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Influential Beyond Measure - "Burzum" Review (77%)

Buy Influential Beyond Measure -
Burzum
Burzum by Burzum.

While better known for his more experimental and later efforts such as Hvis Lyset Tar Oss and Filosofem, and accessorily for the termination of Euronymous of Mayhem, Varg Vikernes also has some great early black metal releases such as this album Burzum, the EP Aske, and over course Det Som Engang Var.

While Burzum's later albums were known for incorporating experimental and ambient elements, in a style that Varg Vikernes pioneered, this self titled album is a more straightforward black metal release.

Burzum's later material consists of longer songs, sometimes lasting over fifteen minutes. In a bit of a contrast, this album has mostly shorter songs. "War" is an almost blackened thrash metal like song that clocks in at only two and a half minutes. With this release, you get right to the chase with no detours and no preparation.

I say straightforward, but under no mean is it conventional.

From the opening track "Feeble Screams from Forest Unknown" you can tell that Burzum is all about defying convention and making his own path, whether in music or otherwise.

The music on Burzum is overwhelmingly beautiful.

"The Crying Orc" is a rather poetic short instrumental, consisting of only two guitars. It is in my opinion one of Burzum's most beautiful compositions. Other songs rely on an approach designed to evoke thought rather than emotion. "Ea, Lord of the Depths" is a contemplative song that requires a lot of thinking. The mysterious atmosphere of the track is unbelievable.

Still, there are some aggressive songs. The aforementioned "War" and of course "A Lost Forgotten Sad Spirit" are some of the most aggressive songs to ever be written by Burzum, not counting the tracks featured on Hvis Lyset Tar Oss.

Influential Beyond Measure

Burzum
Burzum.

In addition to producing true black metal music, Varg Vikernes also makes Youtube videos about a wide variety of subjects (Google "ThuleanPerspective").

These videos are always interesting because they get you to think about various subjects in a different light.

In the end, it doesn't matter if the viewer doesn't share Varg Vikernes' viewpoints at 100% as long as he uses his own mind to its fullest extent and reflected on a matter he would not have otherwise thought about.

I get the idea that it's the same for Burzum music: it doesn't matter what the listener's opinion on Burzum's music is, as long as he got something away from it and it got him to think about music and black metal from a different perspective.

As Varg Vikernes has himself claimed on numerous occasions, Burzum is a personal project: in other words, the "true meaning" of the music can only be known by Varg Vikernes himself.

But other interpretations are equally valid, and that is the beauty of Burzum's music.

This self-titled album is like no other.

It is not Phantom's Divine Necromancy, it is not Immortal's Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism, it is not Darkthrone's Under a Funeral Moon and it certainly isn't Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas.

I know a lot of people throw around the term "influential", to the point where it has all but lost its meaning.

But if there is one album that deserves this moniker it's Burzum's self titled debut.

Think about it.

Without this album, there would have been no second wave of black metal.

That's the definition of influential.

Burzum score: 77/100.

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