Track Listing
1. Dunkelheit 2. Jesus� tod 3. Erblicket die torhter des firmaments 4. Gebrechlichkeit .i. 5. Rundgang um die transzendentale saule der singularitat 6. Gebrechlichkeit .ii. Year: 1996 Label: Misanthropy - Official Site |
Burzum - 'Filosofem' - By C. Diamantis
Burzum is one of those cases where while I totally disagree with the bands point of view, ideology and beliefs, but I love their music. I�m sure everyone who listens to black metal knows the history of this band and the facts that lead to the present condition of the band. This album was recorded under very unusual circumstances, during a leave Varg Vikernes took from the jail he serves his penalty. That alone could be the reason for this album�s very bad production, but I strongly believe that it was Vikernes� wish this album to have such a production. I know that what I�m going to say now will sound crazy but I sometimes believe that this kind of production is one of the major advantages of the album. Burzum�s music can be described, in my opinion, as ambient black, a description which becomes even more accurate when one takes in mind that almost every instrument in this album is played on keyboard. Since Vikernes is the only member of the band, it�s understandable that everything, both lyrics and music, is written and performed by him. The music is often monotonous and repetitive, and this along with the black vocals (which are also artificially distorted) helps in the creation of very strong emotions. The amazing fact about this album is that Vikernes managed to use all the elements that in another album would be considered drawbacks to his advantage. A special note must be made about track five which is a 25 minute long ambient composition, which really tests the endurance of the listener with its repetitive melodies. I think it would be better if this track was a bit shorter. Another point that deserves to be mentioned is that the artwork of this album, and other Burzum albums as well, contains drawings by the famous Norwegian painter Theodore Kittelsen. His paintings blend perfectly with the atmosphere of the music and this adds to the final result. One must understand that Burzum are entirely the vision of the man behind them and so their albums are entirely personal experiences. If you can relate to them, you�ll enjoy a very emotional album, if not you must understand that the situation behind this album is unique. As I said before, I like very much the music of Burzum, and while I totally disagree with Vikernes� opinions, I must say I admire the way he found to express his feelings and thoughts. �Filosofem� is a very good black metal album, but a lot of people may find the bad production and repetitive themes unbearable. Personally however, I like this album a lot and think that deserves a place to every black metal fan�s collection. Metal Obsessive Grade: 85% |