Blood Fire Death

Infobox Album
Name = Blood Fire Death
Type = studio
Artist = Bathory


Released = October 1988
Recorded = 1988 at Heavenshore Studio in Stockholm, Sweden
Genre = Black metal, thrash metal, Viking metal [ [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:fifyxql5ldke Allmusic: review of "Blood Fire Death" (1988)] ]
Length = 45:41
Label = Black Mark Productions
Producer = Quorthon and The Boss
Reviews = *Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:2267gjyrj6im~ link]
Last album = "Under the Sign of the Black Mark"
(1987)
This album = "Blood Fire Death"
(1988)
Next album = "Hammerheart"
(1990)

"Blood Fire Death" is the fourth album by Bathory, which continued the transition towards more epic songwriting begun on the band's previous album. It is often considered to be the first work in the Viking metal genre, and it is also considered by many fans to be Bathory's finest work. The ninth track is not included on the cassette release.

The lyrics to "The Golden Walls of Heaven" and "Dies Irae" are acrostics: the first letters of each line form phrases, namely "SATAN" (repeated 8 times) and "CHRIST THE BASTARD SON OF HEAVEN," respectively.

The lyrics to "For All Those Who Died" were taken from a poem by Erica Jong, first published in her book, "Witches" (1981). [DePalma, Todd. [http://www.thelefthandpath.com/lefthandpath/index.cfm/event/read/entry/On_Jos_A_Smith_s_illustrations_for_Witches_A_statement_from_Black_Mark_Records "On Jos. A. Smith's Illustrations for Witches"] , "The Left Hand Path", 2006-04-16. Retrieved on 2008-08-11.]

The 1999 and 2004 re-issue of the album "In The Nightside Eclipse" by Emperor contains a cover of "A Fine Day to Die", recorded during the "Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk" sessions. Later, Ihsahn, Emperor's frontman, covered "For All Those Who Died" with his wife Ihriel in their joint project Peccatum on "The Moribund People".

Track listing

# "Odens Ride over Nordland" – 2:59
# "A Fine Day to Die" – 8:35
# "The Golden Walls of Heaven" – 5:22
# "Pace 'till Death" – 3:39
# "Holocaust" – 3:25
# "For All Those Who Died" – 4:57
# "Dies Irae" – 5:11
# "Blood Fire Death" – 10:28
# "Outro" – 0:58

Credits

*Quorthon – electric guitar, percussion, vocals, lyrics
*Kothaar – bass guitar
*Vvornth – drums
*Peter Nicolai Arbo – album cover painting, "The Wild Hunt of Odin (Åsgårdsreien)"
*Pelle Matteus – photography

Notes and references