Review by Xephyr for Ulver - Bergtatt: Et eeventyr i 5 capitler (1995)
The Intriguing Precursor
Amidst the deafening evil wails of classic, mid-1990’s Black Metal exists a slightly more peaceful, calming clearing that Ulver initially made its home. While Atmospheric Black Metal was in full swing thanks to Burzum and Blut Aus Nord, the uneasy and bitter coldness those albums relished in is all but gone in Ulver’s take on a more acoustic and folky laced rendition of the 2nd wave Black Metal craze. There’s still plenty of Black Metal blast beats to appease the classic fans, but Bergtatt: Et eeventyr i 5 capitler offers much more in the form of abrupt transitions into extended acoustic and piano sections as well as chanting, choir-like vocals that overtake the amount of raw, Black Metal vocals. Although this album is held in high regard for being so groundbreaking and unique, I personally view it more as a precursor of great things to come rather than a genuine classic.
For as inaccessible as Black Metal attempted to be, Ulver turns that notion on its head with really warm, even welcoming guitar tones and melodies despite the furious Black Metal drumming that’s present in the background. “Capitel I” and “Capitel IV” hardly even resemble the cold and grinding qualities that Black Metal is known for, even though they do eventually up the aggression on the rest of the tracks. The aggression is still numbed a bit thanks to how the tremolo riffing is pushed all the way back in the mix to make room for some slow but sultry bass lines and the occasional folky chord progression. Even though Bergtatt is only 34 minutes long it covers a ton of ground with its jagged song structure and ample variety of different folk versus Black Metal influences. It even manages to fit in a full atmospheric section filled with the crunching of leaves and a distant but concerning piano, making this a very interesting album to try and classify.
What holds Ulver’s debut back for me is the overall lack of transitions and cohesive songwriting, even though the layered melodies they are able to create are undeniably beautiful. The way all of the acoustic and choir elements build on top of the Black Metal background riffing and melodic bass lines reminds me of some of the thing I enjoy most about Metal, but the abrupt shifts throughout the album really put a damper on the whole experience. I just can’t manage to get sucked into the atmosphere that others praise this album for, even though “Capitel V” gets incredibly close thanks to the amazing bass production and prevailing folky melodies.
I think that Bergtatt is a tough listen for me because even though I enjoy so many things about it, it’s so rough around the edges that it just serves as the initial taste of what is to come for this style of Black Metal. Even though it’s not the first recorded Pagan Black Metal album, this style of songwriting with acoustic elements just makes me think that this is the prototype and foundation for all of the other more warm and natural sounding Black Metal bands to come. Even though it’s great in its own right, it’s missing something that I can’t quite place. While some of remaining the old school grime makes this album incredibly unique, it’s just an important stepping stone towards a more cohesive and fleshed out sound for the genre in my opinion.