The Rock Blogger

Burzum Filosofem 1996. 3 stars.

Man, did I ever have to grapple my conscience when I approached this record. Burzum was a pioneering force in atmospheric black metal, the brainchild of Norway’s notorious Varg Vikernes who is currently serving a prison sentence there for murdering a fellow metal musician as the result of a brutal confrontation. He has also been accused of several major arsons which saw the destruction of historic Norwegian churches. While I find these acts repugnant, I couldn’t help but be curious towards the acclaim surrounding this album, celebrating its ambient and experimental overtones and dark, frosty atmosphere - it’s been hailed as one of the genre’s most beautiful works.

I wrestling with my disgust with Varg, I decided to delve into the record, having been recently obsessed with black metal records put out by Ulver and Wolves in the Throne Room. I would grudgenly put aside the general evilness and anti-Christian sentiments of the front man and listen to the striking music coming out of his twisted brain. This is metal with a remarkably hypnotic edge: its guitar chords are not crystal clear and booming, but are played in a rapid, shoe-gazing hazes of white/black noise, burying the listener with majestic and terrifying drones.

The whole experience sends out a frozen, blackened vibe, capturing the pain of winter winds and the haunting lure of a naked moon. The vocals are distorted and distant, screaming above Varg’s agonies and ruminations.

While the whole experience is fascinating and frightening, I still found the whole album burning itself out , eventually blurring its initial impact as the monotonous riffage meanders on for incredibly long durations. Overall, while original and atmospheric, I felt Burzum is over-rated and riding the coat-tails of Varg’s monstrous and attention grabbing manifestos and behavior. Still, Filosofem may reveal itself more fully over repeated listens. In the meantime, I’ll try and stay away from angry Pagans.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 19th, 2008 at 9:56 pm and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.