Nordland I is the eleventh full-length album by Bathory

Bathory (band)

Bathory was a Swedish heavy metal band, formed by Quorthon in 1983. They are regarded as pioneers of both black metal and viking metal. Quorthon remained the main songwriter and member of Bathory for more than two decades. Bathory was permanently ended after Quorthon's death in 2004...

, released in 2003. It is characterized by an unapologetic return to the Viking metal

Viking metal

Viking metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its galloping pace, keyboard-rich anthemic sound, bleakness and dramatic emphasis on lyrical themes of Norse mythology, Norse paganism, and the Viking Age...

 of Bathory's middle period, and features songs written mainly about Norse mythology

Norse mythology

Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...

. It was to be the first in a projected four-album set, but Quorthon

Quorthon

Tomas Forsberg, better known as "Quorthon" , was a multi-instrumentalist and the founder and songwriter of the pioneering Swedish black metal band Bathory. He is also credited with creating the Viking metal genre...

 only lived long enough to finish the first two volumes (Nordland II

Nordland II

Nordland II is the twelfth and final album by Bathory. It is the successor to Nordland I. Like its predecessor, it is characterized by an unapologetic return to the Viking metal style of Bathory's middle period, and the songs on this release deal primarily with Viking culture...

was the second).

Track listing

1. "Prelude" – 2:35
2. "Nordland" – 9:21
3. "Vinterblot" – 5:17
4. "Dragon's Breath" – 6:45
5. "Ring of Gold" – 5:35
6. "Foreverdark Woods" – 8:06
7. "Broken Sword" – 5:35
8. "Great Hall Awaits a Fallen Brother" – 8:17
9. "Mother Earth Father Thunder" – 5:38
10. "Heimfard" – 2:12