 In the essay " Scandinavian Heavy Metal as an Intertextual Play with Norse Mythology " , scholar Anna G. Piotrowska analyzed the music of the Viking metal bands Bathory and Týr . Starting with the album Blood Fire Death , one of the first definitive Viking metal releases , the band Bathory incorporated a diverse range of sonic elements . While still retaining the noise and chaos of previous recordings , the band took a more sorrowful and melodic approach , working in ballads based on Germanic and Norse folklore. shanty @-@ like melodies and folk music elements such as bourdon sounds , Jew 's harps , and fifes were introduced . Bathory also added in natural found sounds , such as ocean waves , thunder , and wild animal sounds , in a style similar to that of musique concrète . Instruments were sometimes used to create onomatopoeic effects such as drum sounds imitating thunder or a sledgehammer . Bathory 's song structure typically of this era featured multi @-@ sectional formal structures , and usually followed a pattern of three instrumental sections - introduction , bridge , and finale - and two vocal sections - stanza and refrain . 
