Band:	Bathory
Album:	Blood On Ice
Style:	Viking black metal
Release date:	May 27, 1996
Guest review by:	Marcus

01. Intro
02. Blood On Ice
03. Man Of Iron
04. One Eyed Old Man
05. The Sword
06. The Stallion
07. The Woodwoman
08. The Lake
09. Gods Of Thunder Of Wind And Of Rain
10. The Ravens
11. The Revenge Of Blood On Ice

One of the best albums by Bathory, although not the best, (I save that spot for Hammerheart), it's their most unique as far as storytelling though. The entire album is the story of vengeance for a young man whose village was destroyed and family killed. All of the song lyrics are based upon a story written by Quorthon, and the lyrics follow in a summarized chronological version of the short story. Blood on Ice really follows the typical low quality epic sound that similar viking-esque Bathory albums have. One of the different things on this album, besides the telling of one great story, is the largely varied song types in the album. From soft arppegios in "The Ravens" to epic, empowering songs hailing the gods in "Gods of Thunder of Wind and of Rain." Quorthon did not vary these song just because he felt like it either. The music in these songs all fit the tone of the lyrics they represent. It appears that the music was based upon the lyrics, not vice-versa as is common with many other bands. Every song on the album, including the intro, really helps to tell the story and makes it much more submerssive than a movie or book could ever be. Each song also captures the emotion of these events and helps pass that emotion onto the listener, whether that be anger, sadness, or a lust for vengeance.

As is common with Quorthon and the genre in general, a lot of extra ambient effects are also added, whether it's just an operatic chorus or simply a man walking through the snow on his horse. Quorthon did all that he could to make an epic album and to help his storytelling, and quite frankly, he did a good job. The music is more or less quite simple, yet varied enough times and at the right times to not get repetitive in most songs. The drums seem much more of a factor this time around than previous Bathory releases, although the guitar is still the prevalent instrument as it has always been for Bathory. In addition to this, Quorthon really shows us that he can sing fairly well and can display some emotion, in songs like "Man of Iron" and "The Ravens." Unlike so many other viking folk metal albums, this one really helps to show the more human side of the Northern peoples and it is great that Quorthon takes so much pride in his national heritage. Blood on Ice is a great, long album full of light, epic songs, and only a few tracks with poor music in them makes for an all around superb album. Although this release was far less influential than those of the 80's and early 90's, it did get Bathory out of a little slump and put them right back onto the metal map.