365 Days of Metal: Rebecca Black Metal Friday vol. 8

Before today's edition unfolds I would just like to point out the fact that I had initially started this as one of the first posts of in my now longest running theme on 365 Days of Metal. But I decided to avoid doing a feature on today's choice because of the heavy controversy which is so often associated with him, his past, and his personal and political views. But that was wholly unnecessary...

The focus of this project has always been about the music. My writings, and my analysis below have nothing to do with the controversies enveloping the artist and I will not be commenting on them or referencing any of those controversial topics herein. I will as usual be giving a small background surrounding the artist as I have always done, but I will not be going into any further details surrounding his life. 

This will continue to focus on the primary intention of this entire little diddy - the appreciation of good music.

Day 83

Burzum - Fallen 

Band Origin: Bergen, Norway

Genre: Black Metal / Dark Ambient

Label: Byelobog Productions

Running Time: 48 minutes

Release Date: March 7, 2011

Best Part: Fallen is more experimental and shows off the desire to incorporate the dark ambient style of Burzum's non-metal releases, in conjunction with the traditional style of its early works.

Favorite Tracks: Enhver til Sitt, Valen, Jeg Faller, and Vanvidd

Grade: 4.5

--------- 

Fallen in way more than 20 words or less:

Fallen is the second album released by Varg Vikernes under Burzum since his release from prison in 2009 and continues down the evolutionary vein of merging raw traditional black metal and dark ambient as he did with Belus in 2010. 

The Artist:

Burzum is the name of the solo project of black metal musician Varg Vikernes, originally under the title 'Count Grishnackh', and has become a title synonymous with the early Norwegian black metal scene alongside bands such as Emperor, Darkthrone, and Mayhem. Burzum's music is built mainly around traditional black metal and is trademarked by its intentionally low-fi production values and hypnotic musical structure. Vikernes also happens to occupy the position of being what many consider to be the most notorious black metal musician of all time, although his notoriety is definitely not limited only to the genre. In 1994 he was convicted of the now infamous murder of guitarist Øystein ‘Euronymous’ Aarseth of the band Mayhem, as well as the arson of several churches in Norway, and was sentenced to 21 years in prison. Vikernes would spend 16 years in prison and was released on probation in 2009. Prior to his imprisonment, Vikernes had released five recordings under Burzum, and while in prison managed to record two other albums in the dark ambient style. The records were recorded purely with the use of an analog synthesizer and a simple tape recorder, as he was barred access from any other instruments or equipment. Since his release from prison he has released two well received records which continue in the traditional Norwegian black metal style of his earliest recordings, while also incorporating some of the dark ambient style he experimented with in between. Vikernes also finished recording a new record in September 2011, which is to be released in May of this year, and will be his 10th recording as Burzum.

Burzum's previous releases include:  Burzum (1992), Aske (1993), Det som engang var (1993), Hvis lyset tar oss (1994), Filosofem (1996), Dauði Baldrs (1997), Hliðskjálf (1999), and Belus (2010) 

Jay's Take on Fallen:

If you ignore the two recordings that Varg Vikernes made while in prison, which were done in the dark ambient style, Belus can be considered as the first true Burzum recording in nearly 16 years - the period between his initial arrest and release from prison. It was a true return to metal for Vikernes, as it incorporated his black metal guitar playing at the forefront and added in a small bit of the dark ambient style he had experimented with, all tied together in a package that was raw and riddled with low-fi production values - one signature element of Burzum. Fallen follows in the footsteps that Vikernes took when he began recording Belus following his release from prison but moves in a slightly different direction. Fallen is a much more dynamic record and shows a clear move towards different levels of experimentation, with a clean mastering and a heavier incorporation of the ambient style to open and close out the record. It has all of the standard practice elements that Burzum is known for. The raw tremolo picked and distorted guitar riffs are ever present on every track and provide the backdrop for the record. Vikernes harsh and shrieked vocals were very muffled under the low production quality on Belus, but his grinding howls are back to the standards of his earlier recordings on Fallen. Burzum has also always featured song structures that can be described as hypnotizing in the fact that they are simple but possess a great amount of depth as they carry on through different levels of movement - it's an aspect of the music that helps draw you into track and continues to be a core piece of Vikernes musical style. Fallen is an interesting step forward for Vikernes as he has put aside the ultra-low quality production values and instead chose to master the record in his own words "as if it were classical music." While the production is still raw, and still very much Burzum, it's interesting to see the direction in which his music is evolving, and begs the question as to what will come with his next recording Umskiptar which will be coming out this May.

Sample of the Day: 



- J