| This is certainly among the best music that Varg ever produced, if it isn't the best album (most Burzum fans tend to disagree on that point), and while both the self-titled first recording and the second album 'Det Som Engang Var' were, at times, given to quoting the influences behind this project, by this time Vikernes had found his true voice and expresses it here with a vengeance. The opener, 'Det Som En Gang Var' is a virtual tour-de-force of black metal aesthetics, and certainly ranks as one of the greatest compositions in the genre, perfectly melding ethereally dark synth work with pure, raw guitar and drum violence. The last song is an extended foray into his minimalistic synth work, and soothes the mind like a benighted calm after the grim storm of the preceding three tracks. This album, by the way, is an ideal companion piece to Darkthrone's 'Transilvanian Hunger'. Brilliant, haunting, unrelenting, and absolutely essential. Comes in a great Digipak format. |
