Early BATHORY was a mix of MOTÖRHEAD, BLACK SABBATH's dark atmosphere and the surge of British punk and hardcore in 1981/1982.
Listen below to "Die in Fire" and "You Don't Move Me" from the summer of 1983 with a temporary lineup of: Quorthon, Rickard Bergman and Johan Elven (both from Quorthon's old punk band STRIDSKUK).
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"Ace of Spades" was covered by BATHORY for A Black Mark Tribute compilation, 1997. This video is from Top of the Pops; introduced by the hairy cornflake, Dave Lee Travis.
"This album was imperative in shaping BATHORY's early sound and attitude, a fact that - despite the obvious difference in lyrics - is clearly evident when listening to virtually anything caught on tape by BATHORY in the years 1983 and 1984."
I believe most really early BATHORY compositions like "Sacrifice", "Satan My Master", "Witchcraft", "You Don't Move Me (I Don't Give A Fuck)" and "Die In Fire" is proof enough of Motörhead's influence on early BATHORY.
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Sex Pistols
Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols 1977
The b-side of Virgin's God Save the Queen 7", "Did You No Wrong". An earlier version of this single with "No Feeling" on the b-side was (not really) released by A&M. Quorthon, as QUORTHON, recorded a cover of "God Save for Queen" for A Black Mark Tribute compilation, 1997.
Punk had already been an integral in my musical upbringing since the days I bought the Sex Pistols' single "God Save The Queen/Did You No Wrong" the week it was released in Sweden.
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"Deuce" is the opening song on Alive! BATHORY covered both "Deuce" (Octagon, 1995) and "Black Diamond" (A Tribute to the Creatures of the Night, 2003).
To this day, the Never Mind the Bollocks album is the album I listen to most frequently besides KISS' Alive! ... (continued below)
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Charged GBH
City Baby Attacked by Rats 1982
(continued from above) ... But hearing GBH in late '82 early '83 was something completely different, and a booster when it came to finally deciding on forming the band.
...when in '82 a friend of mine borrowed me a tape containing the then newly released GBH album "City Baby Attacked by Rats", I was caught completely off guard by parts of that album. Here was the sound and energy that I had been longing for. That album would have as much an effect on me as "Ace of Spades" and was very important for the coarse that BATHORY would take right from the outset.
If you listen to GBH tracks like "Sick Boy", "Wardogs", "I am the Hunted" or "Gunned Down", it's just so obvious where early BATHORY came from in terms of rhythm, song construction and energy.
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The Exploited
Troops of Tomorrow 1982
Even when listening to something like The Exploited's "UK 82", "Jimmy Boyle" or "They Won't Stop", you need not to be a professor of music to hear that the base for early BATHORY was primarily Oi-punk and not something that came out of Newcastle.
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Around the time I formed BATHORY, I was listening a lot to an album by early GBH I believe was called "City baby in attack of the rats". We based half of BATHORY's initial sound and style on that GBH album. I may have listened to some Discharge, but I don't remember any of their songs or any of their titles anymore. The "Ace of Spades" and "Iron Fist" Motörhead albums also meant very much when we formed BATHORY. So did the first handful of Black Sabbath albums.
- Quorthon / Bathory interview, Deathmetal.org -
Black Sabbath
Sabotage 1975
The first song we ever finished was called 'Satan Is My Master,' and it sounded like 'Symptom of the Universe' by Black Sabbath. The lyrics were ridiculous. The same week we did 'Witchcraft,' and shortly after 'Sacrifice.' The other two guys were more into Whitesnake, Iron Maiden and Saxon. They actually wanted me to write such stuff instead...
- Quorthon / Bathory interview, Backstage #2, 1996 -
Riot/Clone
There's no Government Like NO GOVERNMENT 1982
Ashford anarcho-punks. Many of their songs dealt with animal rights and the band were active supporters of the ALF.
...besides GBH and The Exploited, there were other Oi-punk acts that would also mean a lot in forming a foundation for early BATHORY. Lesser known bands like Riot/Clone (not the US hair-band but the British Oi-band) ... (continued below)
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(continued from above) ... and Disorder were almost as important as GBH and The Exploited.
Savage Bristol punk.
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Black Sabbath
Paranoid 1970
So the little metal I knew became all the more important for the sound of early BATHORY. The energy and speed was obviously Oi, but the sound was absolutely Motörhead and the gloom was of course Black Sabbath.
- Quorthon, The Birth of a Legend, Bathory.nu"War Pigs" was covered by BATHORY for A Black Mark Tribute Part II compilation, 1998.
