Burzum - From the Depths of Darkness (2011)

From the Depths of Darkness is not a new full-length Burzum album. It is a compilation of re-recorded tracks from the self-titled L.P. and Det Som Engang Var. These represent Varg's favourite songs from those releases, and this effort is merely a reinterpretation of those early works. Of course, the decision to revisit this material has generated a considerable amount of controversy. Some people have labeled this as a cash-grab, while others are simply angry that the classic songs are going to be tampered with. Naturally, such powerful and influential music is going to elicit strong reactions from fans. In my view, there is nothing wrong with this release, in itself. The problem with re-recordings comes when an artist attempts to use them to replace the original material, thus robbing future generations of the opportunity to experience them as they once were. However, countless bands have gone back and revisited their early days by making updated versions of classic songs. Ultimately, it is the band's right to do whatever they wish, so long as the original music remains available, as well. That way, if people disagree with the latest interpretation, they are free to enjoy the original. In the case of Burzum, it would seem that Varg is a perfectionist and, rather than trying to give the music a modern feel, he just wanted to correct things that he felt to be mistakes and to present his songs as he meant for them to be heard, in the first place.

He has done this before. The Aske E.P. features a re-recording of "A Lost Forgotten Sad Spirit", since he thought the version from the debut album did not turn out as it was supposed to. It is quite likely that, had he not lost so much time in prison, Varg may have included more re-recorded songs on his albums, throughout the years. Given that he recorded the early Burzum albums at a young age and with little experience, he may have felt strongly about this material the entire time. It is both a gift and a curse of the perfectionist to find fault with everything that they create, eventually, whether or not they act on those urges. Released in November 2011, From the Depths of Darkness is the product of such impulses.

The material on this compilation remains true to the originals, as much as possible. The faster sections are hardly any different than before, though the slower parts are where one can see the most disparity between old and new. In general, the pace is slowed down even more and the atmosphere takes on an increased sense of dreariness and morbidity. Anything that was remotely catchy or upbeat has been completely neutralized and rendered even more cold and lifeless than before. This really gives the songs a darker vibe and unleashes the untapped potential that some of them had, long ago. While immersing yourself in something so abysmal and unforgiving, those lighter moments almost make it seem a little more safe. This time around, there is no sanctuary from the utter black that is set to consume your very soul. This is most evident on "Spell of Destruction". Predominantly, the playing is a little tighter, which is really neither good nor bad, as the previous approach suited the music just as well as this does. In other words, the somewhat sloppy feeling that was on the first couple of records, at times, worked just fine within the context of the album just as much as the tight sound benefits the newer versions. Everything is really crisp and precise, leaving no room for errors. That said, the music still has a lot of feeling and has not been drained of all emotion. Regarding actual changes, they are so minor and infrequent that it is not much of a concern, except in the case of "My Journey to the Stars". This track is butchered, to an extent, due to a handful of alterations that seem to make no sense. While the overall structure endures, there are enough small differences to kill the spirit of the song. There are times, especially during "Key to the Gate", where you can hear how much the old stuff inspired Varg as he was writing the material for Fallen. Actually, it was during the process of creating that record that he took a break and entered the studio to record these songs. Overall, the music stays true to the spirit of the originals, from the intense opening riffs of "Feeble Screams From Forests Unknown" to the hypnotic and mournful atmosphere that is present as "Snu Mikrokosmos' Tegn" reaches its conclusion.

Contrary to what many would expect, the production is not as plastic and modern as some seem to imagine. Obviously, it possesses a bit of an improved sound, compared to the originals, but it is not overdone in any way. The guitar tone is still frigid and morose, carrying the listener off to another world. In fact, the mix is slightly more appropriate in that the drums are buried a bit more and thus allow the guitars to remain the primary focus. This is how Metal should be, anyway, but especially in this case.

One of the most glaring differences is found in the vocal department. To the grief and despair of many fans of the early Burzum records, Varg's voice is nowhere near what it was back then. Any hopes that he would return to the anguished screams and tormented shrieks of the past were shattered from the very beginning, though this should not have come as a surprise to anyone. Varg's voice is quite similar to what is heard on later albums, such as Belus and Fallen, and it is a shame that he has no fondness for his previous vocal style. It added so much more to the overall atmosphere and was one of the truly unique things about Burzum, in the first place. Perhaps, it also came from him no longer being able to get such a sound to emanate from within and choosing to change instead of offering up some pathetic attempt at recreating that sound. On the old albums, he sounded as if he was dying in agony, whereas his current voice sounds like it has been dead and bereft of life for quite some time.

A lot of fans will be disappointed in From the Depths of Darkness, since most people despise change and Metal fans are usually even worse about this. Though the changes are minimal, with the exception of the vocals, the truth is that the original spirit of the songs has been honoured and there are even some points where the alterations of timing or pace actually improve upon the old versions. While the majority will still prefer the originals (myself included), this is a fascinating release and offers a unique re-interpretation of these songs that have meant so much to so many for such a long time. For those that disapprove, there is always the option of ignoring the existence of this compilation and continuing to listen to the old records. However, if you have even the slightest bit of an open mind, it is quite likely that you will find something enjoyable about these new versions. Out of all of the musicians that came from the Norwegian Black Metal scene, as much as he would like to distance himself from it, Varg Vikernes has remained true to his roots much more than the rest.

Beherit - Drawing Down the Moon (1993)

Recorded in 1992 and released by Spinefarm Records in November 1993, Drawing Down the Moon is the first true studio album from the Finnish Black Metal band known as Beherit. Nuclear Holocausto's vision was finally realized, as the end result is much more refined than what was heard on The Oath of Black Blood, while still maintaining the evil and occult feeling.

The music is not what one may expect from a Black Metal album that was released in 1993. This sounds quite unique when compared to what was going on in Norway and Sweden. The guitar riffs, often, take on a secondary role and join the percussion and vocals to create a wall of sound. There are moments, such as the middle of "Salomon's Gate", where a mournful melody is utilized to drag the listener toward the infernal gates; however, in general, the guitars are heavier and more violent. The legacy of Sarcofago and Blasphemy remains a strong part of this music, yet Beherit has taken it even further. Nuclear Holocausto has managed to do what those bands could not and that is to still employ such a barbaric approach while also creating a truly dark and evil atmosphere. The fast-paced, chaotic parts are still there, but now accompanied by mid-paced riffs and even slight bits of synth, making the entire experience the equivalent of a Satanic ritual. That is really what this feels like, and the demonic vocals add to that as much as anything else. Holocausto uses different voices, going from the deeper growls to eerie whispers and distorted howls. Songs such as "Sadomatic Rites" and "Black Arts" feature the sort of open chords that Varg Vikernes often exploited for Burzum, though not in the same manner. In many ways, Beherit took what was hinted at with "Witchcraft" and expanded upon that, adding depth to the compositions. They added an element of doom to the already vicious and chaotic music and better enables the darkness to seep into the mind of the listener. Overall, the songs are much more structured and arranged, with each one really possessing its own identity and being easily identifiable from the rest. It sounds as if a lot more thought was put into the songwriting and there was a goal in mind, rather than giving in to spontaneity.

The quality of the sound is pretty clear and far better than the garage atmosphere that is found on The Oath of Black Blood. While the guitars do not stand out very much, it seems that this is exactly how the band wanted it, as it suits the music well. The guitar tone is very thick and kind of muddy. There is nothing icy or cold about this. Rather than slice through your flesh with razor-sharp guitar melodies, the riffs of Drawing Down the Moon bludgeon you into a state of near-unconsciousness. The production and the style of songwriting sounds more similar to Death Metal than to the Black Metal of the period, upon first listen. However, no Death Metal band ever sounded this evil or Satanic. The hellish vocals are at just the right place in the mix, rather than being buried or placed too high. Thankfully, the keyboards are kept at a subtle level, never intruding too much upon the rest.

Drawing Down the Moon is highly recommended for those seeking truly evil Black Metal. This is neither beautiful nor depressive. It is ugly, primitive and consumed with darkness. To get the full effect, one should listen to this with only the light of black candles and a cold breeze coming through the window. Remove all distractions and simply offer yourself to the malevolent spirits that this music conjures up.

Satanic Warmaster - Nachzehrer (2010)

It was a curious path taken by Satanic Warmaster, following Carelian Satanist Madness, to release material only via limited split albums and various EPs. With the band's growing popularity, one would think that these guys would have capitalized on it rather than to exist on the periphery. After five long years, Werwolf finally decided to record another full-length. Released in August 2010, Nachzehrer picks up from where the previous album left off, and shows absolutely no sign of development or improvement. All in all, this is not a very significant collection of songs, even by the band's own standards. Still, it is likely to appeal to the less discerning Black Metal fans of this pathetic era, unaware that most modern releases are pale imitations of what came before.

The first thing that listeners may notice is the extremely lo-fi production, sounding quite a bit like a demo from twenty years earlier. This would not be such a bad thing, except that it is just too thick and muddy, lacking any sort of cold or harsh feeling. The lack of sharpness to the guitar tone adds to the safe and non-threatening sound. This warm vibe works for tracks like "Vampires" and "Bestial Darkness", that include out-of-place Death Metal riffs, but it does not work for the rest of the material. As a result of the thick and percussive sound, many of the better riffs seem somewhat buried and this gives the songs kind of claustrophobic feel. For the most part, the music is rather consistent, albeit amounting mostly to rather generic and more palatable interpretations of real Black Metal, simplified and pre-digested for the masses. That said, there are a handful of decent tremolo melodies, such as those found in "Satan's Werewolf" and "Warmaster Returns". "One Shining Star" isn't too bad, but is very reminiscent of some of the material from Opferblut. It includes some of the better riffs on the album, but one gets the impression of having already heard them.

In the end, there is nothing on this album that has not been heard a dozen times before. Satanic Warmaster often seems to be more about the image and posturing than in achieving a higher level of quality regarding the actual music. Werwolf needs to spend less time playing with his knives and posing in front of cameras and worry more about composing better songs. There are only two or three decent tracks on here, so it would almost be more fitting to stick with the split releases or to just lay this project to rest and rejoin Horna. If you are a fan, then Nachzehrer should not disappoint, so long as you did not raise your expectations since the last record.  

I Shalt Become - In the Falling Snow (1999)

I Shalt Become was an obscure Black Metal band from the United States, having one hard-to-find release floating around the underground and nothing more. In 2006, a deal was made with Moribund Records to re-release the demo on CD. Rumours spread that another full-length would be on the way, though the 2008 release of In the Falling Snow proved these to be wrong. This material was already available as a demo back in 1999, under the name of Birkenau. So, No Colours did the same as Moribund and merely re-released old music under a new moniker.

To put it simply, In the Falling Snow is as much of a carbon-copy of Wanderings as S. Holliman could create, without just re-recording the same songs again. Even the intro is a continuation of the one from the first album. The style is the same, betraying an extreme Burzum influence, particularly the Filosofem album. Most of the songs maintain a slow pace, creeping into your mind and conjuring up a sense of despair. The main difference is that a healthy dose of keyboards have been added, though not really helping the overall effect. These tracks sound nearly identical to the ones on the previous L.P. and maintain the same gloomy and depressive atmosphere. The vocal approach is more conservative, not attempting to go beyond a low growl. Unlike the countless one-man projects that came along to follow in the footsteps of Herr Holliman, I Shalt Become is quite successful at conveying a sense of bleak hopelessness that connects with the darkest feelings that reside within the spirit of the listener and bring them to the surface. Pathetic acts like Xasthur and Leviathan were never able to match the genuine feeling found here and were not even capable of adding any worthwhile elements to the sound. To listen to this album is to welcome the dark forces that watch from the shadows and to allow them to lure you further down the path toward death. A solitary journey through a freezing cold winter forest is what awaits, and it shall end only with the spilling of blood and a forgotten corpse laying in the crimson snow.

The production is grim and sub-par, just like Wanderings. The synth is too high in the mix, whenever it appears, but the fuzzy guitars still dominate the rest of the sound, rushing over you like waves of misery. The drum programming is not terribly noticeable, since it is buried beneath the rest, except the annoying rumbling sound caused by the double bass. There are times when it sounds as if the master tape was warped, as it seems that the music is being 'chewed up'. It all comes together, nicely, to compliment the overwhelmingly dreary atmosphere and probably assists in hiding the album's weaknesses, as well.

In the Falling Snow is nothing new for those familiar with I Shalt Become. It sounds like leftover tracks from Wanderings, though the quality is a little lower. The main reason for that impression may simply be because one gets the sense of hearing this all before, even on the first listen. This is recommended for anyone that was really into the first L.P. but did not get quite enough. Otherwise, there is really very little being offered here.

Beherit - The Oath of Black Blood (1991)

The Oath of Black Blood is the debut album from one of the oldest and most revered Finnish Black Metal bands, Beherit. It is widely accepted as being the band's first full-length record, though that is not actually the case. The band pissed away the money given to them for the studio so Turbo Records had no other choice but to release the Demonomancy demo, along with the Dawn of Satan's Millennium 7", as the first Beherit L.P. In some ways, this was a good thing, as these recordings captured the raw essence of what Nuclear Holocausto Vengeance, Sodomatic Slaughter and Demon Fornication were trying to conjure up.

The music has nothing to do with what was going on in Norway or Sweden at the time. This is not directly influenced by Venom, Bathory or Hellhammer. The chaotic sounds on this record were inspired by the likes of Sarcofago, Vulcano and Blasphemy. This is quite evident by the vocals, which are deeper and utilized in the form of primal grunts and random growls. There is almost no sense of melody, whatsoever. This hellish assault is violent and merciless, lacking catchy rhythms or memorable vocal lines. Beherit took a raw and primal approach, much like the South American bands that influenced them the most, often seeming easily confused with early Death Metal, though the purely occult and Satanic atmosphere of Black Metal dominates the sound. In a lot of ways, this can be seen as the European equivalent of Blasphemy, though much more primitive and barbaric. The most structured track on here is "Witchcraft", which starts out with an eerie doom riff and then maintains some sort of recognizable arrangement, once the speed picks up.

As one might expect from a demo and E.P. from 1990, the production is the epitome of grim and necro. This is raw as hell and very lo-fi, to say the least. The vocals are a little high in the mix, though that may actually add to the charm. The sound is rather muddy, at times, with the riffs becoming difficult to distinguish from one another. In a sense, it all just serves to create a wall of hellish noise, blending together like demonic howls and tortured screams among the raging flames of the world below.

Beherit's first album is not for everyone. This works better as a backdrop for Satanic rituals, rather than something to truly immerse yourself into. The Oath of Black Blood is a hideous album that sounds as if it was vomited forth from the very mouth of Hell. If you are seeking beautiful guitar melodies, look somewhere else. Pure evil lurks within, nothing more.

Horna - Herran Edessä (2009)

Herran Edessä - 15 Vuotta is a very interesting E.P. in that it was done to commemorate Horna's 15th anniversary and saw the original line-up reunited to record two new songs. Released in October 2009, and limited to 500 copies, this 7" demonstrates just how much this band meant to those that created it. Though three of the four had moved on to do other things, this was significant enough to bring them back together. It is quite a fascinating concept and one that is not often pulled off with success. The end result is sort of a window back in time, to the band's earliest days.

In keeping with the overall theme, the sound is very much a throwback to those times, being rather muddled and under-produced. The percussion is distorted to the point where it interferes with the guitar riffs, at times. The guitars, themselves, have a fuzzy tone that lacks much power but suits the material just fine. The clarity of such later releases as Envaatnags Eflos Solf Esgantaavne is absent here. It is not clear whether or not the necro sound was intentional, or if it was due to the band just using someone's home studio to bash out a couple of tunes. Either way, it works within the context of the release.

Musically, it has much more in common with Hiidentorni and Kohti Yhdeksän Nousua as opposed to Horna's later efforts. This is very raw and primitive Black Metal, with nothing added. The ugly riffs, primal drumming and grim vocals combine to take the listener back in time, a bit. It must be said that Nazgul did a much better job here than one might have expected and seems to fit in better than Corvus, as difficult as that is to say. The songs feature a decent amount of variation in tempo, making sure to avoid being one-dimensional. However, the tracks do not break any new ground for the band, which is probably the point.

Recorded especially for a gig that celebrated the band's 15th anniversary, the purpose of Herran Edessä was to pay homage to the band's formative years and to serve as a treat to longtime fans. This is not essential, unless you are a devoted Horna fanatic that must collect everything that they release, but it is definitely worth checking out.

Behexen - Rituale Satanum (2000)

The most unfortunate thing about Behexen's debut album, Rituale Satanum, is that it emerged about seven or eight years too late. Released by Sinister Figure in July 2000, this L.P. has a great deal in common with the early-to-mid '90s output from the Norwegian Black Metal scene. In many ways, Behexen picked up from where Gorgoroth left off, as they traveled down a mediocre path and left their trademark sound behind, this Finnish band carried on the legacy of Pentagram and Antichrist.

The music features a lot of ideas similar to those that were explored on the aforementioned Gorgoroth full-lengths. There is the utilization of a good number of fast tremolo-picked riffs that owe a lot to Darkthrone and Mayhem, while also employing some open chord sections reminiscent of Burzum. In addition, a healthy does of Thrash is injected, here and there, hearkening back to the early songwriting of Infernus, who seems to have influenced Gargantum's guitar-playing. This also includes the tendency to toss in rather epic melodies. If that was not enough, Hoath Torog's vocals are very similar to Hat and Pest, being very high-pitched and nearly indecipherable. There are some instances of deeper vocals being added as well, which is quite unnecessary and taints the songs a bit. Most all of the songs are dominated by a fast tempo, up until "Saatanan Varjon Synkkyydessä", which slows things down a little. Even as the drumming picks up, the riffs are still mid-paced and possess a morbid feeling. Still, the Norwegian feeling is present for the most part. "Baphomet's Call" is where the material takes on more of a Finnish sound, bearing similarities to Horna.

This record has fairly decent production. It suits the style, though there is something disingenuous about it. The guitars are the most prominent element in the mix, which is dead on, but the distortion does not seem right. The fuzziness appears to be coming more from the bass than the guitar, and it is a little too loud. This helps to add to the raw sound, but it gives off more of a feeling that they were trying to get a grim sound with nice equipment, rather than recording in a truly lo-fi manner. The drums are loud enough to do the job, but kept in the middle where they are not able to interfere with the riffs. The vocals are slightly buried, but this probably helps a lot since one cannot really tell what Torog is saying anyway, and it cannot be said enough that the riffs should always be the most important thing in Metal.

Rituale Satanum is a solid record and is a must-have for anyone that was saddened to see Gorgoroth degenerate the way that they did, after their first few records. This has just about everything that one would want in a follow-up to Under the Sign of Hell, just at a slightly lower level of quality. This beats anything that the other Finnish bands, such as Horna and Clandestine Blaze, were up to at this point. This L.P. really does not offer up anything new or original, but for those that are into the Norwegian sound, this should be a great addition to your collection.