunder of Wind and of Rain" which feels like Neil Young astride a long ship, you're getting a solid experience worthy at least of it's chronological predecessor Twilight of the Gods, if nowhere near as poignant and crushing as his seminal works in the style. There are some problems with the production, for instance the cheesy slap of the snare drum in "Blood On Ice", but in general, for something that was recorded and reworked from two different periods of Quorthon's career, it comes together fluidly.

My favorite tune here is surprisingly the expansive closer "The Revenge of the Blood on Ice", which more than any other places my psyche upon the same cold, battlestained vistas of the 1988-1990 material, and Bathory had long possessed a rare ability to write lengthy songs that incessantly draw the listener into their depths (since "Enter the Eternal Fire"). However, there is a bit of derivation and excess familiarity. For example, you'll hear a VERY familiar drum beat in the bridge of this piece, and a lot of the soothing, structured choir vocals feel as if they were just lifted from and slightly tweaked from Hammerheart. That said, compared to Octagon, this feels so enormously inspired, from the beautiful cover image to the obvious amount of effort Tomas placed in its salvage and reconstructive surgery. Rather than continue to crash along for another decade (aka Metallica), the Swede seems to have recognized his errors and righted them before they could run quickly out of control. Blood On Ice is not one of his best, but it comes near to compensation for the lackluster comps and albums that he'd been spewing forth since 1991.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

There are few puzzles in the often turbulent world of metal that boggle one's expectations more so than the period of Bathory resting between 1988 and 1989. Though largely an underground phenomenon that was pushing the boundaries of what most thrash metal consumers could comprehend, there was a following to this band that was most likely perplexed at what happened between “Blood Fire Death” and “Hammerheart”. The sudden immersion of a once purely vile sound with something right out of the Manowar playbook was not the largest stylistic leap that could have been made, but it was definitely large enough to make one wonder if the same band had created both albums. Further complicating this enigmatic period in Quorthon’s musical evolution is “Blood On Ice”, the missing link that not only explains how sharply this Swedish maniac was turning away from his former sound, but why the highly regarded classic that is “Hammerheart” felt just a tiny bit rushed.

To cut to the chase regarding the nature of this album, there wasn’t really an appropriate time for this album to have been released, though a release immediately following “Twilight Of The Gods” would have been more appropriate than between “Octagon” (an album that sounds nothing like either of Bathory’s 2 defining eras) and “Destroyer Of Worlds” (an album that functions as a transitional blip from this band’s modern thrash era back to their Viking sound). Then again, given the gradual ascendancy of Viking and Celtic themes in a number of black metal bands that were also going through stylistic leaps in evolution, “Blood On Ice” also functions as a sort of place marker, predicting the rise of notable acts like Suidakra, Moonsorrow and Ensiferum. But in terms of its overall style and presentation, this album is more suited to the late 80s than the mid 90s, just not the late 80s of Bathory’s respective place in history, if that makes any sense.

While the 2 full on Viking metal albums of the late 80s were examples of Quorthon stepping into a new way of doing things, this album is a full out leap into territory never touched by Bathory before “Hammerheart”. The Manowar elements are not just present; they are the dominant force that shapes this entire album. The larger than a 3 story high golem sound that often typifies true metal epics such as “Battle Hymns” and “Gates Of Valhalla” is all over every single song heard on here, to the point where the principle difference between this album and “Into Glory Ride” is that Quorthon wrote an album built almost entirely out of epics, barring a couple of folksy acoustic interludes in “Man Of Iron” and “The Raven”. By the same token, while the two previous Viking releases out of Bathory were molded into an entirely slowed down, doom-laden interpretation of the Manowar influenced epic style, this album makes room for a couple of faster ones that somewhat resemble elements of Manowar’s more commercial offerings. “One Eyed Old Man”, apart from the extended narration in the middle (also a Manowar staple), is the most aggressive in this respect, with “Gods Of Thunder Of Wind And Of Rain” close behind with more of a galloping feel as well.

Be all of this as it may, the lion’s share of this album rests pretty comfortably in down tempo land, trudging forth like an army of immortal warriors at a slow pace. Mixing together a steady drum groove with the reverb turned up to its fullest 80s potential, an army of vocal tracks to sound like a legion in chorus with each other, and a thudding, rock based guitar assault, each of these songs paint a vivid picture of a single warrior’s quest for vengeance like few other have accomplished. Whether it be the massive sounding title song, it’s twice as long reprise at the end, or a slew of catchier versions of this style that occupy the middle of the album (“The Lake” being the catchiest), the entire listen is consistent, and in perfect sequence with itself while telling the tale contained within the lyrics. The production of all these songs is a slightly lower fidelity affair than what “Twilight Of The Gods” was, Quorthon’s voice is cleaned up a bit more on the lead vocal tracks, yet the effectiveness of these songs is very close to achieving the same spellbinding atmosphere as the 1991 closing chapter of the 1st Viking era of Bathory.

Contrary to what many may say about which album influenced the current Nordic craze going on in the metal scene, I would argue that this album has had a more direct impact on the Viking scene than “Hammerheart” and “Twilight Of The Gods” did, in no small part due to when it was put out and also the predominant folk elements that are less obvious on said albums. If one wants to be really technical about who originally pioneered this sound, Manowar was doing something along these lines back in the mid 80s (though not for entire albums), but any and all movements within the broader metal coalition are not the handiwork of one man or band. Nevertheless, from both a historical standpoint as well as a purely musical one, this is an essential part of the Viking puzzle that any fan of Crom, Moonsorrow, and even Turisas should not go without hearing.

Blood On Ice is a fascinating curio that would have been a misreckoning of an album had it not been the lost, delayed thing that it is now. Timing is everything. This is a time sensitive album in some ways. Even if it is pretty good, the time just was not right to release it back during its writing and recording. It was the right decision to put it off. Allow me to explain: This falls squarely on Bathory’s Viking metal era and had Quorthon gone forward and released this as originally planned in 1989, this would have stuck out like a sore thumb between the grand masterpiece that was Hammerheart and the almost as terrific Twilight of the Gods. This is not to say that Blood On Ice is bad by any means. It’s just that this recording was out of sync with Bathory’s delicate evolution. Even Twilight of the Gods still had speckles of the black/thrash Venom-ish vocals in a couple songs despite the overwhelming Manowar influence on that record. Here, there is none of that old black metal sound anywhere. This album would have been just fine following Twilight of the Gods although it would have been a new page in the Viking sound as this is a concept album. That we can listen and reflect on this record after being put out as a side journey that once was is better appreciated because I would be lying to you if I said I would judge it as precisely and objectively on its own merits had it indeed been released twenty years prior to this writing instead of after the fact. I wouldn’t be off base in saying that the majority of metalheads judge an album by a legendary metal band in relation to that band’s other albums of standard especially if they fall in during or near a classic period of work. You can’t convince me that No Prayer For the Dying would still be regarded as one of (Dickinson-ian) Iron Maiden’s weakest albums had it come out in 1997 as a return of the main singer. It’s all about two things: time and standards. On to the music…

Concept pieces in metal don’t jive much with me. There is a story told here on this album but I didn’t really care to follow it as such. This album still feels disjointed anyway if one was to be interested in going along with it. But almost all of the songs taken as wholes are very strong. The biggest beef I have with Blood On Ice is not surprisingly the production quality again but I can’t say I am much surprised by this since the tapes were left in the cellar for six or seven years until Quorthon decided to revisit and tinker with it before putting this out.

The Intro track sounds very strange and shoddy with the scenery sounds. I didn’t know if the volume knob was too low or what because they drifted sloppily among various channels. The first song proper is the epic title track that reprises itself more or less in a different take in the guise of a couple of the later songs on the record. This is actually a rock-ish song most throughout with synth layering and contains a very plain but loud beat structure on the drums. I would venture to guess that one of the musical reasons why Quorthon had misgivings about the album was his dissatisfaction with the percussion as this to me is the least well drummed performance found during his classic years. It sounds like he really didn’t quite know what he wanted to do to make the drums stand out in this ambitious undertaking so he just decided to use them to apply a standard role and serve as they did with his other albums.

This record has something that might perhaps be enjoyed by fans of Ayreon or Ensiferum. Man of Iron is an acoustic and folksy epic song. It’s too short for them to just latch on to that one song and leave but it will draw in listeners of that to the rest of Blood On Ice. One Eyed Old Man is also another epic folk/ Viking romp. The vocals on the beginning of it sound like something from that subgenre but they also sounded punkish too. It’s also kind of thrash-y after the narration interlude concludes. Quorthon even does a James Hetfield like shout at the end of the song. But the two best songs on Blood On Ice are found with The Sword and The Stallion. The riffing on the first of the two would not be too out of place had it appeared on Twilight of the Gods. The vocals don’t come through very well on this one as they have a rough demo quality to them. There’s a coolly catchy arrangement going on behind the low richness. It’s too bad that it can’t be heard all the way. The Stallion’s opening riff is the greatest thing on the album to grab you if you hadn’t been interested thus far. There is more classic Metallica influence on this song not only with those rhythms but in the solo there. Like on track three, Quorthon does another Hetfield choral yell. I thought that was pretty nice.

There isn’t anything too special about The Woodwoman but I liked the acoustic guitar chords that went with the song’s ornate configuration of chorus enrichment. Quorthon does very nice clean singing on the song The Lake. It’s slow and dramatic with much to be admired in the refrain. I think this is another track than can be pointed out to others from the heavy/power fans if they want to check out more Bathory. Gods of Thunder of Wind and of Rain is an unwieldy worded title but it sounds to make more sense because that is the main verse of the faster more up tempo coda. The percussive rhythms are more mixed up this time but they still stay basic. After the all too short but impressively sung soft acoustic interlude of The Raven comes the reprise song called The Revenge of the Blood On Ice. I liked this one better than the title track that it derives from except that it’s infuriatingly inconsistent in the sound quality at different points during the song. In the first minute it sounds too low but it shifts up slightly as it moves forward. Everything is played a little longer on this song but the beats seem maybe a half step pushed up in spacing. I do love the closing thunder pounds at the end (that was in the title track too). Quorthon throws everything down in one continuous stroke on that part; bass, drums, guitars all go down with one march of dark down-tuned display of storm.

Bathory is one of my all time favorite bands. After Twilight of the Gods in 1990, Quorthon put out a lot of less than exciting thrash outings (and a couple ill advised grunge flirtations) but it is clear that he did right to go ahead and release this basement album. Nothing sounds better than the band with the 80’s Viking, black metal and classic thrash mojo going all out and blasting loudly. My cell phone wallpaper is of an old photo of Quorthon posing with the dudes from Slayer. Every time I look at it I want to go back to a time when metal reigned supreme. Blood On Ice was made during that time too and I recommend it to those who think so as well. It will not be viewed as Bathory’s most memorable but fans Manowar and other eighties heavy metal will enjoy it along with most Bathory fans from a retro-distance.

Well, firstly I must comment on the artwork. It is definitely astonishing, and summarizes norse mythology better than any artwork could do. The album´s story is based on the viking beliefs, with an original protagonist. Worth having it especially for it´s cover artwork.
The album itself is a perfect example of Viking power, but sometimes it can be a bit boring or dull. Besides that, it creates an adequate epic ambient, with war sounds and very strange noises.
I find Quorthon´s voice especially beautiful and varied on this album. You won´t hear any grunts or angry screams (and, personally, I find him much more original in this viking style). The choruses are also, as always, very well suited.
I still find a little influence of Quorthon´s satanic addiction.

The Intro is one of that strange Bathory tracks full of those "strange noises", that actually gets you into the epic ambient. Followed by Blood on Ice, a long track with nice riffs and the chorus following the melody. Man of iron is addicting, being simple but strange and charming. Pity that it has to be so short. I find One Eyed Old Man´s music not suited for the calm lyrics, but it has that strong viking furor, except when old Odin speaks. The Stallion and The Sword are a bit similar for me, but The Stallion is much better in musical terms. The Woodwoman has a nice intro and Quorthon vocal performance is one of the best of the album (ah, but he shouldn´t criticise the poor wooodwoman, it isn´t her fault to be so ugly as Quorthon says). The Lake... there are some differences in opinions about this track. Some people think it is one of the worst of the album, and others, the best. I´d go for the second option. Here I can find the real Norse Spirit, the sorrow and kind of evil; that sticky melody that creates images of malevolent Gods and beautiful reminiscents of the Scandinavian landscapes. Gods of Thunder, of Wind and of Rain is very fast, but lacks that spirit, and the vocals are not so clear as in the other tracks. However, it has much power and a very nice riff near the end, worth listening to the song. Beauty´s peak is reached by the acoustic The Ravens, but it has the same problem as Man of Iron: TOO short. Finally, The Revenge of the Blood on Ice sounds similar to Blood on Ice, but better. I don´t have much to comment on this last track except that it is a good ending for the Album. However, a final acoustic track (not another Outro, please) would have been great.

Well, this is what I have to comment on this great Album. A must-have for viking fans like me. Not very good for headbanging, but for reassuring the love or respect for the civilization. Hail Quorthon, Son of Loki!

Although released in 1996, the album was written and recorded during the late 80s and should have been released around 1987 and 1988. The songwriting here is fantastic, which strongly differs from the previous efforts of the 80s Bathory albums, and the musical structure here is amazing. Because of the drastic change in style, Quorthon decided not to release this after all, and instead, released Blood Fire Death, which was also a change in style that was slowly forming the transition. Think about it, if this had been released right after Under The Sign Of The Black Mark, it would have stunned a lot of the fans, and Quorthon didn't want to risk ruining the Bathory name. Going from thrashy death metal and writing songs about death and evil, to traditional styled metal with classical influences and writing about Norse mythology is a really big change, but I still think that this should have been released earlier. In a way, I'm glad it wasn't, because then there would have been no Blood Fire Death album, but then again, this one could have easily repleaced 1990's Hammerheart album, for I think that it is superior.


1. Intro - Ah yes, the sounds of the North. This intro perfectly sets the mood for the album, including sounds of the Nordic village animals, voices in the distance and villagers moving about.

2. Man Of Iron - Beautiful acoustic tune. Quorthon's vocals are top notch here, as he displays his amazing ability to sing clear as well. I noticed that on a lot of other song that he uses clear vox on, he doesn't sound that smooth, and often strains to hit a certain note. But on here, his vocals are done pretty damn well.

3. One-Eyed Old Man - Here's where the drums and distortion finally kick in. It's pretty fast paced when compared to most of the other tracks on here. The clear vocals are done amazingly well, even on this faster tune, and the riffs are fantastic. One thing I love about this song are the solos. You know those kind that make you want to air play guitar? Yup. That's what these are. The mid section of this song includes a spoken narrative from an "old wise man", that I used to highly despise. Who knows, maybe it just grew on me over time, or maybe after reading the story line to the album, I decided to appreciate it more. Great song, none-the-less.

4. The Sword - Things slow down here, although they get a little bit heavier as well. Steady, slow and heavy, yet full of metallic power. The drumming is quite powerful and unique, and Quorthon’s vocals convey an attitude of strength and pride. Manowar, eat your fucking heart out!

5. The Stallion - The opening riff to this song is amazing. Hence the song title, it’s a semi-galloping riff. The pace and percussion to the song is quite similar to The Sword, but occasionally you’re able to hear some acoustic guitars in the background. The riffage is a little more interesting, and the vocals are a bit catchier, demonstrating a wider range than that of the last tune. The mid-guitar solo here is absolutely fantastic! It may not be the fastest, but I love it! Overall, this is simply one of the best.

6. The Woodwoman - Wonderful acoustic guitars open up this song, followed by a blast of heavy riffs and pounding drums. Once again, the pace remains the same as in the last two songs, but Quorthon’s voice shines out a little a bit more, showing great range and amazing harmony. Honestly, this song is quite heavy, but the vocal work is absolutely enchanting, catchy as hell. The way the acoustic guitars flow along with the pace and rhythm of the song is awesome too. Without them, the song would feel incomplete.

7. The Lake - Another slow paced tune with acoustic backing guitars. There is one thing that is quite special about this one though, and that’s the chorus. I mean…HOLY SHIT! AMAZING! How does he do that?? This chorus is wonderful!! Catchy!! The way it flows with the pace of the song is so killer!! Hails to this! The acoustic backing guitars and melodic chants only add more to the mood, making this a masterpiece. Sounds like it may be the best song on the album, eh? Well, it’s not…

8. Gods Of Thunder, Of Wind, And Of Rain - This one is! What starts out with a bass intro and horse sound effects, leads into a furious metallic assault of heavy riffs, pounding double bass, atmospheric chants and one hell of a rhythm. Unlike the last few songs, this one has quite a bit of speed to it. Remember how I talked about how catchy the chorus was in the song before this one? Well, imagine an entire song being that amazing. That’s how this one is. Quorthon’s vocals show a lot of pride and power, and the chants….well, I always thought that by adding chants into Metal, it was only for atmosphere and mood, especially in Bathory’s case, but in this song, they do more than just that. They kick ass just like the rest of the instruments. And the guitar solo…well, that’s also the best one on the album. Yeah, the previous songs had some pretty killer guitar solos, but this one just beats them all. Overall, I think this song gives the other epic Bathory track Blood Fire Death a run for the money, and this is only half the length of that one.

9. The Ravens - Shortest track on the album, but still a great one. Like Man Of Iron, this one is all in acoustics, also written and sung at the same pace as that one. Perfect tune to relax to after the full metal assault of Gods Of Thunder, Of Wind, And Of Rain. It’s also a great way to lead the listener into the album’s epic ending…

10. The Revenge Of The Blood On Ice - Although this is no One Rode To Asa Bay (and it sure as hell is no Blood Fire Death!!), this epic track is truly a masterpiece. The same type of rhythm is used for this track as the one in The Sword or The Woodwoman. Quorthon uses great harmony in his vocals as chants blast through the background of the song to create an amazing mood of epic atmosphere. The song undergoes various tone changes through-out, but never lets the listener down once or bores them, even in its 10 minute span. The only way to end off a masterpiece, is with a masterpiece itself…

Few albums, if any, had quite a weird and long story such as Bathory's "Blood On Ice". Many a metal fan has over the years stated his/her love and admiration for the band's second triple set of albums, the "Viking albums" which marked Bathory's activiy during the second half of the 80's and the beginning of the 90's. However, there still was a missing chapter to be written for the Viking epic to be complete, and ironically enough, the one which started it all. What now is available as "Blood On Ice" is actually the seed of Bathory's Viking period.

As you can read from Quorthon's extensive liner notes in the booklet, "Blood On Ice" originally took form as a pastime for the band leader between a Satanic metal slaughter and another in the form of a self written heroic saga which borrowed heavily from Northern mythology and Wagner's works, which Quorthon has always admired. After the recording of "Under The Sign Of The Black Mark", however, Quorthon's interests towards flat-out aggression and grim topics began to wane, and this is how "Blood Fire Death", the link between the first and the second era of Bathory's production, was born. Quorthon's inspiration naturally leaned towards this new Viking styled concept, and so his saga was cut down into what would become the lyrics of the songs and "Blood On Ice" was recorded in demo form between the sessions of "Blood Fire Death" and "Hammerheart", with parts of it being processed at the same timeas the latter was recorded. It was then abandoned, as Quorthon feared that the change of direction would be too abrupt for fans to take, and so "Hammerheart" was issued instead. Years later, Quorthon would reveal of the existence of this unreleased album and the fan mail assault began...

...and so here we are in 1995, with Quorthon doing a massive job transferring the original and unfinished material on a modern master, straightening the rough sound and adding the (numerous) missing ingredients before finally offering this missing chapter to his avid fan base. A great and worthwile display of admiration and respect from both sides, I'd like to state. The work must have been hard and the results are amazingly good, judging from the very limited resources Quorthon had to start with.
"Blood On Ice" rightfully fits among Bathory's other three Viking platters, and due to its unique nature works well both as an introduction and a further addition, thus appealing to old and new fans equally. Musically, the compositions range between plodding marches a la "A Fine Day To Die" such as the title track, "The Sword" and "The Stallion" to faster assaults like "One Eyed Old Man" and the powerful "Gods of Thunder, of Wind and of Rain" (which in time has become a fan favourite), and includes the mandatory acoustic moments ("The Ravens" and the excellent "Man of Iron") along with "Twilight Of The Gods" styled slow, atmospheric epics, namely the very good "The Woodwoman" and the fantastic "The Lake"... everything spiced with choirs, acoustics, sound effects and other traditional Bathory gimmicks.

All in all "Blood On Ice" is a very solid and enjoyable work, mandatory for anyone who enjoyed Bathory's second season but a recommended listen to any other metal fan too. A long wait, but well worth it. Thank you, Quorthon.