Bathory released the 1988 album Blood Fire Death. The record marked a major development in the band's sound, blending the raw aggression of early black metal with larger, more atmospheric arrangements and themes from Norse mythology.
The album opens with "Odens Ride over Nordland" and includes "A Fine Day to Die," a song that became influential on later Viking metal. Bathory's founder, Quorthon, performed most of the music and shaped the band's increasingly epic direction.
Mayhem, Emperor, and Darkthrone are strongly associated with Norwegian black metal, while Bathory came from Sweden. Blood Fire Death is therefore an important distinction when identifying the origins of Viking metal's musical and mythological style.