Burzum

Burzum
Origin	Bergen, Norway
Genres	Black metal, dark ambient
Years active	1991–1999, 2009–present
Labels	Deathlike Silence, Cymophane, Misanthropy, Byelobog
Associated acts	Mayhem, Old Funeral, Darkthrone, Immortal, Uruk-Hai, Satanael
Website	burzum.org
Members
Varg Vikernes

Burzum is a musical project by Varg Vikernes (originally under the pseudonym "Count Grishnackh"). It began during 1991 in Bergen, Norway and quickly became prominent within the early Norwegian black metal scene. During 1992 and 1993, Burzum recorded four albums; however, in 1994 Vikernes was convicted and imprisoned for the murder of guitarist Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth and the arson of several churches.

While imprisoned, Vikernes recorded two dark ambient albums using only synthesizers, as he did not have access to drums, guitar, or bass. He has recorded two critically regarded albums since his 2009 release from prison. Burzum is considered one of the most influential acts in black metal; in Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, director Sam Dunn described Vikernes as "the most notorious metal musician of all time". Throughout his career, Varg has managed to create and maintain a very distinct sound unique to Burzum.

History

Early years (1991—1993)

The Burzum logo as it appeared on the cover of Demo II

From 1989, Vikernes had been playing in the short lived band Old Funeral which also consisted of members who would later form the band Immortal. He played guitar in the band until 1991 when he left to form his one man band, Burzum. Soon after recording two demo tapes, he became one of the driving forces behind 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, Burzum began to record for his 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), though still make 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 of Mayhem, playing a guitar solo “just for fun”, according to Vikernes.

The Burzum logo used between 1991 and 1994

Vikernes has stated that he had never played any live shows with Burzum, though at one point was interested in it so Samoth of Emperor joined the band as their bassist though only appeared on the Aske EP. Additionally, Erik Lancelot was hired to be the band's drummer, 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 (1994–2009)

The Burzum logo used between 1994 and 2009

May 15, 1994, saw the release of Hvis lyset tar oss, a new album of previously recorded material from 1992. Burzum stayed 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, on January 1, 1996, his next album got released, titled Filosofem it was recorded in March 1993 and was the last recording before Varg Vikernes′ imprisonment. Vikernes, while imprisoned, managed to record two other albums in a dark ambient style. They were released as Dauði Baldrs (1997) and Hliðskjálf (1999).

Post-imprisonment (2009–present)

The Burzum logo used on the 2010 album Belus

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 mentions, 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), 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 “whitegod”) on the 8th of March 2010. It has also been announced that a movie will be released in 2010, based on Varg Vikernes′ life in the early 1990s. The movie is mainly drawing inspiration from the book Lords of Chaos, with the film being of the same name. Vikernes expressed his deep contempt towards both the movie and the book upon which it is based.

A second new album of original Burzum material, Fallen, was released on March 7, 2011, followed by a compilation album, From the Depths of Darkness (which contained re-recordings of tracks from Burzum's self-titled album and Det som engang var) on November 28, 2011. A third new studio album of original material, entitled Umskiptar, will be released in May 2012.

Musical style

Burzum's music features characteristics common in black metal, including distorted, tremolo-picked guitar riffs, harsh vocals, and the use of double bass "blast beat" techniques in the drumming. Earlier Burzum albums feature very low production quality, which has improved in albums created after Vikernes' release from prison. Burzum's early music shows heavy Tolkien influence; for example, the name "Count Grishnackh" is taken from an orc character called Grishnákh in Tolkien's works. 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"), 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"). Some of Burzum's early songs featured titles like "En ring til å herske" ("One Ring to Rule").

Musically, Burzum has progressed from primitive, raw black metal to classical-influenced ambient music characterised by minimalist tendencies and dark atmospheres. Vikernes' music is characterised by hypnotic repetition and simple yet profound 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. 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 "magick", 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). Vikernes claims the intent to create this fantasy world came from dissatisfaction with the real world. 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").

Discography

Main releases

Title	Recorded	Released	Notes
Burzum	January 1992	March 1992
Aske	August 1992	March 1993
Det som engang var	April 1992	August 1993
Hvis lyset tar oss	September 1992	May 1994
Filosofem	March 1993	January 1996
Dauði Baldrs	1994–1995 (in prison)	October 1997	dark ambient album
Hliðskjálf	1998 (in prison)	April 1999	dark ambient album
Belus	2009–2010	March 2010
Fallen	2010	March 2011
Umskiptar	September 2011	May 2012

Demos/promos

• Burzum Demo I (1991)
• Burzum Demo II (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) (Unauthorized release)
• From the Depths of Darkness (2011)

Other appearances

• Presumed Guilty (1998) (contributed "Et hvitt lys over skogen")
• Gummo soundtrack (1998) (contributed "Rundtgåing Av Den Transcendentale Egenhetens Støtte")
• Fenriz Presents... The Best of Old-School Black Metal (2004) (contributed "Ea, Lord of the Depths")

Tributes to Burzum

• Visions: A Tribute to Burzum (2002)
• A Man, A Band, A Symbol (2003)
• Wotan Mit Uns! (2003)
• The Tribute (2005)
• Burzum Tribute Attakk (2005)
• Triumph und Wille (2006)
• Lost Freedom (2007)
• A Hungarian Tribute to Burzum: Life Has New Meaning (2008)
• Tribute to Burzum: When the Night Falls - Bethlehem Struluckt (2009)
• A Tribute To Varg Vikernes: Born To Be White (2010)

Members

Current members

• Varg Vikernes – vocals, rhythm and lead guitar, bass guitar, drums, keyboards, synthesizers (1991–present)

Guests

• Samoth (Tomas Haugen) – bass guitar on Aske (1992)
• Euronymous (Øystein Aarseth) – guitar solo on "War" and gong on "Dungeons of Darkness" (both from Burzum).

External links

• Official website
• Official myspace