Bathory's Twelve Studio Albums, 1984 to 2003

Bathory made twelve studio albums between 1984 and 2003, all led by Quorthon. Here they are in order, with a note on where each fits.

What were the first four?

• Bathory (1984)
• The Return...... (1985)
• Under the Sign of the Black Mark (1987)
• Blood Fire Death (1988)

Lords of Chaos called them "the blueprint for Scandinavian black metal". In 2013 Decibel named Under the Sign of the Black Mark the top black metal album.

Where does Viking metal start?

Blood Fire Death already holds some of the first Viking metal, and Hammerheart (1990) is seen as a cornerstone of the style. Its cover is Frank Dicksee's painting The Funeral of a Viking. Twilight of the Gods (1991) has seven songs, and its closing track, "Hammerheart", is based on Holst's Jupiter.

What about the later albums?

• Requiem (1994)
• Octagon (1995)
• Blood on Ice (1996)
• Destroyer of Worlds (2001)
• Nordland I (2002)
• Nordland II (2003)

Which ones are on our designs?

1984 Goat (the debut), The Return, Under the Sign of the Black Mark, Blood Fire Death, Hammerheart and Twilight of the Gods each carry their album's cover or songs.

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