......when BATHORY recorded the self titled debut album back in June 1984, cash flow problems prevented the band from bringing any more advanced equipment to the studio than a single tiny 20W Yamaha amp (that Quorthon still owns). This amp was used for both guitar and bass.

......when albums BATHORY, UNDER THE SIGN OF THE BLACK MARK, BLOOD FIRE DEATH and HAMMERHEART were recorded, BATHORY had only eight recording tracks to work with. The remaining four tracks of the board used, would be used as effect tracks (eg delay, reverb etc). Only for the recording of HAMMERHEART in June 1989 did BATHORY bring a hired effect rack to the studio, and were thus able to use the last four tracks for additional overdubs.

......when album HAMMERHEART was recorded in June 1989, the band arrived to studio Heavenshore only to discover that the entire floor had been bulldozed and the gaping hole filled with gravel (to be covered in wet cement a forth night later). The drums and amp's would be placed right on top of the undulating bed of gravel. And since all electric wiring had been ripped out, bare light bulbs had to be tacked to the ceiling to provide the band with some light.

......while recording the self titled first album took only 56 hours, recording DESTROYER OF WORLDS took only 112 hours. Recording the two hours and fifteen minutes worth of material for the twin head NORDLAND release took nearly four months in total.

......working title for the debut album was Pentagrammaton, but this working title was discarded when several people read it out as Pentagon. The pentagram was moved to the back of the album cover and replaced with a monster face made up from several bits cut out from various horror comics.

......while the working title for the second album was REVELATION OF DOOM, one tentative title for the third album was NOCTURNAL OBEISANCE. And just for the record: BLOOD ON ICE was never planned to be called BLOOD UPON THE ICE.

......renowned artist Boris Vallejo was scheduled to paint the album cover for BLOOD ON ICE. In the end, Mr. Vallejo asked for $10.000 up front. This was money that BATHORY quite simply did not have to spend on an album cover. Luckily budding Swedish master Kristian Wåhlin was more than happy to paint the exclusive art work for the complex BLOOD ON ICE project.

......the first edition of the debut album (limited to 1 000 copies produced) was by accident printed in a neon or canary yellow dye. The golden dye requested for by the band turned out too expensive for the young group. These days, according to various sources, a mint condition "yellow goat" album cover will sell for well over $100.

......Quorthon used the same guitar on all BATHORY recordings between the "Satan My Master"/"Witchcraft" session in May 1983 and the OCTAGON album recorded in February 1995. The guitar was a Ibanez Destroyer I, equipped with Dimarzio's and Dean Markley strings. Since then the weapon of choice is a Gibson Flying-V with Dimarzio's and (since Dean Markley is out of business) GHS Boomers.

......BATHORY (during proper recording for several albums) recorded among other covers Queen's "Now I'm Here" and "Ogre Battle", Motörhead's "Overkill" and Black Sabbath's "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath". None of these recordings have ever been released. The only covers recorded by BATHORY to be released to date are Kiss' "Deuce" and "Black Diamond", Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" and Motörhead's "Ace of Spades".

......Quorthon wrote Danish drummer Carsten Nielsen in the summer of 1986, asking him if he'd be interested in joining BATHORY. Herr Nielsen replied that he figured his band Artillery would be ten times bigger than BATHORY, and thus kindly but firmly turned the offer down.

to be continued...