On May 27th, avavt-garde black metal band Bathory was inducted into the Swedish Music Hall Of Fame as part of the 2021 class. A statement from the Hall, translated from Swedish to English, reads: 

"From Stockholm underground to the metal world. Long before Swedish heavy metal became a successful export, Bathory existed. The band did not sell many records and was barely seen in newspapers or television. They were an underground band. Nevertheless, over time they gained a global impact that most Swedish musicians, regardless of genre, can only dream of.

Bathory was formed by Jonas Åkerlund, Frederick Melander and Ace Forsberg in 1983. With a punk rawness taken from Motörhead, the group created a new kind of hard rock that came to be known as black metal.

The name Bathory was taken from Elizabeth Bathory, the Hungarian countess who murdered young women to bathe in their blood. The lyrics were about Satanism. And the yellow goat on the band's first album became one of the most iconic hard rock symbols ever.

It is sometimes said that everyone who bought the underground band Velvet Underground's records in the late '60s started their own bands. So it was with Bathory. Black metal bands have been inspired by them all over the globe.

In 2004, Ace Forsberg died at the age of 38 due to heart problems. After the tragic end, the mythologization of him and Bathory has only continued."

Bathory released twelve studio albums, beginning with their self-titled debut in 1984, and culminating with Nordland II in 2003.