BLACK METAL BOWS ONE FINAL TIME: BATHORY ANNOUNCES EXPLOSIVE FAREWELL TOUR FOR 2025 — CITIES, DATES, AND A LEGEND’S LAST RITES
By Anders Vahlgren | Infernal Sound Magazine
June 4, 2025 | Stockholm, Sweden
In a seismic announcement that has shaken the underground metal scene to its molten core, **Bathory**, the legendary godfathers of black and Viking metal, have declared that **2025 will mark their final world tour**.
Dubbed **“The Twilight of Blood and Fire Tour,”** this will be the first full-scale global trek under the Bathory banner since the unexpected resurrection of the project in 2023. And now, as fast as they returned, they prepare for their last thunderous descent into darkness.
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### The Legacy Returns… And Says Goodbye
Originally founded in 1983 by the enigmatic and fiercely independent **Quorthon (Thomas Börje Forsberg)**, Bathory helped define the very sound and spirit of black metal—pioneering a lo-fi, nihilistic, and feral sonic aesthetic that inspired thousands.
After Quorthon’s tragic death in 2004, the band was declared finished. That was, until his cousin and longtime collaborator **Niklas Forsberg**, stepped forward in 2023 with the blessing of the Forsberg family and former bandmates to **reignite Bathory as a tribute and a continuation**.
The reformed lineup includes Niklas on vocals and guitar, backed by a rotating ensemble of black metal veterans from bands such as Mayhem, Watain, and Enslaved. Their return album, *“Return of the Hammerheart,”* released in late 2024, was both a critical and commercial surprise, debuting in the top 10 across European rock charts.
Now, just months later, they’ve announced the end.
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### The Farewell Tour: Cities, Dates, and Rituals
The **“Twilight of Blood and Fire” Tour** will span **22 cities across four continents**, kicking off in February 2025 in Oslo, Norway—the birthplace of modern black metal.
The final show? A two-night pagan fire ritual at the site of Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg in **July 2025**, with the second night being an all-Bathory setlist, from *“Under the Sign of the Black Mark”* to *“Twilight of the Gods.”*
Here are the first confirmed cities:
1. **Feb 7 – Oslo, Norway – Rockefeller Music Hall**
2. **Feb 10 – Stockholm, Sweden – Annexet**
3. **Feb 14 – Berlin, Germany – Columbiahalle**
4. **Feb 17 – Prague, Czechia – Forum Karlín**
5. **Feb 20 – Paris, France – Bataclan**
6. **Feb 24 – London, UK – Brixton Academy**
7. **Mar 2 – New York, NY – Terminal 5**
8. **Mar 5 – Chicago, IL – Metro**
9. **Mar 9 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern**
10. **Mar 13 – São Paulo, Brazil – Carioca Club**
11. **Mar 16 – Mexico City, MX – Pabellón Oeste**
12. **Apr 1 – Tokyo, Japan – Zepp DiverCity**
13. **Apr 4 – Seoul, South Korea – Yes24 Hall**
14. **July 11 – Sölvesborg, Sweden – Sweden Rock Festival (Night One)**
15. **July 12 – Sölvesborg, Sweden – Bathory Final Ritual**
According to tour insiders, no show will be repeated, and **each city will receive a unique setlist**, mixing early black metal chaos with the later Viking-era epics that redefined the genre.
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### A Farewell Shrouded in Fire and Purpose
In an exclusive statement, Niklas Forsberg shared the reason behind the final bow:
> “This was never meant to be a comeback. It was a requiem. We came to honor Quorthon, to burn bright, and then vanish in the smoke. One last roar for the wolves who remember. No encores. No lies. Just Bathory.”
He went on to explain that this tour will **not be livestreamed or filmed professionally**, aside from the final Sölvesborg performance, which will be released as **Bathory’s last-ever official recording**, titled *“The Final Flame.”*
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### Reaction from the Metal World
Within hours of the announcement, metal forums and social media feeds erupted.
> “This is like the second coming and last supper rolled into one,” wrote a user on Reddit’s r/BlackMetal.
> “Bathory raised us. Now they’re burying themselves in flames. Respect.”
Major figures in the genre have responded with awe and sadness:
**Fenriz (Darkthrone)**: *“Bathory *was* the path. To see it end on their terms? That’s the most Bathory thing ever.”*
**Ivar Bjørnson (Enslaved)**: *“Quorthon changed the world twice—first with darkness, then with epicness. This tour is history.”*
**Gaahl (Gorgoroth)**: *“The gods die with honor. This is how it should end.”*
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### Ticketing Chaos and Black Market Surge
Tickets for the European leg sold out in **under five minutes**, prompting scalpers to list resale prices as high as \$2,000 USD per ticket.
Forsberg’s management issued a stern warning:
> “Do not pay blood for what should cost gold. More tickets may be released as production finalizes, but no mercy for resellers.”
In response, fan groups are organizing **“Church of the Hammer” watch parties**, where full shows will be streamed unofficially to celebrate from afar. While Bathory has not endorsed these, they have stated they “understand the spirit of the underground.”
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### Bathory’s Final Message
The tour’s promotional materials are stark: a blood-red hammer shattering a crown, flames licking up Norse runes, and the words:
**“Let the world end in thunder, not silence.”**
It’s a fitting image. For a band that began in grainy obscurity, infamously recording vocals in a garage and sending tremors through Scandinavian churches, **Bathory ends not with quiet aging, but apocalyptic power.**
The band’s final post on their official website reads simply:
> “To those who believed, followed, raged, and roared with us for over 40 years—this fire was for you. Now we give it back to the wind.”
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### Conclusion: The End of an Era
Black metal has always been about extremes—musically, emotionally, spiritually. And Bathory embodied every raw edge of it. To see them end not through death or drift, but by *choice*, with fire and vision intact, is perhaps the greatest tribute they could ever give to their own legacy.
One last tour. One final war cry. Then, silence.