Burzum
 

Varg Vikernes (a.k.a. Count Grishnackh), the BURZUM mastermind who was convicted of murdering MAYHEM guitarist Oystein Aarseth (a.k.a. Euronymous) in August 1993 and setting fire to three churches, has confirmed that his new album Den Hvite Guden (The White God) is set to be released in Spring 2010.

Burzum - Discography - Official Releases - "Den Hvite Guden" 2010

Varg Vikernes - A Burzum Story: Part X - The White God

EDIT: Burzum Changes New Album Title From "The White God" To "Belus"

I wonder if he will release anything new anytime soon

I always felt Vikernes crossed a line that musicians should never do. What a complete a_hole. Reading the title I though he was born-again, but after checking out the link it seems he got some good prison sex.

I am incredibly curious to hear what this will be like. Filosofem is an excellent album, albeit one that requires a keen ear to appreciate.

I don't see why at all I should be interested in supporting a murderous racist like Vikernes. Usually, it takes a little work and dedication to get into music and albums from artists like Burzum. However, I don't think he or his music is worthy of my dedication. The guy is an ******* and even if the music is good - there's plenty more good music out there - most of which was not made by murderous, racist *******s.

Further proof that we're either long lost brothers or psychically linked. You have summed my exact thoughts on Varg and Burzum. It's because of him that Black Metal has the bad history that it does. It doesn't matter how popular more intelligent black metal bands like Cobalt and Deathspell Omega get, they're always going to take a backseat in the mind of the public because of the controversy that follows Varg Vikernes and that small part of the music scene.

I read a book about a year ago entitled Lords of Chaos. It was all about the origins and influences of the Satanic/Black Metal underground music scene. A lot of it, of course dealt with the murder of Euronymous. Lots of interviews with Vikernes, of course. If you read the book, you'll find that he's the kind of guy that changes his story a lot. He strikes me as a pretty boy that was good at manipulation and self-righteous beyond the point of conscience. The happenings in the scene after his crimes was typical for idiot youth in countries with no death penalty who want to get noticed at whatever cost.

As far as his music is concerned, I've never listened to it. What annoys me most about his presence is the racism aspect. The churches, I could give a fuck about. The murder was also something that was fucking ridiculous.

Agreed. Even if you hate the guy, he helped shape black metal into what it is today. The way he fused ambient music with black metal was incredible. I think his character and actions are completely irrelevant to his musical talent

or you know... because of the music itself. but who cares what the public thinks about it anyways? if you like it you like it.

i enjoy hvis lyset tar oss but i haven't really gotten into any of his other albums. i don't agree with his racist views, (although i find his character interesting) and i don't see how my listening to the music makes me supportive of them.

Put simply, artists benefit from people listening to them - whether they spend money on their albums, spend money on concerts or other wares, spread the artists' popularity so that other people spend money/spread it further, listen to them on services like spotify so that they get higher ratings and make more cash, heighten their status as musician - such as praising his influence on black metal, etc etc etc.

Ask the opposite; how does listening to Burzum not support Vikernes? That's a harder question to answer, I think.

i can see where you're coming from, but i don't, nor do i plan on, paying for anything released by burzum. and even if i did, i do not think it supports vikernes' views, which he would hold regardless of his income from burzum. listening to his music doesn't mean one supports him, because there is no inherent connection between the act of listening to and enjoying the music and the act of agreeing with his social/philosophical beliefs.

Well, the point wasn't that listening to Burzum makes you a racist, but it does make you support Vikernes who is a murderous, racist bastard. If his music conveys his racist views and you dig it and help popularize it, then I'd say yeah - you're supporting that message by appreciating the way it is presented and by supporting him which in turn helps him produce more, but honestly I don't know whether or not his music is racist or not.

I don't wanna support the guy on any level - money, message or whatever - so I don't listen to it.

I've found more enjoyment in viewing Burzum's lyrics as an unintentional parody of Tolkien. I'm looking forward to the new album.

You can choose not to believe him, but Varg has claimed to no longer possess the racial views he once did, saying that he was a stupid kid back then.

I don't think so. Here's a quote the "A Burzum Story: Part X - The White God" written recently which you can read on his website.

Source : http://www.burzum.org/eng/library/a_..._story10.shtml

Maybe he's much less of a racist now than he was. I don't know :p:

sadasddasd

I stand corrected!

If he does make a NEw album it will not be Black Metal and it will prob not be that good Hes old hes lost touch with alot of music he missed the moods and what not

and in terms of Skills hes not that good or dedacated to the Craft of songwriting

This. As time has progressed, he's strayed farther away from black metal. Considering his newest material was just him plodding away on a cheap synthesizer, to poor effect, I'm really not interested.

The bands you mention are worthless and vapid. They are black metal in form of aesthetics, but in substance they're about as far as removed from black metal as one can get. Calling them black metal is like calling a lump of white sugar, with a dark chocolate coating, dark chocolate.

It's odd that you latch onto the racist aspect more than, you know, murder.... but, regardless, ignoring celebrated music because of the musicians world views is stupid. It's lifestyle politics of the worst order, as it does nothing to effect change, aside from inflating some individuals ego.

Further, the music doesn't promote racism.

With his recent works, he has only had access to a Synth, so it should not be assumed that he will be doing the same kind of stuff that he was doing in prison, once he is out. I think I read in an interview that he plans to pic off where he left off with Filosofem.

Yeah it has been a really long time since he has actually made black metal, and yeah the world has changed, but if he can still make music they way he used to, I mean, if Filosofem was released today, besides the horrible sound quality, I would still regard it as a great album. If he can really pick up where he left off, as improbably as that might be, I think he will make great music

My main point is that I don't think fans of Burzum black metal should automatically assume that his new music will be ****.

This. As time has progressed, he's strayed farther away from black metal. Considering his newest material was just him plodding away on a cheap synthesizer, to poor effect, I'm really not interested.

The bands you mention are worthless and vapid. They are black metal in form of aesthetics, but in substance they're about as far as removed from black metal as one can get. Calling them black metal is like calling a lump of white sugar, with a dark chocolate coating, dark chocolate.

Better than Dimmu Borgir.

cause you have access to instruments in prison

I read somewhere that Varg had chosen to only use synthesizers because he did not want to make any music that is rooted in rock-n-roll because that music was created by American blacks - two characteristics that he hates.
Maybe you're right though, maybe it's just that they wouldn't give him a guitar in his cell. Back during the hype I remember thinking how funny it would be if Varg came to the US to burn some churches and murder some people so that he could get a feel for prison life in the good ol' US of A. I suspect he would find it far less comfortable than the hotel room he got in Norway.

Heh. What a loser. I wonder if it bothers him that the piano was invented by an Italian.

Two good points there. There were definite cultural/ideological motivation in Burzum's work, primarily in purging any rock n roll elements from the music because the Norse viewed metal as a form if Western cultural imperialism. What makes Varg so insidious is the murder of Euronymous was completely premeditated and probably wouldn't have been carried out if Norway had the death penalty.

It is a fact that he had no access to anything but a synth in prison. Not saying that he might have not used a guitar anymore if he was given one, but he wasn't, and could not have gotten one.

Varg made the move to cheesy synth music because the Prison, as Axiomatic points out, didn't allow guitars. Any claim that this was ideological for him trying to compensate for epic fail.

Here's an interesting quote from Varg on the topic of guitars and how his racism effects his perception of music.
that's from Burzum.com: The Music of Burzum and the Writings of Varg Vikernes [ varg vikernes interview ]

^^^ again, it's already been pointed out that he moved away from guitars because the prison wouldn't allow him to use guitars. He pulled that bull**** about rock being "****** music" after he wasn't allowed to use guitars.

How do you guys know he wasn't allowed to have a guitar in prison?

I mean .. it's Norway. Not saying you're wrong, but it sounds weird that they'd let him have a synth but not a guitar.

Lot easier to garrote someone with a guitar string than a synth ;)

Yeah but not that easy, gets tangled in the chords.

i'm interested to see what he comes up with. the dude is crazy, as is a lot of those kids up in norway. don't support his way of thinking but its an interesting train wreck to watch.

On the first point, he stated as such in an interview.

It seems Norway is letting him have the same conditions he had prior to the car hijacking, so I'd expect him to have guitars on this new album.

Have read it multiple times in different places. Pretty sure one of them was an interview with Vikernes.


Isn't he out of prison completely now?

In Norway, it's not uncommon for prisoners who have to do a lot of time that they get some kind of freedom from prison, like freedom to have a job out there in society or freedom to attend school. I think they still have to stay in the prison outside of working/studying hours.

And I think that's the deal he's got.

A pox on your country and it's progressive ways! Seriously, the nerve to treat prisoners like human beings and try to integrate them back into society through more positive means.

Word. Those damn Norwegians and their "rehabilitation". Who do they think they are not having an utterly useless and impractical punishment based prison system like we have in America?

Haha :p:

It seems to work, kinda. I do think it is possible to rehabilitate to some extent in norwegian prisons. One reason why we can do it is because we don't have that much vicious crime like murder in this country. If we had a lot of it, the government would be sending a lot of murderers back out on the streets and that wouldn't be popular, even here.

Norwegian prisons and punishment is a bit lax at times, though. Sometimes, people are let off too easily and commit crimes again shortly after. There's even been some cases where people deliberately went and did a crime just so they could get into jail.

How to deal with criminals is one of the toughest nuts to crack in any society though. There are trade-offs for every solution.

Varg is sort of treated like a child by the Norwegian penal system. I know this Norwegian who studies (wait for it): ancient Norwegian/Scandinavian culture, and apparently Varg takes a few classes at the same University. He claims Varg looks like a bum and talks to himself quite a bit.

http://i48.tinypic.com/2qx7zb8.jpg

Burzum - Discography - Official Releases - "Belus" 2010