Burzum
The Ways of Yore

On June 2, 2014, the (as of now) latest work of the Burzum project was brought to light, the creation of the "wolf of Bergen" Varg -ex Kristian- Vikernes, a character absolutely out of time and any possible conventional artistic canon. It doesn't seem necessary, and it's not needed for the understanding of his work, to dredge up the events of his past or outline once again the aspects of his worldview and spirituality, even though it is undeniable, for better or worse, that they are part of Burzum. Those who know the story in question already have an idea and have already decided whether to be influenced by all this burden or not; according to the writer, however, the creation should always be judged by at least striving to appeal to the eternal artist-art separation issue, a fundamental process to try to let oneself be carried away and to surrender to what is proposed, be it a painting, a sculpture, or a series of musical tracks.

The Ways of Old, this is the meaning of the title that Vikernes chose to give to his latest work; the cover features an engraving by Doré, "Vivian and Merlin," enclosed by a frame of swastikas (needless to say, there's more than just the solar symbol connotation). As for piece-by-piece reviews, I refer you to other sources, although very few (perhaps only Federico Pizzileo) have been able to analyze the entire Burzum discography with extreme accuracy and impartiality, all without falling into the usual messes of the self-important criticism that analyzes guitar riffs, atmospheres, structural pieces of a song, and other sound technician annoyances of the metal fair. The thing is simple: if you seek stylistic perfection, innovation, and technique, listen to something else. Here you will find the deep and ancestral roots of traditional European paganism, here is the eternal journey that resets time. If you wish to erase prejudices and attempt to indulge in the ancient flavor of the "prehistory of the spirit," let this album play over and over again; otherwise, no problem, put something else in the stereo (I won't name names) and simply, don't comment inappropriately. I know this won't happen, every review on Burzum leaves behind mile-long trails of insults, crossword week mysteries, and fierce yet sterile comments about how racist, stupid, criminal, and whatnot Vikernes is. His musical project is one of the most lambasted and least listened-to in the history of the extreme scene from the '90s to today, and this is because the further it goes, the more it radically selects its audience. Vikernes doesn't care about trends or any "aesthetic" landscapes, he doesn't care about musical scenes and production dictates, he does what he loves and he does it for those who can enter his world and for those who can, through his music, retrace precisely those "ways of old" he mentions in the title of this latest work. Here is shamanic trance and invocation, there are atmospheres suitable for those who love the light that comes from October to February. To appreciate these sounds and his proposal, it is evident, one MUST ALSO love ancient mythology, feel a connection with Europe (regardless of nationality), and at least have the basics of Germanic paganism (with two mantras dedicated respectively to Odin and Freyja), without all this you risk blunders like calling the "final ramblings of the narrating voice" the quote from the eddic poem "Voluspa" that our man makes in the album Umskiptar, another masterpiece destroyed by critical academics. Then political orientation doesn't matter, I know people who would give Varg the electric chair and yet appreciate some of his works with no reservations. If we judged mainly people, we would burn a large part of our records without thinking twice!

I conclude by recalling that in the distant 1997, a famous MH critic (one of those who initially demolished Filosofem, only to later include it in the "milestones") replied to a letter of mine defending Burzum's music, telling me that in a few years, everyone would remember Vikernes only for his misdeeds, no one would listen to his music. Well, after 20 years that critic has disappeared and I still listen to his works with the utmost passion. Certainly, "many" know him only for other reasons, but in the end, who cares about the "many"? For those, there are other reviews and other artists.