“I spread eternal dark on Earth”
Taken from the 1984 compilation album Scandinavian Metal Attack, Sacrifice is the first recorded release from one of metal’s most revered and influential acts: Bathory.
It’s the first of two songs the Swedish band (led by mythic mastermind Quorthon) recorded for the compilation. And compared to the enjoyable trad metal performed by the other four Swedish and Finnish acts on the album, Sacrifice sounds like the next level in extremity. It’s a ballsy and chaotic rager in the style of Motorhead, Venom etc… with cavernous, noisy vocals and a catchy, evil ascending chorus riff. The label were inundated with letters demanding more from Bathory. And rightly so. This is great stuff for fans of the more punky, violent end of the NWOBHM and fans of early, primitive thrash.
But the song would go on to have a second, and even more important moment in history. The early version sounds positively conventional compared to the version that appeared later that same year when Sacrifice was re-recorded for Bathory’s seminal self-titled debut album. By that point the band were delivering all their music with grim, frostbitten harshness that was like nothing before it. The black metal sound was born.
HEAVY METAL OVERLOAD 
I’ll have to go listen to the 2nd version as you are right in that this version is fairly conventional. I actually like it.
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I’ll make a black metal fan out of you yet!
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You never know.
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Bathory’s discography just got added to Bandcamp yesterday. Now’s your chance Mr. Snow! Those first four records are fucking great. My favorite is Under the Sign of the Black Mark.
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I just might have to do that. Thanks for the heads up.
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It’s already been taken down. Maybe it wasn’t an official upload, but it looked pretty legit.
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I like that name, Quorthon – a great moniker for a mythic mastermind!
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That is awesome. Guitars are razor sharp. Motorhead vibes.
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Big time!
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Sometimes it’s hard to revisit classics because there’s so much new music needing to be heard and considered. This made me stop and take the song in. It’s always cool when someone makes you want something that you didn’t even know you wanted in the moment. Great choice!
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That’s awesome! Glad this one hit the spot. It is really hard to find that balance between keeping up with the new stuff and making time for the classics.
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Yesssss
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Yesssss indeed!
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Twilight Of The Gods is the album that got me to commit. And I never went back to the music before TotG
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If you like that one then you must get the album before it, Hammerheart. Amazing viking metal!
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You sure you didn’t just misspell Beyonce?
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I think there’s probably the makings of a good mash up there.
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I thought you might be interested in knowing, if you don’t notice it on your own, that if the technology gods are on our side, at around 7am lebrain’s time I should be co-hosting a stream with him
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