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..::OPIS::..

DVD 5
PAL
4:3
DD 2.0


This review is difficult to write, since I am a huge Bathory fan and would easily give this box a 100 based on my view of the music. However, I will not go in-depth on the actual music contained in this box set, because if you’re not familiar with the music of Bathory, this is not the place to start; instead go pick up the Jubileum series. If you are familiar, then nothing that I say will change your opinion, since there is really nothing new here, except for a cover of the Sex Pistol’s “God Save The Queen,” Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs,” which is musically faithful to the original, but Quorthon’s vocals here do not measure up to Ozzy, a very interesting cover of Motorhead’s “Ace Of Spades” that is so different from the original that it is reminiscent of the way Type O Negative’s cover of Black Sabbath’s “Black Sabbath” sounds like a completely different song, and The Beetles' "I'm Only Sleeping," which I cannot really compare to the original since I'm not too familiar with it.

The real review here is the merit of this box set in tribute to Quorthon (R.I.P.). As mentioned earlier, the 3 CD’s here actually offer less rare and unreleased material that was present on the Jubileum series, so they offer little to add value to this package.

However, the jewel of this box is the DVD. The DVD contains a quality copy of the epic “One Rode To Asa Bay” video, officially released for the first time, instead of the low quality bootleg versions that are floating around the web (You Tube, etc.) or the horrible copy that is on the “The True Black Essence” bootleg CD. Now you can watch the video in an acceptable video quality on your TV with really good sound.

Also on the DVD is a small interview that Quorthon did with MTV about the progression of Bathory from Black Metal to Viking Metal that was cool to see. Finally, the DVD wraps up with about 20 minutes of camcorder footage that Boss taped during a European tour Quorthon made to promote “Hammerheart.” Most of the footage is of Quorthon doing meet and greet stops at record stores where he autographed tons of Bathory memorabilia while chatting with “The Horde.” It was great to see this footage and it made me long for the return of those days, where the kids were all wearing Bathory, Kreator, Sodom, Exumer, Celtic Frost, etc. shirts, instead of today’s youth wearing Godsmack and Limp Bizkit shirts.

Another point of interest was the 174 page booklet that comes with this box set. It is the same dimensions as a jewel case printed on glossy paper stock. Although it is nice to have the band discography, history, etc. all nicely edited into a tidy little book, there really is not much new here. Almost everything was culled from the Bathory.se website. The only thing that was bit cool and exclusive was letter from Order From Chaos’ Chuck Keller talking about his friendship with “Q” and that he misses him.

The box also comes with a poster that measures approximately 19” x 22” and is quite a disappointment, to put in mildly. I cannot fathom how a tribute to a deceased “legend” of Metal could have been dishonored like this! The poster is a hybrid of two separate designs printed on one side! How could Black Mark cheap out like this and not print this as a two sided poster is unfathomable. On the left side is the famous 1987 photo of Quorthon’s fire breathing in London and right next to it is a design for the contents of this very box set! If you have the box set, what purpose does a poster serve telling you what you already know? Obviously, this poster serves as a promotional tool to sell the box set, so why not spend the extra dollars to print this two sided, so that those with the box set see the Quorthon picture in all it’s glory and the other side could be used at record stores for promoting the box set?

The entire box set itself has the 3 CD’s and the DVD packaged in jewel cases with the poster folded up to about the size of a slim-line jewel case, which the aforementioned 174 page booklet also being the exact size of a jewel case, so that the entire contents slides into a cardboard sleeve style casing. This is really kind of a let down. I would have expected something more inline with some of the beautiful limited edition packages that Nuclear Blast has made (Crematory’s “Remind” in a flight case, Nightwish’s “Once” box with ornamental globe, etc.) or even the packaging of the “Lord Of The Ring” movies in the collector’s box editions that contain small sculptures and beautiful artwork. Instead, you are presented with jewel case CD’s and DVD that all have the exact same lame booklet that describes the contents of the box set. Why couldn’t each CD and the DVD come with different booklets that describe why certain tracks were Quorthon’s favorites or Boss’s favorites; what made the songs chosen special? These are the kind of things that needed to be answered and they were not.

I gave this box an 85, even though the legacy of the music deserves a 100, because of the weakness of the packaging of this “In Memory of Quorthon” box left me with, I dare say it, the feeling that this box was more of a way to cash in a final time on the great works of Quorthon, rather than pay him the proper tribute that he deserved. Kings are supposed to be laid to rest in monuments of stone; this King, perhaps the “King of Kings,” was buried in a pine box.

Jim H



..::TRACK-LIST::..

One Rode To Asa Bay - Video
Film Producer [Produced By] - Boss, Quorthon
Music By, Lyrics By, Concept By [Story By] - Quorthon

Quorthon Interview
Camera Operator [Hammerheart Promo Tour Video Collage Filmed By] - Boss
Film Producer [Produced By] - MTV Networks




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2zV-X44o6k



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