SilentScream213 This may be a bit brash, but I expected a lauded album made by a once nazi, church burning murderer to be a bit more exciting.

I wasn’t a big fan of Burzum’s other albums, but some tracks sat very well with me, and I could see the evolution of the heavily Ambient/Dungeon Synth-leaning Atmoblack developing. The problem was, the styles weren’t being mixed very well, we’d more so get one and then the other. I was expecting Filosofem – considered Burzum’s masterpiece and one of the greatest Atmospheric Black Metal albums of all time – to finally nail that style he’d been developing.

Aaaand no, he drops the ball for me. The tracks are incredibly boring and repetitive, no riffs to speak of, the guitar fuzz being so abrasive and poorly mixed that actual notes are mostly indiscernible. The ambient part has barely been incorporated into the music, with minimal, repetitive synthed notes playing a very minor background role. Once again, the only track that fully incorporates Ambient is devoid of any Metal at all, making this another failure to truly integrate both styles full and well into a single song.

The vocals, are atrocious, in fact the mixing on every front is so bad that nothing really sounds good, and this coming from someone who can enjoy artists like Bathory with no issue. This is considered depressive, melancholic, music… doesn’t really sound that way to me, it’s mostly just droning on and on without evoking much at all.

However, that’s not to say it’s truly a bad album, it’s just immensely disappointing. The compositions are decent, and the Ambient melodies that can be heard are quite nice. The repetitiveness is not so much an issue and does work well with the atmospheric soundscapes created. It’s decent background music if the horrible production isn’t enough to ruin the experience. But that’s where my compliments end.

siLLy puPPy Much like Mayhem’s shenanigans, BURZUM is inextricably linked to his heinous crimes which resulted in a lengthy prison sentence not only for murdering Euronymous, guitarist of Mayhem but for countless church burnings which earned black metal the distinct honor of being the most feared musical genre of the 1990s. Of course BURZUM was the one-man project of Varg Vikernes born in Bergen, Norway and one of the instrumental creators of what would come to be known as atmospheric black metal with his innovative ambient black metal approach on “Hvis Lyset Tar Oss” and “Filosofem” but in the beginning Vikiernes started out as Kalashnikov followed by Uruk-Hai showing an affinity for hideous creatures from the J.R.R. Tolkien universe before changing his project moniker to BURZUM which itself means “black speech” in a Tolkien created language.

While the soap opera drama and musical influences of BURZUM would soon come to pass, his first album was actually self-titled and was released as early as March 1992 when Vikernes joined the classic second wave of black metal along with other Norwegian bands like Mayhem, Darkthrone, Immortal, Emperor, Satyricon and Gorgoroth. While those bands were more in the league of crafting technically challenging composiitons that implemented the classic second wave attributes such as fast tempos, shrieking vocals, tremolo picking and buzzsaw guitar distortion with emphasis on somewhat technically demanding workouts at least in terms of physical dexterity, BURZUM began as one of the lesser talented acts in this second wave and although Vikernes would compensate for these shortcomings by crafting a unique dark ambient fusion, his lack of actual musical talent is more apparent on this eponymously titled first offering.

In contrast to “Hvis Lyset Tar Oss” and future releases, this self-titled BURZUM album is much more in the vein of early lo-fi second wave black metal only a lot sloppier although Vikernes’ intent of channeling the world of atmospheric ambience was already taking form as evidenced on the non-metal track “Channelling the Power of Souls into a New God” however for the most part this debut album sounds very amateurish with OK but hardly extraordinary guitar riffs, lazy drumming for the most part as the percussive role is merely to keep the beat. Forget blastbeats or any frenetic mind-numbing virtuosity and what really makes this one a difficult listen for most are the pissed cat and i got my testicles caught up in the paper shredder vocals that find Vikernes screaming like a mother fucker although the lyrics supposedly are inspired by more Tolkien themes and Norse mythology which in Vikernes’ case a form of hatred towards just about everything. His alias Count Grishnackh only makes it more hilarious.

The track “War” shows how Vikernes was in many ways still operating in the concepts of the first wave of black metal as this track showcases a thrash metal riff that doesn’t sound too far removed from something Metallica was performing on its 1984 debut “Kill Em All.” Sorry Vik, your retardation showed your limitations here and why you had to resort to violence to make a name for yourself. Ironically Euronymous, who Vikernes murdered plays the guitar solo as he does the gong on the non-metal “Dungeons Of Darkness.” Tracks like “Journey To The Stars” are much more interesting with a keen sense of comprehension of the role of the guitar riffing in relation to the overall atmospheric big picture and actually captures the essence of second wave black metal much in the vein of Darkthrone. Yeah those vocals haven’t improved much but the compositional fortitude certainly has. The closing “Dungeons And Darkness” portends Vik’s future as it focuses on a bleak darkened apocalyptic sonicscape in dark ambient mode.

BURZUM’s debut album is certainly a mixed bag and showcases his lack of crafting sophisticated compositions as a musician but does display his heightened ability to juxtapose disparate elements together in an effective way. While his brain may have had a few pistons on strike possibly due to some sort of childhood abuse (often violent behavior originates in childhood horrors), Vikernes did showcase a few of his talents on this first album that for in retrospect would be nurtured and brought to fruition on future releases however on the album simply known as BURZUM, i find this more annoying than enjoyable. At least on “Hvis Lyset” and “Filosoefem” i can zone out and enjoy the ride. On this one it’s abrasive enough to demand your attention but weak enough to garner your pity. It’s OK but really i prefer just about every other black metal band of this era of this psychologically deficient miscreant.

voila_la_scorie I find this is a difficult album to rate. Burzum's third studio album is often considered a masterpiece of Norwegian black metal and sometimes of heavy metal all together. It was inspired by a view outside into the darkness of a Norwegian night and creator Varg Vikernes recorded the four tracks for this album before the second album was released.

My interest in the album came as I sampled Burzum tracks on YouTube and decided that I really liked the artwork. The dirt, single-lane road curving through a forest with an apparently recently deceased man on the side and crows flapping about really struck my thoughts. I had seen such roads in paintings before which my Danish parents had in my childhood home and the blackbird frequently figured in children's stories and rhymes I had heard as a child. But who was this poor deceased man and how long had he just remained at the roadside with no one coming to find him?

Playing the first track, it was the lead riff that comes in at 2:50 along with the drums that sold me on the album. It immediately took me back to my high school days listening to Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, Bathory, and even Venom. The production is lo-fi but not so poor as I had imagined it could be. This is yet another case of getting wrapped up in the atmosphere of the album and forgetting the lack of crispness. The repeated three chords on keyboards are rather hypnotic and as the music is repeated for long sections before changing, it's easy to feel under the spell, which is as Vikernes had intended. He claims in the CD notes that he feels music is a kind of spell to cast over people and make them think what you want. Well, I do find it easy to listen to the whole 14 minutes plus of this opening track.

One thing of course is the crazy vocals. This is like listening to the ravings of a poor soul who has been in solitary confinement for too long. It's back-of-the-throat hollering. And yet, I don't actually mind.

I find the next two tracks inspire mixed feelings. "Hvis Lyset Tar Oss" is much less interesting musically than "Det Som En Gang Var", though the third track "Inn I Slottet Fra Droemmen"recaptures some of the appeal of the first track with a good riff and more variation in the music.

The album takes a dive for me at the last track "Tomhet", a 14-minute track that sounds much like an instrumental composed and mostly played on an 8-bit keyboard. The simple repetitive music that would be trance-inducing were it not for that very dated sound fails to capture my interest throughout most of the 14 minutes. I can appreciate what Vikernes was attempting here but I can skip this one if I'm not in the mood. I mean it's 14 minutes long! And it's not even prog!

A classic it may be, I'm not jumping off the walls for this one but it is good enough. I may or may not choose to get another Burzum album. Kjetil Manheim of Mayhem said in a documentary that he felt Burzum's first album was shit and I can see how it could be considered that way, that Burzum's music is not so great. It might be a case of the Emperor's New Clothes. But I personally give a strong rating to the first track and good points for the third. Perhaps only a must-have if you are into the Norwegian black metal scene.

666sharon666 Out of all the big name black metal bands that came out of Norway as the genre was being pioneered, which include Mayhem, Immortal, Darkthrone and Emperor, there's one artist that I've always struggled to really enjoy or understand: Burzum.

Burzum is among the most infamous of black metal bands because of the actions of its sole member, Varg Vikernes, who has been convicted of both church burnings and murder (of Mayhem's guitarist Euronymous), making him one of metal's most notorious figures. Despite that, or perhaps even because of it, Burzum's music has retained a particularly high level of regard even after two decades, with two particular albums being the most noteworthy; this one, Filosofem, and the previous one, Hvis Lyset Tar Oss. They are both often counted among the best black metal releases ever created, especially Filosofem, which is often ranked as the best, not just one of them. It's the kind of high regard that, despite my continual struggles with them, has me every once in a while trying one or both of these albums again in hopes of finally getting what all the fuss is about.

However I've come to the conclusion that if I haven't got it by now, I probably never will.

I'll be fair, Burzum presented an early example of atmospheric black metal with these early releases, which were all recorded in the 1992-1993 period before Varg ended up in prison, and then steadily released over the next few years, with Filosofem (1996) also being the last black metal Burzum album until Belus in 2010. His work was groundbreaking and I think his stuff could even be considered an early blueprint for depressive black metal as well as atmospheric black metal. However this is a case in point where groundbreaking doesn't necessarily mean the best or even the most interesting music, at least in my opinion.

You see, I find the music on Filosofem to be extremely minimalist. I think that was in fact Varg's intention, but his drawn out style of songwriting means that here he is stretching his ideas out into complete snooze territory as he repeats the same ideas over and over again. There isn't a track here that's under seven minutes. There's even a pure ambient track that goes by the twenty-five minute barrier, continually repeating the same patterns. I just find that ridiculously long for the low amount of musical ideas on offer. Sure, the atmosphere on the album is pleasant enough, as paradoxical as that may sound, but even in atmospheric black metal I guess I'm just looking for something more than what this album offers, and I don't think I'll ever understand why this is so well regarded. I've heard more much interesting newer black metal albums than this get blasted for being repetitive and amateurish. This is supposed to be the best black metal album ever made if its ranking on music sites to be believed, yet that's exactly what this sounds like to me: repetitive and amateurish. Released today without any of the notoriety surrounding it and I seriously doubt that this would even make a blip on the black metal scene.

1 Star.

adg211288 Whatever your thoughts are on Varg Vikernes' criminal activities, which include the murder of Mayhem guitarist Øystein 'Euronymous' Aarseth in 1993, if you're into the black metal genre at all it's hard to deny how much of a key act to the genre's development Burzum was. Hvis Lyset Tar Oss (1994) is the third Burzum album, one of a few that were recorded in relatively quick succession between 1992 - 1993 before Varg's crimes landed him in prison.

There are just four tracks on Hvis Lyset Tar Oss. Through them, the album moves through three distinct phases. The opening Det Som en Gang Var is a 14:21 minute piece of atmospheric black metal featuring a combination of raw guitars and ambient synths. The next two shorter tracks Hvis Lyset Tar Oss and Inn I Slottet Fra Droemmen are in a more traditional black metal style, while Tomhet closes the album in a pure ambient style. Varg's writing is minimal, simplistic and repetitive, and as far as black metal vocalists go I've never found his voice to be all that, but on Hvis Lyset Tar Oss he seems to create something quite special out of seemingly nothing. It really is all about the atmosphere and not just in the track that is today recognised as an atmospheric black metal piece, making Hvis Lyset Tar Oss an early classic of the genre.

While my personal favourite track is Det Som en Gang Var, it's actually Tomhet, the ambient track, that I find especially notable on the album. While some might argue that the 14:12 minute piece is just a bit too long considering this is a metal album (meaning the actual metal music is over just past the half hour mark and never comes back for the rest of the album), I find that the track is quite effective. Burzum's take on black metal may be atmospheric but it still has a harshness to it and I like the contrast that Tomhet gives the album. I wouldn't want the album to end any other way.

Varg Vikernes' non-musical exploits may have coloured his career with Burzum in the most negative way possible but if you're a black metal fan Hvis Lyset Tar Oss is certainly a must own album. 5 stars.