Well we certainly all know this guy, the man behind this oneman band Burzum, Varg Vikernes alias Count Grischnak alias Greven alias Christian Vikernes. Kært barn har mange navne. Even those who have never listened to black metal know this guy, not for his music, but for his evil acts. When you talk about burning down churches you automatically come to think of Varg, but his most infamous act of evil, was when he in 1993 killed the guitarist from Mayhem, Euronymous, and was sentenced to maximum punishment, which in Norway is 21 years in prison. We do not want to go into details about the murder, because you have propably already heard the whole story anyway, as this is the most well known homocide in our line of business. Let's just say he killed Euronymous, who died of numerous stabwounds. Even from inside the jail he keeps on making records and getting publicity. He has always been known for an extreme right winged oppinion, if not nazi, and he has got a very special way of sorting out all of the world's many problems. He even wrote a book Vargsmål, which was supposed to be some kind of a bible for the people who shared his worldview. A lot of his possé back then actually wanted him to be the ruler of Norway, to make the world a better place...Or worse. It depends on how you look at it. Varg is hated by most of the blackmetal community, and loved by some of us. The order of the first albumreviews may seem odd to some readers, as it is difficult to determine which one was made first, as the order of production didn't necessarily follow the order of the recording of the albums, and the first 4 albums were all recorded in 1992. Varg wrote the songs for the first 4 albums in the period of time from 1989 to 1992 before any of the albums on which they were supposed to be, were released. It is very confusing, and we have decided to review them in the order of which they are said to have been composed. Apart from the Burzum material mentioned below, Misanthropy has released a track Et Hvitt Lys Over Skogen "A White Light Above The Forest" on a sampler cd. The track was recorded in 1992. Varg Vikernes today October 26th 2003: Varg has escaped from prison!!!! He was out for a few days but didn't show up again. My guess is that he is going to record an album in a proper secret studio, and that it is so great, that he decided it was worth the extra punishment, he undoubtedly will receive after getting reincarcerated, just to get it out to the public. October 27th 2003: As surprised as the police surely was to see Varg not returning back to prison, just as fast was he caught and put back in again. Varg was spotted driving a car on the E6 Highway around Oslo, and two police vehicles immediately engaged in a pursuit to comprehend the subject. After an undramatic carchase, the two law enforcement vehicles did an old school sandwich on Varg's vehicle, and thus forced him to stop the automobile. Varg was undramatically arrested and thrown back into the slammer. We now await news of, how this will affect his sentence, which, before his attempt to flee, was 21 years of imprisonment. October 28th 2003: This is getting more and more exiting, as the circumstances around the last few days' events are gradually being revealed. Varg certainly isn't a boring man, as he never cease to amaze us. The car in which he was fleeing, apparently to Sweden, as it is now revealed, was a volvo he had hijacked from a family driving around in Buskerud. The family claims, he stopped the car and threatened them with a gun to hand the car over to him. Varg though denies, that he used a gun. It has been revealed to the public, that in the car Varg had equipment, as if he was going to war. After searching the car, the police found an AG3 automatic rifle that holds 20 shots in a clip and can kill at 3 to 4 kilometers distance, several camouflage suits, a handheld GPS satellite navigator, a computer, card and compas, handsfree mobile phones, a gasmask and several knives. In addition, the police have also found a bulletproof vest in the BMW that Varg drove before stealing the family's volvo. Is this for real, or are we watching Rambo I ? The police is now also looking for the persons who helped Varg to get his hands on these items. Anyway, when you think about it, it seems very odd, that Varg would be so careless and do a thing like this, when had only one and a half year left in "open" jail. The maximum punishment for armed robbery in Norway is 12 years in prison! A fresh statement from his mother, though, sheds some light on this matter. She explains, that someone had been making threats on Varg's life, and that someone also had attempted to strangle him. This he writes to his mother in a letter saturday. He apparently was so scared, that he felt escape was the only way to save his own life as he in the letter writes: "Mother, I must escape". Varg's attorney also confirms, that frustration and an article in Tønsberg Blad led him to take the actions he did. He was on his way to Sweden, but after numerous failed attempts to get in contact with his attorney and after a conversation with his mother, he changed his mind. He turned the vehicle, and shortly after he was apprehented. The article that Varg was so frustrated about, you can read in it's entirety here. We await the court's decision, and hope for Varg's sake, that they will look upon the threats on his person as extenuating circumstances.

Demo 1,  Demo 1991.  Rating: Not Rated This 3 track demo we haven't had the opportunity to listen to. It is pure instrumental and contains the tracks: 1. Lost Wisdom 2. Spell Of Destruction 3. Channeling The Powers Of Souls Into A New God All tracks are also featured on the 2nd demo and track 3 is featured on the Burzum cd.

Demo 2,  Demo 1992.  Rating: Not Rated This instrumental 12 track demo release we haven't heard either.It contains the following tracks: 1. Lost Wisdom 2. Depressive Visions Of The Cursed Warrior 3. Ea, Lord Of The Depths 4. Spell Of Destruction 5. A Lost Forgotten Sad Spirit 6. Lost Wisdom 7. Spell Of Destruction 8. Channelling The Power Of Souls Into A New God 9. Feeble Screams From Forests Unknown 10. My Key To The Purgatory 11. Rite Of Cleansure 12. A Lost Forgotten Sad Spirit Track 6, 7 and 8 are from the first demo, so track 4 should be different from track 7. Track 3 and 9, are different from the album versions. One or both of track 5 and track 12 are different from the album version, and both of them are different from the Aske versions.

Demo 3,  Demo 1992.  Rating: Not Rated This is a 2 track demo released just before the Burzum cd containing 2 tracks from that album: 1. Feeble Screams From Forests Unknown 2. Ea, Lord Of The Depths Track 2 is supposed to be different from the album version.

Burzum,  Deathlike Silence 1992.  Rating: 86 Burzum was the first album and was recorded in Grieghallen in Bergen, Norway january 1992. The songs were written in the period of time between march 1991 and january 1992. The version of A Lost Forgotten Sad Spirit on this release is supposed to be better than the one on Misanthropy's re-release from 1995 containing the Aske EP as bonus tracks, which unfortunately is the only version we have heard. The rest of the songs are quite interesting and original at that time, and kind of sat the standard back then. This album contains the greatest Burzum riffs on any record especially we'd like to emphasize tracks as Ea, Lord Of The Depths, War and My Journey To The Stars as brilliant and exceptional.

Aske "Ashes",  Deathlike Silence 1993.  Rating: 89 As to offend the public, incite a rebellion against christianity and to promote the arsonry going on in Norway at that time, Varg releases this EP with a picture of the Fantoft church, the first church burned to ashes, on the front cover. It was recorded in Grieghallen in august 1992 one month before Hvis Lyset Tar Oss, and the first 1000 copies were shipped with a lighter. Samoth of Emperor plays bass on this record. Aske contains but three tracks and the third is a remake of A Last Forgotten Sad Spirit from the Burzum album.

Det Som Engang Var "That Which Once Was",  Misanthropy 1993.  Rating: 96 Recorded in Grieghallen during april of 1992 this second fulllength was released in 1993. Det Som Engang Var is the greatest of all Burzum records. It has got the atmosphere that just hasn't been matched by anyone since, except maybe in another way, Darkthrone. If you're ever going to wander the woods on a frosty winternight just to be overwhelmed by the magnificent forests and mountains, this is the album you'd want to put in your portable cd-player as it takes you to another dimension of desolation and loneliness. Actually Agantyr & Gryn used to do that back then in the good old days. We grew up, unfortunately some might say, and now we're even more evil :) (I want to kill myself when i hear this album. I feel like lighting only one candle and picking up the biggest knife in the house. Slowly while slashing open my wrists, the stream of blood puts out the candle as an indication of my senses letting go and turning off my miserable life. I often dream of my life fading away as the blood drains from my hands. Finally i am released from this fucking treacherous hell.) Gryn, july 2000 Anyway this album is pure evil as has never been seen since. All tracks are exceptionally atmospheric. Varg's screams sounds as if he's suffering in hell. The instrumental tracks Han Som Reiste "He Who Travelled" and Naar Himmelen Klarner "When The Sky Clears" on this album and the even better Tomhet "Emptiness" on Hvis lyset tar oss are milestones in sorrowful compositions not experienced since Ludwig Van Beethoven.

Hvis Lyset Tar Oss "If The Light Takes Us",  Misanthropy 1994.  Rating: 92 This one was as we see it the last of the first three legendary Burzum records. The four tracks, written in the period of time between june and august 1992, which makes out this album, are all individual masterpieces. The best track has got to be the instrumental 14 minutes long Tomhet "Emptiness" which, if in the right mood lying on your bed on an evil stormy autumnnight and the rain is whipping against your fragile windows, threatens to take you away. Threatens to let the freezing grasp of the storm rip you away from your warm, dry, safe bedroom and into the deep cold forests of the North, never letting go of you again. Several hours later bathed in sweat, abruptly you wake up with a scream, thinking: Fuck this album is evil. (If I ever feel like going away on a journey embraced by my loneliness. On a journey to the place where I shall end my days. I have it all figured out. I hate it here. Tomhet is my guidance.) Gryn, july 2000

Filosofem,  Misanthropy 1996.  Rating: 85 The tracks on Filosofem was actually written in 1992-1993 before Varg was thrown in jail. the album comes as a nice little book with the cd inside. The stories inside are connected to the illustrations by world famous norwegian painter Theodor Kittelsen. We are not sure though if Theodor had the same in mind as Varg, when he painted the paintings. In some of the stories Varg puts a hidden meaning behind the words, which in fact is not that well hidden, though we don't think he intended for it to be so, that says that the christians have befouled our land, and it is time that we took a stand and claimed our land once again. At one hand the stories are little sweet fairytales from long ago. Something you could tell your kids before they were put to sleep, but they all have this hidden meaning that's quite obvious when you know Vikernes' oppinions. There is this story of a sailor who has been sailing outside the coast of Norway for almost a thousand years, as he feels he is not welcome anymore in the harbour, where he once belonged. He now roams the sea, again Varg interprets the painting Draugen as this viking sailor ghost, and is awaiting the time when he again shall find a harbour, where he is welcome. This of course means that the christians have taken over his homeland, and he awaits the stand where we, the true vikings, are going to wake up and free ourselves from this pest, that is christianity. Varg uses the artwork of Theodor Kittelsen on almost every album. The vocals are distorted to the extreme, which at first just sounds like plain white noise. Similar to the former Burzum material, the melodies are sinister and evil in a monotonous and sometimes primitive way, as are the rhythms. Not that this is a bad thing. It takes some time of listening to get to like this album, but once you get to know it, it is quite alright, and still has that Burzum feeling to it. Nice atmospheric dreamlike melodies. Dauði Baldrs "The Death Of Baldr",  Misanthropy 1997.  Rating: 15

The title refers to the only story of the norse god Baldr, in which he dies. In a dream he gets frightened, 'cause he had a vision, that he was soon going to be killed. Frigg who was the wife of Óðinn then tells everything living and dead not to hurt Baldr. The only thing she didn't ask to leave Baldr alone, was the misteltoe, as she thought it was to harmless to hurt anybody. Big mistake. The evil Loki made an arrow of the misteltoe and shot Baldr with it. The story is somewhat longer than this, but this was basically what happened. Click the cover to see the promo cover of this record, that got cancelled. Only Agantyr has heard this piece through.

Hliðskjálf,  Misanthropy 1999.  Rating: 28 Hliðskjálf is Óðinn's Throne, from where he could see the whole world. Kind of funny when you think of it, 'cause the main purpose of his two ravens Huginn and Muninn, was to scout around the world, and tell Oðinn what was going on. So it seems that they were kind of obsolete, when he had Hliðskjálf, wouldn't you say so ? Maybe he just liked their company. They are often pictured on the two back posts of his mighty throne. Burzum's Hliðskjálf though, is not mighty at all. It is actually very boring and monotonous to say the least. There are a couple of good tunes in there, as in track 5 Das Einsame Trauern Von Frijd, yes he has gone german now. Maybe it has got something to do with his nazi image, who knows ? All the tracks have no vocals and are very quiet kind of sad synthesizercompositions. They do not how ever come even close to the classic instrumental tracks of Hvis Lyset Tar Oss and Det Som Engang Var. They had that evil far far in the woods touch, that just can't be matched by anything anymore. Hail the old Burzum material

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