Review by Xephyr for Burzum - Filosofem (1996)

Repetition Induces Fortune

Burzum's follow-up to the frozen wasteland of Hvis Iyset tar oss is without a doubt one of the most important and influential releases any subgenre of Metal has ever seen. It's a one-of-a-kind product created under unique circumstances that may never be rivaled in its objectively rich history of darkness and malice. Originally recorded in 1993 but released during front man Varg Vikernes' imprisonment for murder and other charges it can act as a portal into the manic and twisted mind of a man who committed some seriously heinous crimes. For a lot of Metal junkies Filosofem was their first delve into a different kind of evil sound that not many bands or musicians have been able to replicate. Metalheads tend to live for the dark and twisted so the fact that this album has been hoisted up into into the tier of the true classics is no real surprise. 

Personally, though, I checked out Filosofem much later in my Black Metal excursions. Starting out with Nokturnal Mortem, Saor, and Moonsorrow really started me off on the more folky side of Black Metal and made me wary of the classic and raw sound of bands like Burzum, Bathory, and Darkthrone. Eventually the echoes praising this album to Hell and back again got to be too much and at the time it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I remember having a confused scowl on my face as I somewhat suffered through the lo-fi guitar and drums and the shrieks of a man sounding like he was being mauled by wolves. I've obviously learned to appreciate the grime and fuzz that Black Metal tends to have, but the atmosphere and structure of Filosofem goes a bit deeper than that. 

Much like Hvis Iyset tar oss repetition is the main feature that Burzum employs to create the frigid and dark aura that blankets this album. Thanks to the lo-fi production the straight up Black Metal tracks are a noisy mess but somehow produce crystal clear and gripping chord progressions. While I wouldn't go as far to say that "Dunkelheit" and "Jesus' Tod" are the best Black Metal riffs ever written, there's something different about them. The way that the grinding metallic guitars play off of the clear and sinister sounding synth as Vikernes howls like a man possessed creates a different kind of evil atmosphere than Hvis Iyset tar oss or any other Black Metal that had come out at that time. The vocals are pushed back farther in the mix and act more as a violent break in the repetitiveness of the riffs across the 7+ minute tracks. The repetition is what drives this album, with each riff, chaotic or plodding, being repeated into oblivion to attempt to trance the listener into the wicked atmosphere. "Jesus' Tod" is probably the most varied of all the tracks with interesting tremolo picking chord progressions that actually, well, progress alongside driving double bass. 

The second half, starting with "Decrepitude I", is where Filosofem shows it's true colors. After an 8 minute soundscape of grinding guitar, ragged vocals, and ominous echoing synth notes the true experience begins with the start of "Rundgang um die transzendentale Säule der Singularität". This 25 minute slog of two separate synth melodies uses the same repetition concepts showcased in the Black Metal front half and simply forces the listener to sit through a song with almost no variation, progression, or payoff. This concept of repetition is what makes Filosofem what it is, plain and simple. It challenges the listener much like Hvis Iyset tar oss does, but it cranks up the difficulty with longer and even more haunting tones. When I listen to this album I want something different to happen, but it never comes. After a while the dullness of the same riff or the same synthesizer note starts to really get under the skin, creating different experiences for each person. I'd imagine everyone handles sitting through the 25 minute slog of "Rundgang" differently, which is why this album is something special at the end of the day. Even "Decrepitude II" is just a strange collection of what sounds like water drops, the swinging of pickaxes, or rocks being thrown inside of a cave with some background guitar musings and a slow synth melody. The main point here is that Filosofem accomplishes a truly unique atmosphere in a truly unique way that could have easily failed, which is where this review is going to conclude.

I think what I learned most about critically revisiting this album is that while it is very fun and rewarding to pick apart, the entire idea of this album hangs on by a singular and thin piece of thread. This album is the true definition of "lightning in a bottle", with Vikernes being very lucky that the few ideas he decided to showcase are engrossing and thought provoking. As I collected my thoughts on each track I realized that there honestly isn't a lot going on within this album. There may be more in terms of atmosphere, texture, and sound choice, but when it comes to the riffs, melodies, and overall musical passages there just isn't a whole lot there. "Dunkelheit", "Erblicket die Tochter des Firmaments", and "Decrepitude I" all have one riff with a few minor changes, but these singular riffs just happened to encapsulate a certain sound and feeling that keeps the listener invested in that next small change that they may or may not even hear. Vikernes was somehow able to choose the correct lo-fi guitar tone with the correct balance on the drums with the correct amount of emotional vocal barking and the correct synth sounds that will forever be etched into my brain as the "Burzum synth sound". All of these things had to come together to create an album that could have failed so easily if anything was out of place, but look where it ended up. This repetitive and drudging album was somehow able to establish what can be done with the lo-fi Black Metal sound in a somewhat irreplaceable way, creating a smothering but intriguing experience that feels dull and boring in all the right ways. I personally think that this album works better as an essay topic than as one of the best Black Metal albums ever made due to its inherent nature, but maybe I just haven't looked deep enough and Filosofem's  relentless repetition will eventually break me. Until then, I'm just going to keep reminding it how close it was to being another monotonous and lifeless Black Metal album.