Don’t hate me because I’m a murderer. Varg Lost Wisdom back on Det Som Engang Var, and what once was, can never be regained. Time to make a big sacrifice. I want my ritual music to take me into a meditative state, not a vegetative state. Fallen achieves this where Belus did not because there is life in it. Emotion is the single biggest factor in a successful Burzum song from any era.
A solid album, worthy of purchase, but it changes nothing in terms of my top go to albums from Burzum. When I’m in the mood for Burzum I will continue to reach for Det Som Engang Var, Burzum and Hvis Lyset Tar Oss over any of the others.
First off the album starts off much better than the cheesy bottle clicking of Belus that will forever more have me thinking of warriors. “Fra Verdenstreet” is not a great intro but at least it is not “warriors come out to play.” Fallen avoids some of that keyboard loop drone that filled out the background on some of Belus, the Filosofem-formula, instead doing a similar thing on the guitar, which to me is more compelling. I like the drum sound on Belus better, it is more understated.
“Vanvidd” has fast paced blasting and combines harsh vocals with his spoken delivery. “Enhver til Sitt” has venomous vocals and harshly forced whispers with nice tension from the guitar line. “Valen” is proving to be a favorite. “Jeg Faller” is once again up tempo with a mix of vocals, though mostly clean sung with some harsh whispers. The drums keep the beat religiously and the guitar is nicely shrill. In “Budstikken” I like the power from the drums in the opening sequence, though the song rambles on too much. It is mostly the spoken vocals that I do not care for and some clean singing. “Til Hel og Tilbake Igjen” is the obligatory experimental art track. It grows on you, though no need to let it. It’s no “Tears in a Prophet’s Dream.” Then again, unlike Tom, he’s no prophet, just an outlaw.
I gave up hoping for if the light takes us part two as Varg is obviously not in the same mindset musically as he was then. He seems uninterested in appeasing the fans, praise him for that instead. He seems to be releasing music written for himself and then letting us in on it if we so desire. So many bands that try to make a comeback try to recapture that old magic, be it Kreator, Metallica, Kiss, and the ones that achieve it, like Kreator, are praised while the ones that do not are banished, like Metallica. Varg is trying to do a little of both. I imagine it would be a simple matter for him to blast out five or six songs in the style of Det Som Engang Var but what would that really prove?
“Tailgunner” will never equal “Aces High”. “Til Hel og Tilbake Igjen” will never equal “Tomhet,” but Fallen is damn cool where No Prayer for the Dying was not. Maiden proved themselves not to be dying, and so will Burzum prove not to have fallen. Each man gets what he deserves. Varg did his time and he deserves a fresh start. Help him pick himself up.
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“Each man gets what he deserves. Varg did his time and he deserves a fresh start. Help him pick himself up.”
Amen.
on Feb 28th, 2011 at 11:23I absolutely LOVE this album. I’ve been playing it constantly for the last week. I’m going to say this is probably my second favorite Burzum album now instead of Filosofem, with only Hviss Lyset Tar Oss still being on top.
on Feb 28th, 2011 at 11:33I refuse to financially support a white supremacist murderer, no matter how good his music is.
on Feb 28th, 2011 at 11:58Nick,
It is comments like “Adolf Hitler has become a God for us. A symbol for something good: National Socialism. If we sacrefice (blot) to him, our conciousness of the national socialistic thoughts and ideas be strenghtened. This too is Asatru…” that worry me more than the murder. He was convicted, served his time and moved on.
It remains to be seen if his Nazism was simply a fad of youth, as some like to think.
Wait and get it used.
on Feb 28th, 2011 at 12:31Has Varg even made a NS-ish comment in the last decade ? Not in anything I’ve read, unless Im forgetting something. Seems like he moved on from that many years ago……Or, if he still holds those beliefs, he keeps them to himself.
on Feb 28th, 2011 at 14:13I agree entirely with your review Grim, this is a great album and a strong improvement from Belus. If that album was Varg finding his footing than this is him in a much more confident frame of mind.
on Feb 28th, 2011 at 17:03Who cares what he believes. You don’t go to Motley Crue for marriage advice and you don’t go to Varg to ask if you can date that hot Asian chick either.
on Feb 28th, 2011 at 17:27Biff, you don’t have to dig in his writing… from 2006
“the White God created man, and why only mankind’s nobility, the Nordic [European] race, is allowed to sit by Svarog’s side in the most holy of the halls in Heaven.”
on Feb 28th, 2011 at 18:50Varg was a sociopath with delirious pagan/neo-nazi fantasies who murdered another sociopath. I highly doubt he has stopped being a lunatic, but maybe now he can at least get a better grip of himself. Maybe.
As for Fallen, I enjoyed it. I don’t know what the lyrics are about and I don’t care: I’m only looking at its musical merit.
on Feb 28th, 2011 at 20:10“Maiden proved themselves not to be dying, and so will Burzum prove not to have fallen.”
great analogy, great line.
liked this better than Belus but it just doesn’t capture my imagination. best thing since Filosofem of course.
on Feb 28th, 2011 at 22:44Grim- I stand corrected, thanks ! I think the Motley Crue analogy was the best !
on Mar 1st, 2011 at 11:34I just don’t have enough money to put into the pockets of racist killers. if I can find it used, I’ll buy it in a heartbeat. he’s a great musician. but I just cannot be party to supporting him financially.
and I wouldn’t go to Motley Crue for fucking anything.
on Mar 4th, 2011 at 15:50There are no keyboards on Belus, what are you talking about?
on Mar 6th, 2011 at 06:24