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Burzum - Filosofem | 
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Buy for
$15.40
(6 items) |
Album info
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Release date:
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1996 |
Rating:
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8.6 | 175 votes |
Owners:
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231 have it
29 want it
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01. Dunkelheit
02. Jesus' Tod
03. Erblicket Die Tochter Des Firmaments
04. Gebrechlichkeit .I.
05. Rundgang Um Die Transzendentale Saule Der Singularitat
06. Gebrechlichkeit .II.
Review
Lyrics (6) |
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A less notorius version of this album was the original release, the Norwegian/English version. The same tracks but just different titles. The names of the same tracks on this version are:
# Burzum
# Jesu Död
# Beholding the Daughters of Firmament
# Decrepitude I
# Rundtgåing Av Den Transcendentale Egenbetens Støtte
# Decrepitude II |
Review by NECURATU [Guest reviewer]
A pair of empty eyes, on a face absent of any trace of...life?
This is the image that comes to my mind as the first chord of Dunkelheit is picked, and persists, with different variations, throughout this jewel. An incomplete, and yet, mature and developed album, Filosofem must be the Count's deepest creation.
Most of its charm comes from the way it has been recorded. Black Metal has always been about atmosphere, and honestly, one can almost see the darkness while listening to Filosofem.
The first track, Dunkelheit, presents layer upon layer of crippling, tar thick distorsion, with a keyboard popping up every now and then, almost like a spectre through the night. Varg's vocals are colder than ever, repeating on and on his state of mind and the flow of his thoughts, as the night falls.
Jesu Dod. And that's it. The drums on this track might very well be a drum machine, but no matter, the rhythm they supply is a grinding killer of neck muscles. The guitar work is a lot faster, standard black metal tremolo picking but with a certain "colour" that only Filosofem seems to have. It somehow reminds me of Lovecraft's "colour out of space". The vocals are pure hate, making blood run cold. A very long track, with little variation, that doesn't grow boring at all, in fact, it grips you tighter and tighter, draining all the light from your mind.
From this point on, the album takes a lot more of a sinister side. Beholding The Daughter Of The Firmaments is a song that once again slows down, presenting some of Varg's most inspired lyrical content. Decrepitude goes down even more, coming close to a dark ambient track. It's chilling, the eerie keyboard, the grinding slow guitar, the horrified, degenerated screams. This is what Black Metal was always supposed to be. No more, no less.
The last parts are kind of odd, a 25 minute ambient track with little change throughout, I've never quite understood its purpose. I believe it's there to fill up the space honestly and Decrepitude II is just the instrumental part of Decrepitude I.
A conclusion? A horrifying album, as dark and sinister as it could ever possibly be.
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Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
published 08.02.2007 | Comments (23) |
Rating:
8.4
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Performance:
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8 |
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Songwriting:
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8 |
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Originality:
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9 |
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Production:
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9 |
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