Bathory was a Swedish extreme metal band founded in Vällingby in 1983 by Thomas Forsberg, who recorded and wrote everything under the name Quorthon. Operating essentially as a one-man project, Quorthon first shaped the blueprint of Scandinavian black metal with the band's raw early trilogy, then pivoted to epic Norse-mythology-driven compositions that gave birth to Viking metal. Hammerheart (1990) and Blood on Ice (1996) are widely cited as cornerstones of the Viking metal genre. The band dissolved after Quorthon died of heart failure in June 2004 at the age of 38.
The tribute project Blood Fire Death - A Tribute to Quorthon and the Music of Bathory performed at the Mystic Festival in Gdańsk (June 4-7, 2025).
The Brutal Assault festival announced an all-star tribute performance Blood Fire Death featuring members of the bands Enslaved, Aura Noir, Watain, VLTIMAS, and Mayhem.
At the Beyond the Gates festival in Bergen (July 31 - August 3, 2024), a grand tribute performance Blood Fire Death took place featuring former members of Bathory and musicians from Emperor, Enslaved, Gorgoroth, Mayhem, Satyricon, and other bands - on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Quorthon's death.
The music portal Nine Circles published an extensive retrospective of the album Hammerheart (1990), calling it the cornerstone of viking metal.
