Burzum
Hvis Lyset Tar Oss

[So: the author of the album reviewed here has expressed and continues to express political positions and has committed (and incites others to commit) actions that DeBaser finds repugnant. Ultimately, however, we are talking about music: therefore, we are publishing the review anyway. /DeBaser]

Rarely have the Count's albums delighted and enchanted an audience larger than a few thousand people (to be optimistic), but when it comes to this dark, sick, introspective Hvis Lyset Tar Oss, we can say that the voice of true Black has finally begun to make itself heard: a true masterpiece, from every point of view, almost a kind of rebirth (if that’s what one could call it, given the year the CD dates back to), or at least an upheaval of the already vast and flourishing Black scene, almost exclusively originating from Norway but unfortunately already infested with poor Anglo-Saxon surrogates lacking impact... Everyone will probably understand what I’m referring to, so I won't linger any further!

Returning to Count Grishnack's masterpiece, we can undoubtedly define it as one of the foundational albums of the entire metal scene, naturally limited to the aforementioned genre. It starts with a long, obsessive, repetitive Det Som En Gang Var, an incredible and fascinating transposition of the anguish of existence into masterfully assembled notes, resulting in a true introspective journey, within the author's malaise. Many are surprised by how a singer of this kind, with such a voice and many other in a sense "abnormal" and frightening things (including the story behind him), can receive approval and be considered a genius, but it's easily explained: the voice is Burzum’s peculiarity! Those screams, so suffering, so sick, so monstrous they seem like ongoing torture (those familiar with our own Abruptum know what I'm referring to) only add to making the final product even more engaging, emotionally and conceptually charged, giving it that impact on the listeners, the very impact that leaves you speechless at the end of a track, unsure if it’s a madman who escaped from an asylum or a person with enormous talent capable of expressing emotions in such an incredible and... touching way.
I would opt for both solutions, but only if I had to judge his personality: when asked for my opinion on Burzum, the last thing that comes to mind is that he's a criminal. To me, he’s just a great artist with a somewhat eventful life, capable of involving his listeners in an involuntary empathy and almost true reverence. The point is that if I were interested in Burzum’s life, I would look for some biography instead of buying his discography: are we in the world of music or psychology? Since when should a singer be considered for his life and not his music?
I take this opportunity to urge people like Asylum not to judge the Count for the messes he has made in his life but to listen (naturally not necessarily to appreciate... I don’t expect someone so superficial to grasp the depth of such a work) to a track forgetting for a few minutes that "this man killed another man" and things like that...
Another point I think is worth focusing on is the MayheM issue: but where is it written that I can't be a fan of both Burzum and MayheM just because of the personal events intertwined among the members? I don’t think it has anything to do with it... I can easily own Pure Fucking Armageddon by MayheM and Filosofem by Burzum and appreciate them equally, I don’t see what the problem is. Perhaps it’s a sort of vow, like "Burzum killed Euronymous, and I don’t listen to him on principle": to these people, I could only respond with a hearty laugh. Here the usual problem reoccurs, which is superficiality: let’s focus on the artist’s product and not his life! Those are his own affairs...
Personally, I don’t care much whether all of Burzum’s albums were recorded in prison or not, but I pay much more attention to evaluate the albums from a musical point of view. Something that nowadays in the black world is almost considered a utopia, especially regarding the Count’s discography!

Continuing with the tracks, we come across a beautiful Hvis Lyset Tar Oss, engaging, dark, and "strange," an adjective that encompasses many other meanings not expressible in words: truly superb! We are already halfway through the album, unfortunately: it continues with an Inn I Slottet Fra Droemmen, yet another sick journey within the dream castle.
Sometimes I really wonder what goes through this great ARTIST's mind (and I emphasize artist..) while writing songs like those that make up this fantastic milestone that is Hvis Lyset... It concludes with a slow, suffering, in some parts melancholic (if I may use such a term in such context) Tomhet, a beautiful and engaging expression of the sensation of permanente emptiness in everything and everyone.
And after listening to this CD, there are still those who dare to wonder how "a singer of this kind can sell records".... Mystery of faith!