BURZUM

Anticipation is a cruel mistress. As was to be the case when 'Belus' was released just last year; a re-tread of past glories wasn't ever going to cut it (despite the glowing reviews from most quarters). So, I had next-to-no hope that this album was going to be anything other than pedestrian; despite Varg's assertion that this was going to mix old and (something) new. Well, he was right because 'Fallen' is most definitely 'Burzum-esque' through and through. But, there is something evident that lifts this release above most of his recent output - post-‘Filosofem’ you could argue - that is hard to actually pin down. Perhaps it's the 'classical mastering' route he took that gives it a polish somewhat missing from past works, the audible bass guitar (joking aside, it's quite prominent) maybe the wealth of clean vocals. I'd like to put forward that, as well as all that, it's simply a case of great song writing this time round. Songs are still epic in length, but don't feel like it. And only the opening and closing tracks sound like filler (they're not, but they are typical ambient noodlings that Varg appears happy to continue employing). His guitar work too appears to have improved significantly (especially during 'Enhver til Sitt' that possesses a doom-like foreboding nature), which may be a result of having had time to play it since being released. Was 'Belus' a mistake (being released so close to his return to 'normality'), or a necessary step to giving us this album? Who knows, but I can certainly forgive it if it was catharsis in order for 'Fallen' to come into being. The only real downside to this, and knowing how quickly Varg appears to want to release music these days, is where to go from here?

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Byelobog

Album

FALLEN

Review by Steve Cowan

RUNNING TIME:

47:43

RELEASE DATE:

7th March 2011

TRACK LISTING

1) Fra Verdenstreet
2) Jeg faller
3) Valen
4) Vanvidd
5) Enhver til Sitt
6) Budstikken
7) Til Hel og tilbake igjen

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

Norway

"...there is something evident that lifts this release above most of his recent output - post-‘Filosofem’ you could argue - that is hard to actually pin down."