Filosofem

Filosofem
Studio album by Burzum
Released	1 January 1996
Recorded	March 1993 at Breidablik Studio
Genre	Black metal, dark ambient
Length	64:34
Label	Misanthropy Records / Cymophane Productions
Producer	Varg Vikernes
Burzum chronology
Hvis lyset tar oss (1994) Filosofem (1996) Dauði Baldrs (1997)

Filosofem (Norwegian for Philosopheme) is the fifth release by the Norwegian black metal artist Burzum. It was recorded in March 1993 and was the last recording before Varg Vikernes' imprisonment. However, the album was not released until January 1996. Due to its 'raw' production, it is considered a classic within the black metal genre.

Recording

The opening song was the first Vikernes wrote as Burzum. It had been previously recorded in September 1992 for the Hvis lyset tar oss album, but Vikernes was dissatisfied with it and re-recorded it for this album six months later.

The album was recorded under purposefully bad conditions. No guitar amplifier was used, and Vikernes plugged his guitar into the amplifier of his brother's stereo and used an old fuzz pedal. He also asked a sound technician for the worst microphone he had and ended up using a headset as the microphone.

Music

The music of Filosofem continued Vikernes' experimentation with minimalism, repetition, and ambient music within black metal. The tracks are all quite long (the shortest being just over 7 minutes) and are typically composed around very few musical motifs. For instance, "Jesu død" a track of over 8 and a half minutes, is primarily based around variations of a single riff. Opening track "Burzum" features a prominent melody played by a synthesizer, and the two "Decrepitude" tracks consist of sound effects over very sparse guitars. The album also included Burzum's longest ambient track to date, the 25-minute "Rundtgåing av den transcendentale egenhetens støtte", which has remained controversial among listeners due to its length and minimalistic composition.

Artwork

The album cover and booklet contain extensive artwork by Theodor Kittelsen. The front cover is titled Op under Fjeldet toner en Lur (Norwegian for Up in the hills a clarion call rings out).

Track listing

All lyrics and music by Varg Vikernes.

No.	Title	German version	Length
1.	"Burzum"	"Dunkelheit" (Darkness)	7:05
2.	"Jesu død"	"Jesus' Tod" (Jesus' death)	8:39
3.	"Beholding the Daughters of the Firmament"	"Erblicket Die Töchter Des Firmaments"	7:53
4.	"Decrepitude I"	"Gebrechlichkeit I"	7:53
5.	"Rundtgåing av den transcendentale egenhetens støtte"	"Rundgang Um Die Transzendentale Säule Der Singularität" (Tour around the transcendental pillar of singularity)	25:11
6.	"Decrepitude II"	"Gebrechlichkeit II"	7:53

Release and Reception

The album received relatively major success for a black metal album at the time. It entered the independent music charts in the United Kingdom and also received very positive reviews in European and Norwegian magazines.^{[citation needed]}

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic

Credits

• Count Grishnackh – vocals, rhythm and lead guitar, bass guitar, drums, synthesizer

External links

• Burzum discography