Burzum - Fallen (2011)^{Release ID: 217}

An album with as much promise as disappointment, the modern Burzum hasn't quite found its feet just yet.

Belus to me had been a better than expected return for Burzum, with some very cool highlight tracks making up for the album’s piecemeal inconsistency and production issues. After getting my head around the album and making a fairly positive judgement, I was left craving more, with the distinct feeling that Varg still had what it took to remain relevant in a scene he’d been entirely absent from for well in advance of a decade. I didn’t have to wait very long to find out whether that belief would come to fruition, with a follow-up album announced for almost exactly one year afterwards (March the 7th as opposed to March 8th). Subsequent interviews with Varg gave me further hope that good things were coming with the man admitting that the production on Belus had not been ideal, and that the upcoming album would contain entirely new material, as opposed to Belus which was marred by old ideas and re-imagined pre-prison tracks. These interviews also paint a picture of a man that is content with a simple life, living in the Norwegian countryside with family, concentrating on producing music while ignoring all that goes on in metal scene entirely. It all sounds like the ideal lifestyle for Varg, not only to produce new Burzum material, but also one where he can attempt to leave behind what is a fairly iniquitous past.

The new album is titled Fallen which is not an English title as some sites might have you believe. It’s a Norwegian title that just happens to translate the same in English. The cover art is however rather unusual for a Burzum release, at least on first appearances. While the majority of Varg’s work is adorned by Dungeons & Dragons inspired fantasy and the darker works of Theodor Kittlesen, Fallen’s cover contains a naked woman and some attractive, colourful roses. The image is taken from a larger piece entitled Élégie (Elegy) by nineteenth century French painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau and while the above description might sound contradictory to the atmosphere of Burzum, the piece holds an entirely appropriate sorrowful mood that Varg felt fit the concept of Fallen perfectly. Painted in 1899, the full painting captures the lamenting nude woman (Bouguereau spent his life depicting women in various poses) leaning over a tombstone, while a cherub sheds tears at its base. It’s a stunning piece in its entirety that showcases the ability of the artist to produce an anatomically correct female form in a natural, suggestive pose and yet another instance where Varg has introduced me to a formerly unknown yet clearly talented painter. If you have any interest in art, you can check out Élégie in its original form here.

After the mythological storytelling that pervaded the likes of Dauði Baldrs and Belus, it’s refreshing to find lyrics of a more personal nature on Fallen. Varg even seems reluctant to discuss their meaning, which contrasts with his almost lecturing explanations for the past few releases. There are clearly similar themes to past works, including death and pagan yearnings, yet this time they’re given a more poetic flair that takes me back to the magnificently moving Filosofem. One thing that really stands out for me when reading through the English translations is how questioning Varg has become in his later years. “Why in darkness, my friend, and only in darkness, do you seek the friendly warmth of the light?” “Why must I test my destiny again and again?” “Why must I feel the old pain again (and again and again)?” For a man that appears so unrepentant and certain in his controversial beliefs, I often find vulnerabilities and a surprising level of regret in his lyrics, which may or may not be a true representation of his persona. For those out there that despise all that Varg stands for (and I should point out once again that I in no way agree with his view of the world), I challenge you to not find great artistry in his work. “Upwards, towards the edge of the sky, carrying buckets full of madness. The sky cracks when she arrives; the flock of sheep ends its hymn.”

Recorded and mixed at Grieghallen Studios, the site where all non-prison Burzum albums have been created, Fallen was completed in a typically speedy two week period. As mentioned earlier, Varg was not particularly happy with the production quality of Belus, something he blames on the mastering effort conducted by an unnamed metal technician. This time around he decided to go back to the way he and Pytten used to master Burzum releases, asking a new technician to treat the material as if it were classical music. His reasons for this, apart from the fact that Varg is quite a fan of classical music and likes to distance himself from standard metal fare, are not entirely clear, but the result is a sound far removed from Belus and in some ways similar to early Burzum work. The rather muffled sound of Belus has been replaced with greater clarity for near all instruments, which gives the whole album a very different feel. The guitars in particular received a big step up in focus, with that biting coldness that was so prominent on albums like Det Som Engang Var and Hvis Lyset Tar Oss, and the tremolo picked riffs are all the more effective for it. The bass still remains highly audible despite this rise in volume which is certainly a plus, but unfortunately it’s the drums that are still not quite right. There’s no doubt that Varg’s lacklustre performance has a lot to do with it, but the drums have very little impact on Fallen, being too weak in the mix and too pedestrian to be all that effective.

Fallen kicks off with a short intro titled Fra Verdenstreet (From the World Tree). It’s a moody piece that does manage to evoke the dark natural theme that the title suggests through the use creepy crawly effects, dripping water and ominous whispers. It’s not long however before we’re introduced to the album proper, with Jeg Faller (I am Falling) launching into a black metal swirl of guitars and rapid drumming. After reading interviews where Varg claimed he should no longer be associated with the black metal genre, it was actually quite surprising to hear such classic sounding tremolo riffs and vicious vocal snarls that could be labelled nothing if not black metal. Around a minute in and the double bass kicking is introduced, although you’d hardly know it given how little presence they have in the mix. In fact, the drums overall seem to have a very live feel and sound to them, but that doesn’t result in the energy you might expect from that description. Shortly afterwards the much maligned clean vocals arrive. Other reviews around here seem to suggest that Varg’s attempts at whispers, hums and folk-like singing are dreadful, but I personally don’t think they’re all that bad. Some of these cleaner sections on the album, including the chorus of Jeg Faller, are the ones that stick in your mind after the album’s completion, and certainly bring a different dimension to the new Burzum that I don’t oppose. As much as I enjoy Jeg Faller, it does lose momentum midway through, perhaps waiting too long before bringing back the beast.

The third track is Valen (Fallen) and it’s here that I start to have a bit of an issue. The cymbal tapping, tripping drum beat is just a bit shit really, and the almost playful riffs have none of the darkness that one would associate with Burzum (the name means “darkness” after all). I think I’d be less critical of the track if it didn’t extend out past the nine minute mark with unforgivable monotony. It’s easy to argue that Burzum’s music has always been repetitive and at times overindulgent, but when there’s no deep feeling of melancholy or suffocating emotional grip within the works, it’s far more likely to produce boredom than trancelike rapture. Thankfully fourth track Vanvidd (Madness) brings back the intensity and energy just when the album really needs it. Even with the repetitive clean murmurs reminding you that this is modern Burzum, it’s certainly the track that has more than one foot back in the mid-nineties golden era. As enjoyable as it is however, and as much as they fit in with the track’s “madness” theme, the laughable attempts at evil at the halfway point do tarnish the experience somewhat. It’s sad to hear Varg, who once had such an emotion-packed, almost frighteningly torturous scream, reverting to demon roaring parody. Still, I’m being picky, as Vanvidd is a good track with some very nice lyrical content.

The backend of the album continues in the same vein as the first. Enhver Til Sitt (Each Man to His Own) repeats the formula of Valen, complete with weak tripping drums, but this time Varg gets the structure right and doesn’t overplay his cards. The riffs have an epic feel to them that works well within the slower velocity and the shrieking / whispering combo has the desired effect. The final black metal track is Budstikken (The Message), a ten minute call to arms. With lyrics like “Pick up your mail, your helmet. Pick up your shield, and sax (sword). The gods of the past rise, from the memory of the divine blood”, The Message returns very directly to the mythological themes of the past few albums. Of course we all know that “divine blood” alludes to Varg’s racist beliefs of a superior race, but this touchy theme seems ideal for a rousing, majestic close to Fallen. Once again I’m left a bit disappointed, as while The Message does indeed create the right atmosphere with its mid paced Bathory-like tempo, it simply fails to connect emotionally, and I find my focus drifting long before its close when it should be entirely immersed. All that’s left to speak of is Til Hel Og Tilbake Igjen (To Hel and Back Again), an overlong outro instrumental with seemingly random strumming, simplistic bongo-style drumming and more whispers. It merely acts as a reminder of how much more moving Burzum instrumentals were when created with keyboards and brings the album to an anticlimactic close.

It should be pretty clear by now that Fallen is an album that doesn’t meet the high expectations I had for it. It actually doesn’t reach the lows that Belus occasionally sank to, but nor does it come close to the heights of that fairly inconsistent album. It’s a frustrating listen because it in no way convinces me that Varg is incapable of recording another five star album. I am not at all opposed to the new elements in the style (slower pace, clean vocals) and while I do miss the pure energy and symphonic landscapes that helped make his early albums so incredible, there are still moments where things come together in a way that promises much. Varg seems to be feeling his way a little bit since coming out of prison, particularly when it comes to the production, which he hasn’t got quite right on either Belus or Fallen. I can certainly understand why he would want to distance himself from keyboards after spending years with them being his only means of making music, but if they were to be re-introduced effectively with more effort put into the percussion side of things, there’s no reason why Burzum can’t be a name spoken highly of once again, instead of the proverbial punching bag it has become for black metal fans looking for something to bash on. I’ll continue to watch future Burzum episodes unfold with great interest despite my dissatisfaction, mostly due to the aforementioned hope, but also due to a voyeuristic trait that finds everything to do with this anti-role model so fascinating.