Burzum quits black metal

[Levas]

http://thuleanperspective.com/2013/04/30/shadows-of-the-mind/

As I see it those enthralled by the aggression, melancholy and/or harmonic atmosphere of black metal are on the way to become better, and are thus already better than the rest, and I don't want you to feel that I think badly of you when I speak badly of black metal as it is today. I don't like the black metal (or any metal) life style, but that doesn't mean I have anything against those caught in this lifestyle.

I no longer play metal music, so naturally I don't say this for commercial reasons. I just think that we get enough shit from the world we live in as it is. There is no reason to add to that load.

[Niko]

Good riddance, Belus was surprisingly good comeback and most of Fallen was decent too but Umskiptar is such an bore and full of filler material.
Not sure what to expect from his upcoming electronic album. Tomhet and few of tracks on Hlidskjalf are actually quite good, so who knows..
Hopefully he has atleast invested on a better synth.

[tiny_tove]

well the jail records were embarassingly bad although with quite outstanding artwork...
I didn't like Belus , but quite enjoyed Fallen despite vocals are not the same of the origins... but well, people evolve...

[cipher chris]

Sure, but some devolve too.  I 'quit' Burzum after 'Umskiptar' anyway, after finding neither of the previous releases particularly insightful or satisfying; I don't need another excuse not to fucking bother.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

I have given up with A LOT of metal bands. Burzum was just about the last I have complete discography and "loyally" kept buying all. When I heard "Umskiptar" at friends house, I thought this will be the first Burzum I'm not buying. Well, I did end up buying it just because due getting vinyl for wholesale rate... But it remains sealed in shelves at this point.

But how you can trust Vikernes for "quitting metal". He did it before, he can do it again. And make yet another return. He's greatest talent must be to try to revision his activity after it has happened? That text, must be among rare ones he positively addresses Euronymous?

[martialgodmask]

I wonder if a pinch of salt is required for this, as he has already been vocal about distancing himself/Burzum from what is considered to be "metal"... it reads like an extension of that kind of obfuscation. In fact, I believe he stated something to the effect of "this album transcends everything you know to be metal".

Let's not forget, the Burzum-electronics album is out in 24 days time and to be living the heavy metal dream at this point may undermine whatever point he's trying to make with that. That said, I'm looking forward to it! But I am a sucker.

I don't imagine we'll have heard the last black metal Burzum album. We'll see, I guess.

[RG]

I listened to some clips from the new synth album and....meh...it's not horrible but it's not very good either. I can't fairly judge the sound quality based off of a youtube clip but the synths sound cheap and generic. It's like the two previous synth albums he did while in jail, just executed slightly better. I'm sure the CD or vinyl sound quality is fine...but this is something I won't be purchasing. For me Burzum has lost the status of "buy automatically". Belus was a good return and Fallen was enjoyable but he kinda lost me with Umskiptar. Plus I also get the sense that he's just milking his fanbase now, with that album of old tracks re-recorded and now a boring synth album that apparently even his own label didn't want to release.

Why listen to this when there are plenty of other bands doing the pagan/medieval thing who do it much better? Compared to bands like Wardruna or even Lord Wind, this stuff sounds amateurish and even embarrassing.

[Scat-O-Logy]

Why listen to this when there are plenty of other bands doing the pagan/medieval thing who do it much better? Compared to bands like Wardruna or even Lord Wind, this stuff sounds amateurish and even embarrassing.

[martialgodmask]

Let's not forget, the Burzum-electronics album is out in 24 days time and to be living the heavy metal dream at this point may undermine whatever point he's trying to make with that. That said, I'm looking forward to it! But I am a sucker.

I truly am a sucker, as it's pretty much rubbish. Every track is thin and bland, it isn't so far removed from previous works but it just feels like a collection of interludes.

There will be some who love it I'm sure but I guess for me having now heard it a few times, the age old question rears its head of "if it was someone new entering the scene with this album, would anyone give a shit?" And I expect the answer would be mostly "no".

[RG]

here will be some who love it I'm sure but I guess for me having now heard it a few times, the age old question rears its head of "if it was someone new entering the scene with this album, would anyone give a shit?" And I expect the answer would be mostly "no".

It happens all the time in black metal. People in well-known bands dabble in noise sideprojects or release an ambient/folk album and their fans just gobble it up, not being aware that there are many other bands who do the same thing and do it much much better. They just like it because it's a novelty within the black metal scene, despite the fact that it's often a clumsy and weak imitation of the real thing.

[Goat93]

here will be some who love it I'm sure but I guess for me having now heard it a few times, the age old question rears its head of "if it was someone new entering the scene with this album, would anyone give a shit?" And I expect the answer would be mostly "no".

It happens all the time in black metal. People in well-known bands dabble in noise sideprojects or release an ambient/folk album and their fans just gobble it up, not being aware that there are many other bands who do the same thing and do it much much better. They just like it because it's a novelty within the black metal scene, despite the fact that it's often a clumsy and weak imitation of the real thing.

Like Of the Wand and the Moon?

[FreakAnimalFinland]

I would say Of The Wand And The Moon is quite good in what they do. But it appears in deed like skilled metal musicians doing well what others did without much skill, but more more passion and innovations...  But how "well known" his previous metal band was? Not sure of that.

But sure, this new Burzum sucked big time. I actually did order the LP, but then listened the CD in my store and decided to return unopened LP back to the shelves...

[Dr Alex]

I am big fan of Kim's works with Saturnus and other metal bands. His electric guitar playing is unique. Of The Wand And The Moon is crap. I tried to enjoy in his OTWATM music so many times but nothing. I really don't like it.

I listened Burzum - Hlidskjalf yesterday before sleep and album is still amazing!
I didn't listen new album yet. Still hope for something "listenable"....

[nullify]

Heathen Harvest just did an interview with Varg and he did not as definitively state he is "done" with metal.

I don't think this necessarily states that uncategorically either.  He'll be back to metal I'm sure.  He knows it is his true livelyhood.  New album isn't "bad" as much as it is blah.  Nothing to write home about.  I too am a loyal Burzum fan and have everything through this minus the jail albums.  Now, I won't be buying this, but when the next metal Burzum album come out, and it will, I'll probably be right there waiting for it.

[RyanWreck]

I must be one of the only people who liked "Umskiptar". Every element fits most of my personal tastes; the layering of clean vocals (which are mmore like 50% sung and 50% recitations) with the occasional shrieks and rasps, the slow droning tempo and the atmosphere which has totally ditched the "kvlt" rawness and went with a softer and cleaner, almost a choral operatic, type of sound. All-in-all "Umskiptar" isn't truly a Black Metal album, so with expectations like those I could see why people may dislike it. It was a very repetitive and minimalistic Folk Metal album. Although it isn't really anything like Sir Richard Bishop or Fahey, this still has an "American Primitivism" feel to it with the neo-classical compositions being drawn using Guitars. And even though it isn't Black Metal it still tackles one of the things that Burzum always did great, which was to create a repetitive, romantic and trance inducing atmospherics by using hypnotic repetition, this album definitely does that it just does so in a different manner than his other stuff.

With that said he could have cut a few tracks down a minute or two and ditched a few altogether. At around 45 minutes I usually turn this one off.

So is this "new" album Varg is talking about "Sôl austan, Mâni vestan"? Or is it something he is working on right now? I wasn't a huge fan of "Sôl austan, Mâni vestan" but it wasn't horrible.