Burzum - Filosofem review
Band: | Burzum |
Album: | Filosofem |
Style: | Black metal |
Release date: | 1996 |
Guest review by: | NECURATU |
01. Dunkelheit
02. Jesus' Tod
03. Erblicket Die Töchter Des Firmaments
04. Gebrechlichkeit I
05. Rundgang Um Die Transzendentale Säule Der Singularität
06. Gebrechlichkeit II
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.
Rating breakdown
Performance: | 8 |
Songwriting: | 8 |
Originality: | 9 |
Production: | 9 |
Written by NECURATU | 08.02.2007
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Rating:
5.0
5.0
Rating: 5.0 |
The universe, perfectly balanced as Thanos would want it. I immediately liked Thanos in Infinity War and it was the first time I had heard of him or seen him; can't wait for the End Game come April. I now no longer agree with Thanos that the universe should be perfectly balanced; excess and scarcity are what make life worth living. This album is the perfect balance between three excellent tracks and three mind-numbingly horrible tracks: the best album to be rated at exactly 5.0. Read more ›› |
Comments
Comments: 27
Visited by: 348 users
Katatronik Angel of Lust |
villain |
Fane |
Piro |
Lucas Mr. Noise Elite |
X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff |
Piro |
W-Lash Metal Master |
Metalhead2 Skinhead1 |
Marcus Doit Like Bernie |
Uirapuru Liver Failure |
X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff |
Metalhead2 Skinhead1 |
Berfones |
Hamird Lieutenant |
X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff |
Dark Seraphim |
worm_is_gloaming |
ms68 |
Maxx666 Meshuggahian |
Ellrohir Heaven Knight |
Smurfophagist |
Slayer666 |
Cuca Beludo Account deleted |
Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff |
@gent_-_orange |
𖤐br0kenskullz𖤐 |
Hits total: 19247 | This month: 17