Twilight of the Gods (album)
Twilight of the Gods is the sixth studio album by Swedish extreme metal band Bathory. It continues the exploration of the newly created Viking metal style, and also displays heavy epic doom and classical influences; it is titled after an opera by Wagner. It is a mid-tempo, more acoustic album than previous Bathory releases, though it follows on from Hammerheart. Of significance is Quorthon's total control of the album, playing all electric and acoustic guitar, keyboards, bass, and drum programming. The background vocals are a particular feature of the album, with Quorthon multi-tracking himself, as he did on Hammerheart, though on this album he sounds more like a chorus than previously. The song "Hammerheart" is based on a melody from Gustav Holst's The Planets; specifically, it is Quorthon's own rearrangement of the middle section of the fourth movement, Jupiter.
| Twilight of the Gods | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 29 June 1991 | |||
| Recorded | April 1991 at Montezuma Studio, Stockholm, Sweden | |||
| Genre | Viking metal | |||
| Length | 56:50 | |||
| Label | Black Mark | |||
| Producer | Borje Forsberg, Quorthon | |||
| Bathory chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 7/10[2] |
Track listing
All tracks are written by Quorthon, except "Hammerheart", music by Gustav Holst (excerpt of Jupiter, The Bringer of Jollity) with lyrics by Quorthon
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Twilight of the Gods" | 14:02 |
| 2. | "Through Blood by Thunder" | 6:15 |
| 3. | "Blood and Iron" | 10:25 |
| 4. | "Under the Runes" | 5:56 |
| 5. | "To Enter Your Mountain" | 7:34 |
| 6. | "Bond of Blood" | 7:34 |
| 7. | "Hammerheart" | 4:40 |
| 8. | "Outro" | 0:23 |
| Total length: | 56:50 | |
The 2003 remastered edition combines tracks 1–3 as one track.
Personnel
- Quorthon – vocals, guitar, bass guitar, drums, production, engineering, mixing
- Boss Forsberg – production, engineering, mixing
References
- Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Twilight of the Gods - Bathory : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
- Popoff, Martin (1 August 2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.