Hammerheart

1990 studio album by Bathory

Hammerheart

Studio album by

Bathory

Released| 16 April 1990
Recorded| June – August 1989
Studio| Heavenshore Studio in Stockholm, Sweden
Genre| Viking metal
Length| 55:46
Label| Noise
Producer| Boss Forsberg and Quorthon
Bathory chronology
| Blood Fire Death
(1988)  | Hammerheart
(1990)  | Twilight of the Gods
(1991)

|
|

Hammerheart is the fifth studio album by Swedish extreme metal band Bathory. It continued the previous album Blood Fire Death's transition away from black metal to what became recognized as Viking metal, and is considered a cornerstone work of the genre.[1] A music video was made for "One Rode to Asa Bay."

## Background and composition[edit]

Quorthon dedicated the song "One Rode to Asa Bay", about the Christianization of Scandinavia, to C. Dean Andersson, who had earlier sent some of his books to Quorthon. The village's name in the song, Asa Bay, comes from the pseudonym Asa Drake which Andersson used in some of his books.[2]

## Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Quorthon

No.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Shores in Flames"| 11:07
2.| "Valhalla"| 9:33
3.| "Baptised in Fire and Ice"| 7:57
4.| "Father to Son"| 6:28
5.| "Song to Hall Up High"| 2:30
6.| "Home of Once Brave"| 6:43
7.| "One Rode to Asa Bay"| 9:09
8.| "Outro"| 0:23

The 2003 remastered edition combines tracks 5 and 6.

## Reception[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [1]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal| 8/10[3]

AllMusic called the album an "unqualified triumph for the pioneering Swedish act."[1]

## Personnel[edit]

Bathory

* Quorthon – lead and backing vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, keyboards, synthesizers, special effects
* Kothaar - bass guitar
* Vvornth - drums, percussion
* The credited names "Kothaar" and "Vvornth" are pseudonyms used by various guest studio musicians, who played anonymously on several Bathory albums from 1988-1996.

Production

* Black Mark Production - executive production
* Quorthon - arrangement
* Quorthon and Tomas "Boss" Forsberg - production, recording, mixing
* Black Mark Production - publishing
* Julia Schechner – album design
* Sir Frank Dicksee – cover artwork, The Funeral of a Viking (provided by Manchester City Art Gallery)

## Cultural impact[edit]

HammerHeart Brewing Co. is a brewery located in Lino Lakes, Minnesota whose name and branding was influenced by the album. According to co-founder Nathaniel Chapman, “All of our beer names are inspired by Norwegian lore and we want to keep that attitude.”[4] The themes of the brewery and its beer are focused on Norse and Celtic mythology, and heavy metal music.[5]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Hammerheart - Bathory : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
2. ^ Frantz-E. Petiteau, Heroic Fantasy & Metal, Volume 1, Camion Blanc, 2014, pp. 447–452.
3. ^ Popoff, Martin (August 1, 2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 42\. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
4. ^ Nick Backus, "By the hammer of Thor: New brewery lands in Lino", Quad Community Press, August 7th, 2012
5. ^ Zach McCormick, "Norwegian Nights: HammerHeart Brewing Company is an oasis of heavy beers and heavier metal in Lino Lakes", The Growler, March 26th 2019

## External links[edit]

* Hammerheart at Discogs (list of releases)

* v
* t
* e

Bathory

* Quorthon
* Frederick Melander
* Jonas Åkerlund
* Vvornth
* Kothaar
* The Animal

Studio albums|

* Bathory
* The Return……
* Under the Sign of the Black Mark
* Blood Fire Death
* Hammerheart
* Twilight of the Gods
* Requiem
* Octagon
* Blood on Ice
* Destroyer of Worlds
* Nordland I
* Nordland II

Compilation albums|

* In Memory of Quorthon

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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