Entry 358 - Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark

 

This is it. This album right here. This is the start of black metal. The first two Bathory albums are arguably Venom rip off albums (though I enjoy them a lot), Under the Sign of the Black Mark is where the band began forging its own path and in doing so made the foundations of what would become one of the most controversial genres in modern music.

Bathory takes Slayer influenced thrash, adds harsher vocals, makes the riffs more primitive, and muddies up the production. The end result is to my ears the first true black metal album. Sure you got Celtic Frost and Mayhem producing demos that are arguably black metal before this... but this is really where it all came together.

Bathory's third album has some of my favorite songs from the band (and that is saying a lot since the band has a LOT of good songs). Woman of Dark Desires combines a really primitive riff with some slight orchestral arrangements, one of the first uses of keyboards for the band. 13 Candles has a vitriol to it that most bands can't even get close to. Call From the Grave has a dirge/march feel to it that is hypnotic and invites the listener to fall into deadly trance (seriously this song is sinister as fuck).

Like most classic albums it's hard to fully write about what makes it so important. With Bathory's entire discography though the early 90's every album is hugely influential. With this one in particular the band captured one of the first "necro" feels that would be some prominent a few years later in Norwegian black metal.

Under the Sign of the Black Mark is not my favorite album from the band, but I feel like it may be their most important work. It's likely the most focused album they ever released, as every song has the same uncompromisingly dark atmosphere to it. No other band could touch this album at the time, and even now nearly 40 years later few bands have come close to how dark and truly evil this record is.