Review by Greg on February 3, 2024.

Ah, the times when the energy of passion could fuel every means of transport. After the disappointing sales of The Final Separation, a label change and a local interest in metal which struggled to take off, Bulldozer took the bare minimum of time to rearrange their weapons and struck again with full force. Another year, another album: 1987 saw the release of IX, and things would never be the same.

IX is the logical conclusion of the maturational process carried through Bulldozer's first two albums: the sound has become almost pure thrash metal with an evil twist, and the typical Venom/Motörhead sound is by now largely abandoned. The title is still in typical Bulldozer fashion: quoting AC Wild, it was a reference to the ninth circle of Dante's Inferno, "the circle of treachery, where Lucifer, the rebel angel, stands together with Judas. The betrayers of the faith". However, such a complete evolution in style probably couldn't have been possible without the hiring of a new drummer. "Don" Andras left with a great performance on The Final Separation, but his substitute, Roberto Cabrini aka Rob "Klister", turned out to be the crucial factor for the overall IX sound: less fill-happy, but faster, and straight to the point.

This time, indeed, the title-track placed at the beginning wastes no time to sharpen the knives and let the listener know that Bulldozer are back, angrier, faster and more violent than ever. AC Wild's deranged voice is still fully recognizable, and his hatred towards religion fuels every second of this incredible opener, before Panigada decides it's time to slay his guitar for the first time in a long series and deliver a remarkable solo. The amount of sheer energy of this track alone can only be matched by how little one could expect Bulldozer to sound like this. Sure, someone still misses their brand of Venom-meets-Motörhead blackened speed metal which had been almost perfected on The Final Separation and now forsaken; but, as I said before, I do believe THIS is the music AC Wild intended to make, and the choice of the little experienced (in metal) label Discomagic helped. Also the production, though raw, is finally decent - take this, Roadrunner!

After the completely mid-paced 'Desert!', owned by a superb Panigada, the album begins to suffer a bit from the Reign in Blood syndrome, and tracks become shorter and faster as time goes. Nothing shocking considering that said album came to life an year earlier. However the choruses are often slower and can remain in your head after a while. So, as long as the fillers are good, nothing to worry about. For example, 'Rob "Klister"' is another song Bulldozer dedicated to their drummer, but this time it's a musically serious affair just like its neighbors, and it's rather one of the most intense thrashers they have ever written. Also, 'No-Way' starts essentially with a rehash of 'Rob "Klister"''s riff, and we can expect another speed-fest which wipes out mercilessly the needed mid-tempo break of 'The Derby', dedicated to soccer rivalry in their Milan. Yes, riffs are delicious, lethal and original like never before, yet it's thanks to songs like 'Desert!' and 'The Derby' that the members can showcase their abilities in a different way, breaking the constant barrage of high-speed attacks. Also the closer 'The Vision Never Fades' confirms our suspects that there are really no bad songs on here. IX really showed Bulldozer at their most inspired moment so far, no matter the tempo.

Oh, make sure you don't forget one of the band's hymns, the ode to pornstar and politician Ilona Staller 'Ilona the Very Best', because... well, it will be simply unforgettable from the first time you hear it. So, truth be told, one simply cannot go wrong with this album, as its running time of 31 minutes invites you to listen to the entire thing in one sit, and there are no songs longer than 5 minutes like before. It's a truly intense experience, maybe it's not a perfect album (but then, which one is?), but it's one of the best I've ever heard. The moment Bulldozer finally found their consecration... they would however strike only one more effort before putting a halt to their career. A sad ending, but the last demonstration that the Italian crew couldn't be further from being a one-album wonder...

Rating: 8.9 out of 10

Review by Felix on November 16, 2020.

Bulldozer’s third album, confusingly titled IX, was released in 1987, one year after The Final Separation and one year before Neurodeliri. Today we are happy that some bands need less than five years for a new full-length, but that’s another (dissatisfying) story. Yet in all honesty, the stories that Bulldozer tell on IX are not very appetizing as well. To glorify the possibility of putting a finger deeply in the ass of a porno slut or to praise the safer sex alternative called masturbation (“you won’t get a.i.d.s.”) imply a sexual frustration of gigantic dimensions. Of course, masturbation is sex with a person I really love, but this fact alone does not justify such totally idiotic lyrics. Not to mention 'Rob ‘Klister’'. Does anybody think that this kind of poetry is entertaining?

Let’s turn quickly to the music itself. Well, first of all, I am sorry to inform you that the production is more or less on a par with the lyrics. It has the power of a dick after two orgasms within the last 30 minutes. (I beg your pardon. Bulldozer’s lyrics have confused me.) Maybe due to a small budget, the guitars sound pretty thin and the snare drum has no impact as well. Thus, the voice of AC Wild is the most characteristic element and this dude cannot hide his biggest inspiration from time to time. Especially at the beginning of 'The Derby' he sounds like his venomous idol Cronos. By the way, this is another song with very strange lines that combine “Holocaust” with “Hooligans”. Does this form of lyricism make sense? Of course, not at all – but I wanted to write about the music.

IX offers ix pieces, but don’t expect any killer among them. The opening title track is fast and pretty expressionless, 'The Derby' seems to be written within five minutes in view of its simple football staccato and even the acceptable riffing of 'Desert!' has to face the enemy within when it comes to the moronic guitar line that appears for the first time after 86 seconds. 'Ilona the Very Best' has more than a modicum of momentum, but I guess this was the initial impulse that started the evolution which ended in “Yum Yum” and so I cannot enjoy the track whole-heartedly. Generally speaking, Bulldozer presents another portion of their speed/thrash cocktail, while the sporadic horror elements of the debut do not re-occur. The band does not lack energy and filth, but it is also true that their will to make noise was always bigger than their compositional skills. Songs like 'Heaven’s Jail' have a solid riff foundation, but the Italians fail to make a great track out of it and the stupid fade-out at the end of song illustrates the lack of convincing ideas – and you will find more fade-outs here.

The German metal media of the eighties hated Bulldozer and this alone was reason enough for me to like the trio. But juvenile opposition aside, I cannot deny that the evolution of the band between 1985 and 1987 was fairly questionable. IX is an under-average output of dirty metal, not totally bad, but with a significant lack of coherent song structures and creative substance. The playtime of less than 32 minutes says a lot in this respect. Maybe the dudes still had a finger or another part of the body in a natural orifice of a woman as they began to write this album. This would explain a lot.

Rating: 5.7 out of 10

Review by Greg on February 3, 2024.

Ah, the times when the energy of passion could fuel every means of transport. After the disappointing sales of The Final Separation, a label change and a local interest in metal which struggled to take off, Bulldozer took the bare minimum of time to rearrange their weapons and struck again with full force. Another year, another album: 1987 saw the release of IX, and things would never be the same.

IX is the logical conclusion of the maturational process carried through Bulldozer's first two albums: the sound has become almost pure thrash metal with an evil twist, and the typical Venom/Motörhead sound is by now largely abandoned. The title is still in typical Bulldozer fashion: quoting AC Wild, it was a reference to the ninth circle of Dante's Inferno, "the circle of treachery, where Lucifer, the rebel angel, stands together with Judas. The betrayers of the faith". However, such a complete evolution in style probably couldn't have been possible without the hiring of a new drummer. "Don" Andras left with a great performance on The Final Separation, but his substitute, Roberto Cabrini aka Rob "Klister", turned out to be the crucial factor for the overall IX sound: less fill-happy, but faster, and straight to the point.

This time, indeed, the title-track placed at the beginning wastes no time to sharpen the knives and let the listener know that Bulldozer are back, angrier, faster and more violent than ever. AC Wild's deranged voice is still fully recognizable, and his hatred towards religion fuels every second of this incredible opener, before Panigada decides it's time to slay his guitar for the first time in a long series and deliver a remarkable solo. The amount of sheer energy of this track alone can only be matched by how little one could expect Bulldozer to sound like this. Sure, someone still misses their brand of Venom-meets-Motörhead blackened speed metal which had been almost perfected on The Final Separation and now forsaken; but, as I said before, I do believe THIS is the music AC Wild intended to make, and the choice of the little experienced (in metal) label Discomagic helped. Also the production, though raw, is finally decent - take this, Roadrunner!

After the completely mid-paced 'Desert!', owned by a superb Panigada, the album begins to suffer a bit from the Reign in Blood syndrome, and tracks become shorter and faster as time goes. Nothing shocking considering that said album came to life an year earlier. However the choruses are often slower and can remain in your head after a while. So, as long as the fillers are good, nothing to worry about. For example, 'Rob "Klister"' is another song Bulldozer dedicated to their drummer, but this time it's a musically serious affair just like its neighbors, and it's rather one of the most intense thrashers they have ever written. Also, 'No-Way' starts essentially with a rehash of 'Rob "Klister"''s riff, and we can expect another speed-fest which wipes out mercilessly the needed mid-tempo break of 'The Derby', dedicated to soccer rivalry in their Milan. Yes, riffs are delicious, lethal and original like never before, yet it's thanks to songs like 'Desert!' and 'The Derby' that the members can showcase their abilities in a different way, breaking the constant barrage of high-speed attacks. Also the closer 'The Vision Never Fades' confirms our suspects that there are really no bad songs on here. IX really showed Bulldozer at their most inspired moment so far, no matter the tempo.

Oh, make sure you don't forget one of the band's hymns, the ode to pornstar and politician Ilona Staller 'Ilona the Very Best', because... well, it will be simply unforgettable from the first time you hear it. So, truth be told, one simply cannot go wrong with this album, as its running time of 31 minutes invites you to listen to the entire thing in one sit, and there are no songs longer than 5 minutes like before. It's a truly intense experience, maybe it's not a perfect album (but then, which one is?), but it's one of the best I've ever heard. The moment Bulldozer finally found their consecration... they would however strike only one more effort before putting a halt to their career. A sad ending, but the last demonstration that the Italian crew couldn't be further from being a one-album wonder...

Rating: 8.9 out of 10

Review by Felix on November 16, 2020.

Bulldozer’s third album, confusingly titled IX, was released in 1987, one year after The Final Separation and one year before Neurodeliri. Today we are happy that some bands need less than five years for a new full-length, but that’s another (dissatisfying) story. Yet in all honesty, the stories that Bulldozer tell on IX are not very appetizing as well. To glorify the possibility of putting a finger deeply in the ass of a porno slut or to praise the safer sex alternative called masturbation (“you won’t get a.i.d.s.”) imply a sexual frustration of gigantic dimensions. Of course, masturbation is sex with a person I really love, but this fact alone does not justify such totally idiotic lyrics. Not to mention 'Rob ‘Klister’'. Does anybody think that this kind of poetry is entertaining?

Let’s turn quickly to the music itself. Well, first of all, I am sorry to inform you that the production is more or less on a par with the lyrics. It has the power of a dick after two orgasms within the last 30 minutes. (I beg your pardon. Bulldozer’s lyrics have confused me.) Maybe due to a small budget, the guitars sound pretty thin and the snare drum has no impact as well. Thus, the voice of AC Wild is the most characteristic element and this dude cannot hide his biggest inspiration from time to time. Especially at the beginning of 'The Derby' he sounds like his venomous idol Cronos. By the way, this is another song with very strange lines that combine “Holocaust” with “Hooligans”. Does this form of lyricism make sense? Of course, not at all – but I wanted to write about the music.

IX offers ix pieces, but don’t expect any killer among them. The opening title track is fast and pretty expressionless, 'The Derby' seems to be written within five minutes in view of its simple football staccato and even the acceptable riffing of 'Desert!' has to face the enemy within when it comes to the moronic guitar line that appears for the first time after 86 seconds. 'Ilona the Very Best' has more than a modicum of momentum, but I guess this was the initial impulse that started the evolution which ended in “Yum Yum” and so I cannot enjoy the track whole-heartedly. Generally speaking, Bulldozer presents another portion of their speed/thrash cocktail, while the sporadic horror elements of the debut do not re-occur. The band does not lack energy and filth, but it is also true that their will to make noise was always bigger than their compositional skills. Songs like 'Heaven’s Jail' have a solid riff foundation, but the Italians fail to make a great track out of it and the stupid fade-out at the end of song illustrates the lack of convincing ideas – and you will find more fade-outs here.

The German metal media of the eighties hated Bulldozer and this alone was reason enough for me to like the trio. But juvenile opposition aside, I cannot deny that the evolution of the band between 1985 and 1987 was fairly questionable. IX is an under-average output of dirty metal, not totally bad, but with a significant lack of coherent song structures and creative substance. The playtime of less than 32 minutes says a lot in this respect. Maybe the dudes still had a finger or another part of the body in a natural orifice of a woman as they began to write this album. This would explain a lot.

Rating: 5.7 out of 10

Review by Felix on September 10, 2023.

“Hammerheart”. Oh my God. So many people seem to love and recommend it wholeheartedly, I don’t. From my point of view, the fifth full-length of Quorthon (R.I.P.) marks the beginning of the end. He never reached the form of his first albums again. And no, I don’t “see through the hype” and I don’t want to be the Mister Know-it-all. I just say that I don’t like “Hammerheart”. The list of deficiencies is long.

Already the opener “Shores in Flames” reflects the mediocrity of the entire work. An emotional, lame intro leads to an acceptable, heavy guitar line. The stoic mid-tempo approach lacks dynamic. Quorthon tries to give his voice a very meaningful undertone, but if I translate his vocals into a picture, I just see a crooked oak before my inner eye. Thank God, the guitars are able to create a profound depth and the longer the song lasts (and it lasts very long), the more they can pride themselves for an almost hypnotic effect. Another positive aspect is that the chorus shows up only one time – it is terribly weak, a small nothing that gets lost in itself. (By the way, the inhomogeneous chorus of “Baptized in Fire and Ice” also sucks.) Yes, “A Fine Day to Die” and “Blood Fire Death” (the song) gave first indications of a new direction. But despite their monumental dimensions, they were thunderous, thrilling, dynamic and subliminally brutal. “Shores in Flames” holds its head above water, but it cannot score with these attributes – and this is just the beginning.

“Valhalla” is not as cumbersome as the opener, but Quorthon’s vocals get even worse and the penetrating sterile background choirs which deliver an additional yet useless melodic touch do not make things better. Of course, they do not just their best to ruin “Valhalla”, but reappear in a terrible manner in further songs. If you want to create something like atmosphere with a minimal effort, this is your tool of choice. But don’t be surprised when you are then pilloried for your primitiveness. Of course, you can also integrate a bell (“One Rode to Asa Bay”), but if the entire song is nothing but the acoustic equivalent to a sleeping pill, this does not make much sense either.

The design of the album is okay. A classic artwork and a romantic scene on the inside of the gatefold give no reason to complain. Listing the songs in alphabetical rather than chronological order is kind of dumb, but come on, that was one of the less bad decisions in the making of this album. The sound of “Hammerheart” is, just like the song material, not totally toothless, but it also cannot deny its own averageness. Admittedly, when it comes to a track like “Song to Hall Up High”, the quality of the production does not matter anymore. A kitschy downer with religious-naive lyrics is nothing that fits into my personal frame when I think of heavy metal. To add insult to injury, the song hurts the flow of the B side (analogue times, no skip button far and wide!) which presents with “Father to Son” and “Home of Once Brave” two pieces where the skills of the formerly glorious song-writer shimmers through the pretty crisp guitar lines. These tracks have a slightly stormy touch and this feels good, because it goes without saying that I really tried to fall in love with “Hammerheart”. It was just not possible.

So my conclusion is that Quorthon’s albums after “Blood Fire Death” dwell in the shadows of his early works. I hope he proudly rides the sky standing on a quadriga pulled by four horses that symbolize his albums from the years 1984 to 1988. “Hammerheart” is obviously no bullshit in objective terms, the reviews of my well-respected colleagues speak volumes, and Quorthon’s talent did not allow him to write only stinkers without any substance. But he himself had been the one who had set the bar high with his former albums. Too high… and now I listen to “Massacre”, "Total Destruction" and "Armageddon".

Rating: 5.7 out of 10

Review by Jack on August 8, 2001.

The calming, splashing waves of the ocean beat up against an isolated beachhead in northern Scandinavia... followed by nice acoustic interludes tangled with quiet chants and then rabid blasts into furious Viking riffs. Enter the world of “Hammerheart”.

Bathory’s second guise through out their doppelganger history has them madly swinging axes and brandishing war-hammers to majestic Viking melodies. Bathory started out playing an overly crude, but trademark wall of black metal sound. It was through their fourth album, “Blood Fire Death”, that Bathory initiated the beginnings of their trilogy of Viking masterpieces (culminating with “Twilight of the Gods”). “Hammerheart” is therefore the second working from the Viking phase, and Bathory’s finest hour in musical history. Bathory consists of Quorthon on vocals, electric and acoustic guitars and on sound effects, Vvornth doing drums and percussion stuff, whilst contributing to bass guitar duties is Kothaar.

“Hammerheart” can essentially be viewed as an album that is built around majestic Viking choirs, and simple, yet elegant guitar riffs. Based around extremely well driven lyrical concepts, some fiction, some maybe not. The closing track ‘One Rode to Asa Bay’, for instance deals with Christian invasion and occupation of the Viking lands of the North. “The God of almightyness Had arrived from a foreign land... Who had come from the other side Carry gold cross around neck in chain”. Lyrics such as these really help to convey how strong a story each of the songs tell. Incidentally, this album was said to be recorded in a garage, and for 1990 the production is pretty damn good.

“Hammerheart” contains elements that many bands today lack... soul, real soul. Bathory dug up their ideas from the heart, and focused their thoughts in creative and innovative music. Nothing will ever replicate that. ‘One Rode to Asa Bay’ is true genius, splendid, dazzling, grand, moving, exalted and any other adjective you want to throw in. From the galloping of horses to the simple tweeting of birds on the fly, to the heartfelt lyrics of the Christian invasion, to the lovely background of expertly struck guitar chords, to the cry of the church bell and epic Viking choirs. This is the song that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up (and at over ten minutes long, you know the moments won’t be fleeting to quickly).

Favoured tracks for me are zip, zilch or none. All perfect, maybe (not surprisingly) ‘One Rode to Asa Bay’ gets the slight nod ahead, probably more for it being the closer of the album, and thus sticking in your head that bit longer, plus it kicks donkey ass. I really can’t do any more to convey to you budding metal collectors out there, how much you NEED this album in your collection, it’s timeless. Please buy it. Do yourself a favor.

Bottom Line: Most should already own this classic masterpiece, the only thing lacking at all on this album is the production (and that is only slight fuzziness and distortion). Essential...the pioneers of the Viking metal ballad. ‘Nuff said.

Rating: 10 out of 10