Tomas Forsberg, better known as "Quorthon" (February 17, 1966, Hägersten, Stockholm – June 3, 2004, Hässelby, Stockholm), was the founder and song writer of the pioneering Swedish black metal band Bathory. He is also credited with creating the Viking metal genre. He composed the music and wrote the lyrics on all of Bathory's albums.
Quorthon formed Bathory in 1983 when he was 17 years old. Always underfunded, his albums had a rough quality which many black metal bands would later emulate, and which would come to characterize this genre of music. He recorded in a garage known as Heavenshore Studios on a 4 track recorder, with mechanics working around him and neighbors mowing their lawns.
Quorthon also personally paid for the production of Bathory's music video for "One Rode to Asa Bay" in 1990. The video was shown on MTV's Headbanger's Ball, though he had not yet seen it at the time he was interviewed for the program.
Beginning in the 1990s, he took full control of Bathory, choosing to forgo performing live in order to spend time recording music with hired musicians. He also played bass guitar on almost all of his albums, and mostly used a drum machine or a session drummer.
In 1993 Quorthon set Bathory aside and recorded and released two albums under the name "Quorthon". The first, called Album, was released in 1994, and Purity of Essence followed in 1997. The albums were more rock oriented than Bathory's black / Viking metal style. While working on these albums he found new inspiration to continue composing music for Bathory.
Bathory's next albums were in a retro-thrash metal style, unlike previous releases. But in 1996 Quorthon released Blood on Ice, a concept album which he began recording in 1989 but did not finish. Blood on Ice returns to Bathory's Viking metal style. His next albums followed in that vein, including the Nordland saga. It was planned as a four-album set, but only two were finished.
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