Description

The trouble with being Bathory is having such a classic back catalogue to emulate is no mean feat. Not that the legend has already been tarnished with the nonchalant release of the Requiem and Octagon albums in the mid nineties. These long players were a far cry from the grandeur that was found on ‘Blood, Fire, Death’ or ‘Hammerheart’. In fact, Bathory had run out of steam by the time ‘Twilight of the Gods’ was released in 1991. So what could we expect from the 11th full length album ‘Destroyer Of Worlds’. Well the trouble is that it borrows much of its contents from ‘Requiem’ and ‘Octagon’, as well as ‘Hammerheart’. There are sublime moments that echo the bands glorious past on tracks like, Day of Wrath, Lake of Fire, Ode, and the epic nature of the title track. Here we find a new surge of passion that is 100% classic Bathory. But then we have the thrashy mess that condemns the rest of the album to oblivion. To be fair the faster material does have its moments but there never seems to be a good reason for their inclusion. They are like album fillers when set against the aforementioned slower tracks. Destroyer of Worlds is definitely the bands finest opus since ‘Twilight of the Gods’, and yet it is a mixed affair that will both please and annoy anyone who is into the bands past history. It is a pity Quorthon couldn’t find it in himself to give the fans what they wanted to hear. He has obviously split the difference and that has resulted in an album split into two halves. Track listing: 1. Lake Of Fire 2. Destroyer Of Worlds 3. Ode 4. Bleeding 5. Pestilence 6. 109 7. Death From Above 8. Krom 9. Liberty & Justice 10. Kill Kill Kill 11. Sudden Death 12. White Bones 13. Day Of Wrath