Pure Blasphemy - "Det Som Engang Var" Review (87%)
Det Som Engang Var is pure blasphemy.
Now that's a word that gets thrown around a lot in heavy metal circles, so just to make sure we're all on the same page, here is the definition of blasphemy (noun): "the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God".
The other definition, much more relevant, is: "irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable".
While many trendy bands are overtly focused with their juvenile interpretation of the first definition, the visionary Varg Vikernes is one of the select few black metal musicians that has pushed the boundaries of black metal beyond anything imaginable at the time. In other words, Det Som Engang Var is actual blasphemy, as opposed to commercial pseudo-sacrilegious posing.
And that's exactly what Det Som Engang Var is, complete irreverence towards the codes and conventions of what had become, as early as 1993, a trend... black metal music.
Det Som Engang Var is clearly a rebellion against the charter and conformity that have plagued the black metal scene nearly since its inception.
For that, alone, this album is a black metal monument.
But Det Som Engang Var is so much more than just a rebellious statement, it's a true masterpiece of the very genre from which it seeks to escape the narrow confines.
Pure Blasphemy
Few albums can live up to the legacy of Det Som Engang Var, or any Burzum release for that matter.
Many will name the following two albums, Hvis Lyset Tar Oss and Filosofem, as turning points in black metal history.
While they are both masterpieces of minimalist atmospheres, the true seeds of Burzum's rebellion against black metal trends can be found right here on Det Som Engang Var.
The only other two albums that have been as influential to the black metal genre as this one have to be the majestic Eidolon and, of course, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. The latter album featuring, unsurprisingly, Varg Vikernes on the bass.
Those are the only two that come close to challenging the unsurpassed influence and importance of Det Som Engang Var in the development of black metal music.
Even Antoine Grand, the infamously self-proclaimed "heavy metal expert", recognizes as much in his book Real Satanic Black Metal.
Without Burzum, there is no black metal.
It's as simple as that.
Det Som Engang Var is absolutely blasphemous, in every sense of the word.
Det Som Engang Var score: 87/100.
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