BURZUM

 

I’m not here to give a political interpretation of the political involvement of Burzum, surely his early works have been an important brick for the construction of the black metal movement.
Born as Uruk-hai, a Tolkien influenced name, the band name changed in Burzum with the ’91 demo. The ’92 "Burzum" (Vote 9) is considered a cult black-metal release, and surely deserves that position. A grim aura created by a desolate guitar sound reached the listeners, a cold obscurity played in an original way. The black-thrash background of the Count it’s sometimes perceptible, but it’s deformed in a new monster of cold darkness, a disturbing sound, inhuman screaming and a sick atmosphere that surround the listener. There isn’t the thrash-rock attitude of the ’80, everything is much more serious and depressing, proving that "Burzum" wasn’t simply entertainment or a role-play. Together with Mayhem, Darkthrone, Thorns and Immortal, the Count Grishnackh was contributing to create the northern black metal sound.

The ‘93 "Aske" (Vote 9) Ep was a confirm of the Burzum ability to create absolute darkness in a sick sadness. There wasn’t the aggressive and bombastic drum-attach of the Immortal’s and Mayhem’s sound, ‘cause the Count was preferring to work alone, like a lone-wolf, to promote a more gloomy and melancholic-sick form of obscurity.n the same year came-out the famous debut album, "Det Som Engang Var" (Vote 9), musically the result of the previous demos and ep, in a unholy scream of inhuman sickness, alone in the fog hidden in a horrific forest, refuge of his sombre soul.

 

In 1994 a new album was released, "Hvis Lyset Tar Hoss" (Vote 8) , for so many people around the best music Burzum ever made. The speed was slower, and in some moment was like a sort of doom-black metal, very depressive and sick as usual. Burzum was slowly leaving behind his metal roots, for a more atmospheric and nearly ambient approach, the guitars were creating a surround grimness, bringing the listener to dark naturalistic places in the northern land.
The last song, too long for my musical taste, is pure ambient music that demonstrates Burzum’s try to traduce his traditional black.metal trademark in an electronic context.

 

This will be the way of Burzum’s musical evolution, "Filosofem" (vote 8), the ’96 album, released when the Count was in prison for the Euronymous (Mayhem’s former guitarist) murder, is in that vein, an ambient sombre and naturalistic-depressive form of black metal is expressed in a sound that recalls the ambient musical style. I surely prefer the early Burzum material but the last two releases were surely a worthy continuation. Starting from an anti-christian attitude the Count ideas changes with the years in something social-political that surely have nothing to do with the anti-human concept of the real-black metal. The result of Burzum’s black-metal lose on interest is the terrible release of the ambient-minimalist album "Daudi Baldrs" (Vote 4). The Count completely left the guitar sound, ideologically justifying that decision, but also practically inhibited to use that instrument on jail. The music of that pseudo-album is almost totally boring and non-sense, with a non-creative minimalist result.

The only thing remained was the desolate mood of his music, but everything wasn’t lost...the ’99 "Hlidskjalf" (Vote 7.5) was able to create what "Daudi" failed. The music remained only ambient, without any metal element, but the minimalist and less exalting moments were surpassed by a monumental mythological pagan feeling. It’s like listening and watching to some phases of the mythological tales of the Edda’s, a supernatural feeling dominates the most monumental songs of this Burzum’s come-back, enchanting...but with a never-died melancholic background. Nothing new is scheduled for Burzum, and I don’t now if there will be a new album in the future, but looking back there’s a strong history behind.

 

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