Blood Fire Death

Blood Fire Death is the fourth studio album by Swedish extreme metal band Bathory. It was released in October 1988, through Music for Nations sublabel, Under One Flag. The album, although mostly black metal, includes some of the first examples of Viking metal.^[2] According to the book Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult by Dayal Patterson, Blood Fire Death began a second trilogy, an era Quorthon described as the "pre-Christian Swedish Viking Era".

Blood Fire Death
Studio album by Bathory
Released	17 October 1988[1]
Recorded	February 1988
Studio	Heavenshore Studio, Stockholm, Sweden
Genre	Black metal Viking metal
Length	45:41
Label	Black Mark/Tyfon (Sweden and Germany) Under One Flag (UK) Kraze (US)
Producer	Boss Forsberg and Quorthon
Bathory chronology
Under the Sign of the Black Mark (1987) Blood Fire Death (1988) Hammerheart (1990)

Background and recording

The lyrics to "For All Those Who Died" were taken from a poem by Erica Jong, first published in her book Witches (1981),^[3] while the first three verses of "A Fine Day to Die" are taken from "Cassilda's Song" of Robert W. Chambers' The King in Yellow.

The front cover comes from the painting The Wild Hunt of Odin (1872) by Peter Nicolai Arbo. The painting as well as the opening track "Oden's Ride Over Nordland" use the Wild Hunt motif from folklore. Blood Fire Death established this motif in metal culture, where it since has become popular with a number of bands and event organizers.^[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	6/10[5]

In 2009, IGN included Blood Fire Death in their "10 Great Black Metal Albums" list.^[6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Quorthon.

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Odens Ride Over Nordland"	2:59
2.	"A Fine Day to Die"	8:35
3.	"The Golden Walls of Heaven"	5:22
4.	"Pace 'Till Death"	3:39
5.	"Holocaust"	3:25

Side two

No.	Title	Length
6.	"For All Those Who Died"	4:57
7.	"Dies Irae"	5:11
8.	"Blood Fire Death"	10:28
9.	"Outro"	0:58

Note: The "Outro" is not listed on the cover and is not included on the cassette release.

Personnel

Bathory

• Quorthon – guitars, vocals, percussion, effects, producer, engineer, mixing
• Vvornth – drums
• Kothaar – bass

Production

• Boss (Börje Forsberg) – producer, engineer, mixing
• Peter Nicolai Arbo – album cover painting, The Wild Hunt of Odin (Åsgårdsreien)
• Pelle Matteus – sleeve photography