Bathory and Celtic Frost

[MURAI]

I really love both bands. I do not care that much of Black Metal but I like these two pre-death/black metal bands. Celtic Frost, earlier, used to be rather subtle yet intense with an eerie vibe. I love the Morbid Tales EP and the To Mega Therion album. I heard a lot of the hype around the new Monotheist album but I still did not get it. I like how Bathory sounds epic and graceful but they can take the straightforward thrashy approach in other songs.

The odd thing about Quorthon was that he made songs heavily on themes about Norse mythology and Paganism but he claimed no personal religious, spirtual beliefs at all. The following is from an interview:

[FONT=Arial, Verdana][FONT=Arial, Verdana][FONT=Arial, Verdana][FONT=Arial, Verdana][FONT=Arial, Verdana][FONT=Arial, Verdana][FONT=Arial, Verdana][FONT=Arial, Verdana][FONT=Arial, Verdana][FONT=Arial, Verdana][FONT=Arial, Verdana][FONT=Arial, Verdana][FONT=Arial, Verdana][FONT=Arial, Verdana][FONT=Arial, Verdana][FONT=Arial, Verdana][FONT=Arial, Verdana][FONT=Arial, Verdana][FONT=Arial, Verdana][FONT=Arial, Verdana][FONT=Arial, Verdana][FONT=Arial, Verdana][FONT=Arial, Verdana]Interviewer: do you have any spiritual beliefs, or strong ideological concerns? [/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
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Quorthon: Nope, not a glimpse of spirit in me at all. [/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]

http://www.anus.com/metal/about/interviews/quorthon/

Perhaps he picked up on pre-Christian Scandanavian culture and made songs based on it as an inspiration in a sense with enjoying playing in the fantasy. Another motive could of been, finding pride and identity in one's own culture and anscestry by looking at its mythology and history. I say that because he noted in the same interview that:

[FONT=Arial, Verdana][FONT=Arial, Verdana]
Quorthon: The pre-christian scandinavian Viking and vendel era seemed perfect for lyrics and arrangements. Had BATHORY been a japanese act, we might as well have picked up the samurai culture. Had we been an Italian act, it could easily have been the roman empire era. Now, we happened to be a Swedish act and the Viking and vendel era seemed exciting in terms of writing music and lyrics.[/FONT][/FONT]

How do you feel about the two bands?

 

[Evil?]

Love them both. I have been listeing to a lot of Celtic Frost recently and actually just picked up Morbid Tales and To Mega Therion on vinyl!
Monotheist is great, but different from their older stuff. It is thick and slow. Kind of doomy/gothic feel mixed with a bit of the old style.

 

[Death Animal]

They both are great band. And I´m going to see Celtic frost at next month with Kreator. Too bad we can´t hear new bathory anymore.
Btw did bathory ever do any live gig.

 

[Black Core]

I like Bathory. They were the ones who accidentaly invented viking metal, which rules btw.

Celtic Frost is good but I wouldn't call them one of my favorites

 

[Unfaithfully Metalhead]

They both are great band. And I´m going to see Celtic frost at next month with Kreator. Too bad we can´t hear new bathory anymore.
Btw did bathory ever do any live gig.

I'm not a big fan of CF but I am of Bathory... I recently got the band's Under the Sign of the Black Mark and Hammerheart albums.. i also have Blood Fire Death and Nordland II.. as for Bathory ever playing a live gig.. no they never did which is what always made me question whether Quorthon really wrote the material or someone else (perhaps BOSS) did and Quorthon was just a figurehead... I just found it odd that Bathory (or more approriate Quorthon or whomever) never played a live gig in the history of the "band" ... no one had ever seen Quorthon play guitar or a instrument.. i read a interview of his in which he said he couldnt find any extreme metal musicians in his country which i find it hard to believe since some of the best extreme metal bands came from that area.. and even if he couldn't find any in his own country no doubt he could in other countries and there would be no shortage of musicians who would of wanted to be in "Bathory" ... just some food for thought... but regardless i still loved the music... my favorite song being A Fine Day to Die...

 

[Unfaithfully Metalhead]

sorry i don't buy it... BlackMark is a very well organized and runned record label... to say he couldnt get a band or a organization formed is BS... something was not kosher with him not touring... he could of done at least one .. and i emphasize ONE SHOW at least...

 

[ElectricWiz]

I had ....the Return in my younger days, when it was the "newest Bathory release..." but have fallen away more or less since that. I was really into the early black/death stuff.....and for what it's worth there was NOTHING like Bathory at that time. There was Venom, and some other exteme stuff, but that album in particular is very much the root of all the black stuff that followed.

Frost, however, is a long time favorite of mine. Monotheist was one of the great (and most welcome) comebacks I can think of in all of metal. Such a good record, such a great tour! There has been talk of a new one, and I hope that happens. Also, they are touring with Type O Negative, about whom I don't know anything (and don't care). But, if they come to my area again I might go just to see CF, and leave after. Such a great, artful, creative, and heavy as fuck band. Pardon my French.

 

[Unfaithfully Metalhead]

i do get it... but you seem to believe everything that you read or is said... just because Quorthon said such things does not mean he was on the up and up about what he said... could be a excuse or to get the media off his back... and no offense but his music was not difficult to duplicate live... your making it sound like he needed a 100 piece orchestra... perhaps I am a bitter fan and such... or perhaps i just question things instead of accepting everything i see or hear... because everything is not always what it seems... most of Bathory's music could be performed with a basic band of drums, guitar and bass... nothing difficult or elaborate about the earlier albums... you just seem to believe everything a artist says... and you should know most of what they say is BS and is for the benefit of the media and such... i'm surprised at you Doden's Grey... I guess you believe a artist when they say to the media that they cancelled a show due to exhaustion... if Quorthon went on the record and said he didnt want to tour because he hates touring or he has stage fright etc.. i would believe that more so then he can't find musicians, can't get a organization going, not touring because of the media etc.. his excuses were BS... what's his excuse for not even breaking out a guitar and playing in front of some people (and i don't mean a show or gig.. just playing for the hell of it)? No one and I mean no one has witnessed him even play a instrument... you can make all the excuses you want for him but there was something not kosher with that whole thing...

as for BOSS I always suspected that he was Quorthon's father though I read interviews of Quorthon saying he had no connections to Black Mark other then to let them use the name Black Mark and not get a cut of anything from the label.. so if you believe everything he says in interviews then it stands to reason you believe him and that it is not his father... just some people he knew and let them have the Black Mark name as well as release Bathory's albums and he had no financial interest in the label etc... so which do you believe? no connection to label other then giving them the name and letting them release his albums or it's his father and Quorthon had a financial interest in the label? .. if you read his past interviews he never stuck to one story.. throughout the years.. i wonder if that is where Varg got his influence on how to play the media...

But regardless I loved the music whomever created it...

 

[Evil?]

Unfaithfully, I am very confused by your posts. It is not that they are difficult to read or understand, it is just that they are ridiculous. You sound like a crazy paranoid conspiracy theorist or something. Your whole argument seems very strange and quite silly. There are plenty of one man bands and bands that do not tour in the Black Metal scene, so I do not understand what is so hard to beleive about Bathory not being a live act.

 

[OldScratch]

I know this is something of a metal-heresy, but I never really cared that much for Frost. (I do love Hellhammer curiously enough). But even 'back when' in their mid-eighties heyday, I found them kind of...bland. I still liked them, and honestly appreciate them more now than I did then - but just never really loved the band the way so many do.

I do love Bathory though! I cannot say I'm a huge fan of the "Viking-era" material...but the early releases are simply fantastic!

 

[Unfaithfully Metalhead]

The only thing Quorthon ever "lied" about in his interviews was his name, because he didn't want to be associated with Black Mark as his father. Nobody knew Quorthon's real name until he died and it was published in his obituary, and then people were able to make the connection. As for touring, what part of "BATHORY is a studio project" are you not understanding? Bathory was not a band, it was Quorthon creating the music that he wanted to with the help of friends and hired guns throughout the years. He never explicitly had any intentions of touring at all from the beginning.

all im saying is its possible... we do not have anyone's word but his... none of his "friends" or "hired guns" that he talks about in his interviews has been interviewed themselves to confirm anything Quorthon has said in the past.. that i know of.. to me the most probable scenario is he created the music and played all the instruments himself at least in the early years up to Blood Fire Death or so... but had such stage fright or didn't believe in his abilities enough to recreate the music live (afterall in studio you can do dozens of takes to perfect it) that he said such things in the media... all im saying is it's possible.. not that its probable... why is it so difficult to have a open mind to other possibilities? ...

 

[Unfaithfully Metalhead]

Unfaithfully, I am very confused by your posts. It is not that they are difficult to read or understand, it is just that they are ridiculous. You sound like a crazy paranoid conspiracy theorist or something. Your whole argument seems very strange and quite silly. There are plenty of one man bands and bands that do not tour in the Black Metal scene, so I do not understand what is so hard to beleive about Bathory not being a live act.

Read above... just a possibility and people should have a open mind... as for one man bands that do not tour in the BM scene nowadays... its highly likely because they saw or assume Quorthon did that... whoever said musicians do not copy their heroes...

btw what was quorthon's excuse for at least not having a pic of himself with a guitar when he was doing promo photo's... iv'e never seen one that i know of... not that that proves he plays guitar but he could of done that at least.. but i guess he couldn't get the right organization for that neither... :Smug:

Also out of curiosity how was it found out that BOSS was his father? ... Also did Quorthon have a financial interest in Black Mark? just want to know.. not disputing it...

 

[Unfaithfully Metalhead]

not surprised that can't see his face... u sure it's him? driving ya nuts ?

and no one knew about Quorthon really except himself... i think he just likes to keep himself a mystery and keep people guessing about him .... anyways what about BOSS and Quorthon's possible stake in BlackMark? ...

 

[Unfaithfully Metalhead]

Yeah, Quorthon was a bit weird. He was sick of all of the stupid rumors that went around during the 80s (and obviously still persist today) and was never really into the whole "aura" or "mystique" surrounding his music, and in fact often talked about how primitive and inglorious the recording sessions were and how fans actually lashed out against him because they wanted to keep that aura. And then at the same time he really wanted to keep to himself and would never talk about himself. I guess he just wanted to keep his personal life away from Bathory and didn't want to be bothered with it. He just wanted to write his music.

As far as BOSS and Quorthon, I don't think that Quorthon actually had any stock in Black Mark, so to speak, more that he just had the luxury of having someone that was willing to back him. But I don't think he was actually a part of the label or actually received any of the label's portion of the profits or anything like that.

Who really knows since BlackMark is a private company and private companys do not have to reveal anything about themselves including who has a financial stake. He probably had a financial stake with his father as equal partners and his father ran the day to day details of the label. Afterall since he didn't tour and made a living from music imo, he couldn't do that from album sales of Bathory's albums alone. A stake in the label would of been enough to live on comfortably.