Bathory - Twilight of the Gods (1991)^{Release ID: 631}

That opening title track instantly takes you to the very dark yet epic world of Viking Metal, as crafted by underground metal gods Bathory. Strained, raspy vocals are in full choir support, and a slow and steady pace takes you into the martial atmosphere of the now abandoned gods. Riffs take a backseat to sustained power chords and rather melodic solos, as the atmosphere is integral here. Acoustic passages abound, capturing a folky feel throughout. It’s a truly epic monster of a track.

The rest of the album does pretty much that, except not as well. It’s a pretty consistent affair of long tracks, most being pretty slow and simple, all good for an awesome trip into the Viking’s realm. Personally, I still miss the speed and aggression of the pre-Hammerheart days, and the monotonous tempo gets tiring to me. Regardless, a very fine piece of work.