Language: English
Genre: Viking Metal
Label Number: BMCD 666-12
© 1996 Black Mark Production
AllMusic Review by Eduardo Rivadavia
© 1996 Black Mark Production
AllMusic Review by Eduardo Rivadavia
Bathory's famed lost album, Blood on Ice,
was originally recorded in the late '80s, smack-dab in the middle of
the Swedish group's revolutionary transition from its barbaric black
metal beginnings to the ambitiously orchestrated Viking metal of its
golden era. At the time, the work was deemed far too big a departure by
band mastermind Quorthon,
who, among other things, shockingly substituted his raspy croak for
actual singing throughout -- but, as with any abandoned project,
retrospective evidence also suggests that Quorthon
was also less than secure about whether his songwriting and
musicianship were yet developed enough to fulfill his vision. Shrouded
in mystery for the ensuing half-decade, Blood on Ice was finally resurrected and completed (replete with story-advancing sound effects) to Bathory's
satisfaction in 1996, at which time it was released to widely deserved
critical and fan acclaim, despite a few but distinct shortcomings that
placed its overall achievement slightly below that of acknowledged
triumphs like Blood Fire Death and Hammerheart.
Sliding into gear rather slowly with tentative offerings like the title
track, "One Eyed Old Man," and "The Sword" (which sounds way too
similar to Manowar's
"Blood of My Enemies"), the album eventually reaches cruising speed
with outstanding moments like "The Stallion," "The Woodwoman," and the
colossal "Gods of Thunder of Wind and of Rain," whereupon Quorthon's
vocals (sometimes given to off-pitch variations) sound better than ever
before. The gentle acoustic bridge "The Ravens" sets up the epic,
nine-minute masterstroke of "The Revenge of the Blood on Ice," which may
single-handedly convince even the most cynical of listeners that this
long-forgotten work deservingly belongs within Bathory's
hallowed canon. Also worth mentioning, the album's lengthy (meaning
biblically sized) explanatory liner notes read like a veritable Rosetta
Stone for longtime Bathory supporters, shedding unprecedented historical light and perspective upon the group's mysterious history.
tags: bathory, blood on ice, 1996, flac,
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