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Burzum

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This article is about the one-man music project. For more details and biography on its founder, see Varg Vikernes. For the song, see Filosofem.
Burzum
Varg Vikernes in 2009
Varg Vikernes in 2009
Background information
Also known asCount Grishnackh
OriginBergen, Norway
Genres
Years active
  • 1991–1999
  • 2009–2018
  • 2019-present
Labels
MembersVarg Vikernes
Websiteburzum.org

Burzum (/ˈbɜːrzəm/; Norwegian: [ˈbʉrt͡sʉm]) is a Norwegian music project founded by Varg Vikernes in 1991. Although Burzum never played live performances, it became a part of the early Norwegian black metal scene and is considered one of the most influential acts in the history of black metal.[3][4][5][6] The word "burzum" means "darkness" in the black speech, a fictional language crafted by Lord of the Rings writer J. R. R. Tolkien.[7]

Vikernes began making music as a teenager in 1988, but it was not until 1991 that he recorded his first demos as Burzum. The first four Burzum albums were recorded between January 1992 and March 1993. From 1994 to 2009, Vikernes was incarcerated for the murder of Mayhem guitarist Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth and the arson of three churches. While imprisoned, he recorded two dark ambient albums using only synthesizers, as he did not have access to drums, guitar or bass. Since his release from prison in 2009, he has recorded several more albums. In 2018, Vikernes announced the end of the Burzum project; however, in October of 2019, he announced his intention to release a new album under the Burzum name[8], tentatively titled Poopêan Mysteries.[9]

History

Early years (1988–1992)

The Burzum logo used in 1991

Varg Vikernes began making music in 1988 with the band Kalashnikov.[7] The following year, the name was changed to Uruk-Hai, after the creatures from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.[7] In 1990 and 1991, Vikernes played guitar for the death metal band Old Funeral, which also consisted of members who would later form the band Immortal. He appears on the Old Funeral EP Devoured Carcass. Vikernes left Old Funeral in 1991 to concentrate on creating his own musical visions. He had a short lived project called Satanel, along Abbath Doom Occulta. He then began a solo project under the name Burzum. The word "burzum" means "darkness" in the Black Speech, a language crafted by Tolkien. Soon after recording two demo tapes, he became part of the Norwegian black metal scene. With his demo tapes, he had attracted attention from Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth of Mayhem, who had just recently formed Deathlike Silence Productions. Aarseth then signed Burzum to the label, and shortly after, Vikernes ―under the pseudonym of Count Grishnackh―, began to record Burzum’s self-titled debut album. According to Vikernes' autobiography on his website, he had intended to record the album in the worst recording quality possible (due to this being a typical trademark of the early Norwegian black metal scene), while still making it sound acceptable. Burzum's eponymous debut album was released in 1992, being the second album released on Deathlike Silence Productions. The song "War" from this album had a guest appearance from Euronymous, playing a guitar solo "just for fun", according to Vikernes.

The Burzum logo used between 1991 and 1993

Vikernes has stated that he had never played any live shows with Burzum, though at one point was interested in it,[failed verification] so Samoth of Emperor accompanied him as a session bassist, though only appearing on the Aske EP.[10] Additionally, Erik Lancelot was hired to be the band's drummer,[citation needed] though did not record on any Burzum material, and along with Samoth did not play a live show. Vikernes had by then lost his interest in playing live concerts, and stated that he "didn't even need session musicians anymore". Therefore, Samoth and Lancelot had parted ways with Burzum. Det som engang var was released as Burzum's second album in 1993, recorded in 1992.

Imprisonment (1993–2009)

The Burzum logo used between 1994 and 2009

May 1994 saw the release of Hvis lyset tar oss, a new album of previously recorded material from 1992. Burzum remained as a solo project until 1994, when Vikernes was arrested for the murder of Euronymous and the burnings of several churches in Norway. During his time in prison, Vikernes released his next album, titled Filosofem, on 1 January 1996. Recorded in March 1993, Filosofem was the last recording Vikernes made before his imprisonment. Burzum / Aske, a compilation comprising the Burzum album and Aske EP, was released in 1995. While imprisoned, Vikernes managed to record two other albums in a dark ambient style. They were released as Dauði Baldrs (1997) and Hliðskjálf (1999). Both of these albums were used with a synthesizer as Vikernes was prohibited from using any other instruments in prison.

In 1998, all Burzum albums released up to that point were re-released as vinyl picture discs in a special box set called 1992–1997; however the Filosofem album didn't contain "Rundtgåing av den transcendentale egenhetens støtte" due to its length. The regular vinyl issue of Filosofem on Misanthropy had tracks 1–4 plus "Decrepitude II" on side 1 and "Rundtgåing av den transcendentale egenhetens støtte" on side 2.

Post-imprisonment and end of project (2009–2018)

The Burzum logo used on the 2010 album Belus, set in the typeface Ruritania

Soon after being released, Vikernes started writing new tracks (nine metal tracks and an ambient intro and outro) for an upcoming Burzum album. According to Vikernes' recounts, several record companies were interested in releasing his first album in eleven years. He stated about the new album, "I want to take my time, and make it the way I want it. It will be metal, and the fans can expect genuine Burzum."

The album was going to be originally titled Den hvite guden ("The White God"),[11] but he later decided to change it to Belus, which was released by Byelobog Productions (byelobog is the transliteration of "белобог" in Slavic languages, meaning "white god") on 8 March 2010.[12][13] It was also announced that a movie would be released in 2010, based on Varg Vikernes' life in the early 1990s. The movie would mainly draw inspiration from the book Lords of Chaos, with the film being of the same name. Vikernes expressed his contempt towards both the movie and the book upon which it is based.[14]

A second new album of original Burzum material, Fallen, was released on 7 March 2011,[15] followed by a compilation album, From the Depths of Darkness, containing re-recordings of tracks from Burzum's self-titled album and Det som engang var, on 28 November 2011.[16] A third new studio album of original material, titled Umskiptar, was released in May 2012.[17] Sôl austan, Mâni vestan ("East of the Sun, West of the Moon"), Burzum's first electronic album since 1999, was released in May 2013.[18] On April 27, 2013, a song was posted on the official YouTube channel of Vikernes, titled "Back to the Shadows."[19] In a blog post, Vikernes stated that "Back to the Shadows" will be the last metal track released by Burzum.[20]

The album The Ways of Yore was released in June 2014.[21]

In June 2018, in a video posted on his YouTube channel, Vikernes stated that "[he had] moved on [from Burzum]", saying "bye bye" to the project.[22][23]

However, in October 2019 Vikernes posted a tweet saying he has so much unreleased music that he plans on releasing another album as Burzum. According to him it will be MYFAROG/Thulé themed.[24]


Musical style

Burzum's music features characteristics common in black metal, including distorted, tremolo-picked guitar riffs, and harsh vocals. Earlier Burzum albums feature very low production quality, which has improved in albums created after Vikernes' release from prison. The low quality was on purpose because as Varg said, it was a rebellion against good production. Burzum's early music shows heavy Tolkien influence; for example, Vikernes' early moniker "Count Grishnackh" is taken from an orc character called Grishnákh in Tolkien's works.[7] The choice of the name for the project reflects both this influence and the desire for anonymity: Burzum is a word of the Black Speech of Mordor meaning "darkness" (though Vikernes views what Christians consider "darkness" as "light"),[7] and is one of those found on the Ring-inscription of the One Ring (the final part of the Ring inscription being "...agh burzum-ishi krimpatul", or "...and in the darkness bind them").[25]

Musically, Burzum has progressed from black metal to classical-influenced ambient music characterised by minimalist tendencies and dark atmospheres. Vikernes' music is characterised by hypnotic repetition and simple song structures; this trademark sound has been present on Burzum's black metal and electronic albums alike. Vikernes has described Burzum as a kind of "spell" or recreation of an imaginary world tied in with Pagan history.[7] Each album, he claims, was designed as a kind of "spell" in itself, with each beginning song intending to make the listener more susceptible to "magic", the following songs to inspire a "trance-like state of mind", and the last song to carry the listener into a "world of fantasy" (dreams, for the listener would fall asleep—Burzum was supposed to have been evening music).[7] Vikernes claims the intent to create this fantasy world came from dissatisfaction with the real world.[7] He has stated the "message" of Burzum can be found in the lyrics of the first song of the first album ("Feeble Screams from Forests Unknown").[7]

Discography

Main releases
Title Recorded Released Notes
Burzum January 1992 March 1992
Det som engang var April 1992 August 1993
Hvis lyset tar oss September 1992 April 1994
Filosofem March 1993 January 1996
Dauði Baldrs 1994–1995 (in prison) October 1997 Dark ambient/Neo-Medieval album
Hliðskjálf 1998 (in prison) April 1999 Dark ambient album
Belus 2009–2010 March 2010[12]
Fallen November 2010 March 2011[26]
From the Depths of Darkness March 2010 November 2011 Mostly re-recorded songs from the first two albums
Umskiptar September 2011 May 2012[17]
Sôl austan, Mâni vestan 2012 May 2013[27] Dark ambient/Neo-Medieval album
The Ways of Yore 2013–2014 June 2014 Neo-Medieval album
EPs
Singles
  • Mythic Dawn (2015)
  • Forgotten Realms (2015)
  • Thulean Mysteries (2015)
Demos/Promos
  • Reh/Demo '91 (1991)
  • Burzum Promo (1992)
Music videos
  • "Dunkelheit" (1996)
Compilation albums
  • Burzum / Aske (1995)
  • 1992–1997 (1998)
  • Anthology (2002) (bootleg)
  • Draugen – Rarities (2005) (bootleg)
  • Anthology (2008)
Other appearances

Members

Current line-up
Guests
  • Samoth (Tomas Haugen) – bass guitar on Aske (1992)
  • Euronymous (Øystein Aarseth) – guitar solo on "War", gong on "Dungeons of Darkness" (both from Burzum)

See also

References

  1. ^ Thomas, Fred. "Burzum - Sôl Austan, Mâní Vestan review". Allmusic. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  2. ^ "Burzum - The Ways of Yore". Allmusic. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  3. ^ Dunn, Sam (2005). Metal: A Headbanger's Journey (motion picture). Canada.
  4. ^ Patterson, Dayel (July 20, 2016). "20 of the best black metal albums from the 1990s". Team Rock.
  5. ^ Hopper, Jessica (August 29, 2013). "The Complicated Appeal Of Black Metal". Buzzfeed.
  6. ^ Sigel, Zack (August 7, 2015). "Are Music Streaming Services Doing More Harm Than Good To The Metal Community?". VH1.com.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Vikernes, Varg (December 2004). "A Burzum Story: Part I". burzum.org. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  8. ^ https://twitter.com/GandalftheWhi19/status/1181312065253847046
  9. ^ https://twitter.com/GandalftheWhi19/status/1181325773745147904
  10. ^ "Samoth". Metal-archives.com. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  11. ^ ""Greven" angrer ingenting – magasinet – dagbladet.no". dagbladet.no (in Norwegian). 4 July 2009. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  12. ^ a b "Burzum – Discography – Official Releases – "Belus" 2010". burzum.org. December 2009. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  13. ^ Vikernes, Varg (November 2009). "Varg Vikernes – A Burzum Story: Part XII – Belus". burzum.org. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  14. ^ Vikernes, Varg (December 2009). "Varg Vikernes – The Lord of Lies: Part VI – The Lords of Chaos Movie". burzum.org. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  15. ^ "Burzum – Discography – Official Releases – "Fallen" 2011". burzum.org. January 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  16. ^ "Burzum – Discography – Compilations – "From the Depths of Darkness" 2011". burzum.org. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  17. ^ a b "Burzum and Varg Vikernes News and Updates". burzum.org. Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  18. ^ Vikernes, Varg (11 February 2013). "Burzum News; "East of the Sun, West of the Moon". | Ancestral Cult". ancestralcult.com. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  19. ^ "Back to the Shadows". YouTube. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  20. ^ "Shadows of the Mind". Thulean Perspective. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  21. ^ "Burzum and Varg Vikernes news and updates". Burzum.org. Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  22. ^ "Varg Vikernes Has Ended Burzum for Good: 'Burzum Is My Painful Past in a Reeking Bog'". Ultimate Guitar Archive. June 3, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  23. ^ Vikernes, Varg (1 June 2018). "Burzum Debut Album DSP version first print (G. R. E. E. D.)". YouTube. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  24. ^ "Some adventures never have an end.... It was not my intention to make another Burzum album, but it so happens that I have so much unreleased music by now, that I actually plan to release another Burzum album soon. It will be MYFAROG/Thulê themed Hopefully an end to this folly". Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  25. ^ Vikernes, Varg. "Varg Vikernes – Paganism: Part III – The One Ring". burzum.org. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  26. ^ "Burzum to Release New Album in March – In Metal News ( Metal Underground.com)". metalunderground.com. 13 January 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  27. ^ Consterdine, John (5 April 2013). "Burzum Set to Release New Album in May – terrorizer.com". terrorizer.com. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
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