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Rating: Filosofem, the last great work of the Count. Filosofem, where black metal becomes a kind of passport to explore new worlds, where the music drags the listener into complete darkness using few chords, a broken microphone, a very heavy drum, and an impressive distortion, all spiced with the unique lyrics of Vikernes, a dead messiah, darkness wandering through the world turning everything black at the best moment of the album, which is...
"Dunkelheit", in my opinion, the piece that best represents the genius of the Count, after "Det Som En Gang Var", but that's another story. The structure of the song is based on a handful of chords distorted to the maximum, and the voice of Vikernes with the effect of the simple broken microphone (explicitly wanted by the artist) gives an extra touch to the entire composition...and when darkness fell...
"Jesu Død", the monumental and grim song with a relentless drum, which drags the listener towards the unknown, always with that voice that seems of the damned, inciting the death of Jesus Christ. Simply pure black metal, just as it should be, and it seems like a perfect anthem to sing to Cradle Of Filth x)
Avoiding talking about excrement, literally we sink first into "Beholding the Daughters of the Firmament", then into the macabre "Decrepitude", which in my opinion is one of Varg's best songs, alongside the two mentioned above and "Lost Wisdom".
"Rundtgåing Av Den Transcendentale Egenbetens Støtte" leaves no moment to breathe, and it seems the whole world catches fire amidst the screams present on this track... concluding with "Decrepitude II", almost identical to its sister, where once again you abandon the dear earth for distant places where darkness reigns supreme... a must for any self-respecting black metaller.
Avoiding crap like Hail Varg (hated even by Varg himself) I will conclude by simply saying...
When night falls, she cloaks the world, in impenetrable darkness. This "She" is precisely the music of the album and of the Count in general... with effects nothing short of mystical... life has a new meaning.
Tracklist and Lyrics
04 Decrepitude I (07:53)
Tears from the eyes so cold, tears from the eyes, in the grass so green.
As I lie here, the burden is being lifted once and for all, once and for all.
Beware of the light, it may take you away, to where no evil dwells.
It will take you away, for all eternity.
Night is so beautiful (we need her as much as we need Day).
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Other reviews
By burzum1
This is the CD that represents the true self of Varg Vikernes.
A strange black metal, never heard before and not even after, marking the complete musical maturation of an artist.
By StefanoHab
Burzum's voice in 'Filosofem' is the pure representation of despair, far from the fierce barking of 'Det Som...,' filtered, unhealthy, and merely heartbreaking.
Those who know they have this capability must dare to listen to 'Filosofem': soon they will be captivated by the irresistible sick charm that only an album like this can evoke.
By korn
The songs are deadly, pure black 100 per cent.
Burzum’s voice is that of a zombie; theoretically, his voice isn’t human, it is the voice of a living dead.
By CUNTGRINDER
These tormented and melancholic notes accompany us on our long road to reach our (nonexistent) peace.
At the end of all this, we realize that we will never have our peace, never…
By katharsys
An album less evil and 'black' than others, more focused on themes of despair, depression, and the end.
Ultimately, an album that can convey all that pain and despair that no one would ever want to feel, but once awakened by listening to such notes, no one will find the courage and strength to give them up.
