Burzum - From the Depths of Darkness

[ksava]

Samples sound like a good cover band with a crap vocalist.

Going by the Amazon samples, I wouldn't say that -- not as excellent as the original vocals, but still competent. The original production with its thin, misty guitars fits the music better. I doubt I'll like any of these new versions better, but as Nimbostratus said, it's like seeing it in a different light, so I'll enjoy it for what it is, but ultimately not buying and sticking with the classics.

[Cargést]

Vikernes's new vocal style annoys me to no end.  It's common and undynamic.

[ksava]

Vikernes's new vocal style annoys me to no end.  It's common and undynamic.

I've never really listened to his post-jail albums, just a few songs from each, but listening to this release... I'm going to agree with your judgement. These re-recordings were worse than I expected... not that I had high expectations or anything.

[Cargést]

The songs themselves are fine, as they ever were.  Listening to them with this "good production" (relatively speaking) casts a small amount of new light on them, in some ways.  The vocals ruin it on every track but Black Spell of Destruction, where they're only just "not awful".  My Journey to the Stars and parts of Key to the Gate sound hideously rushed, which is a crying shame.  Digital recording makes the whole thing sound thin and flat, and the "polished" nature of the release negates the character that these songs had in their original forms.

Vikernes needs to compose an album's worth of material in the style of all of these "introductions", which are the most atmospheric thing about this release.  I seem to remember that the Intro and Outro of Fallen were the most interesting parts of the entire album (i.e. they were actually interesting), too.  Fill two sides with an epic each.

Despite the generally low quality of this release (3/5, maybe), I've found it to be worthwhile.  I know I'm not going to listen to these new versions more than about once a year, perhaps, but I also know that I'm never going to hear the old versions the same way, and not in a bad way, fortunately enough - it's like the songs themselves have been slightly "expanded" (I can't quite put it into words) by being presented in this different setting.

I think this might have inspired me to write Black Metal again.  Oh dear.

[Forza Romana]

I enjoy your material, Cargest.  It truly is enlightening!

[fallot]

the "polished" nature of the release negates the character that these songs had in their original forms.

I'm glad you put that in quotes. It is the opposite of polished. I never thought Varg could play his own songs without sensitivity.

[Cargést]

How is it the opposite of polished?  I meant it in the sense of being so tightened and "perfected" that it lost all of the original character (i.e. the "sensitivity" of it, as you put it).  Vikernes specifically left the mistakes he made during recording in the music, the first time round, and it's those little imperfections which make the result seem more real/organic than this mechanised crap.

[fallot]

How is it the opposite of polished?  I meant it in the sense of being so tightened and "perfected" that it lost all of the original character (i.e. the "sensitivity" of it, as you put it).  Vikernes specifically left the mistakes he made during recording in the music, the first time round, and it's those little imperfections which make the result seem more real/organic than this mechanised crap.

Since this "tightening" actually destroys the quality of the music, how can it be considered polish? To me the songs sound sloppier now because their communicative effectiveness is reduced by these efforts, this is not a work I can call polished without limiting the meaning to specific technique. But perhaps I have made a semantic error, at least we are in essential agreement. In the same vein, I am glad you used quotation marks for "perfected".

It's more than just corrected production, Varg is playing in a way that seems to be ignorant of the elements of the songs and their evocative effect. Hence sensitivity, referring specifically to his instrumentation and not the character of the song (which is altered as a consequence).

[Cargést]

How is it the opposite of polished?  I meant it in the sense of being so tightened and "perfected" that it lost all of the original character (i.e. the "sensitivity" of it, as you put it).  Vikernes specifically left the mistakes he made during recording in the music, the first time round, and it's those little imperfections which make the result seem more real/organic than this mechanised crap.

Since this "tightening" actually destroys the quality of the music, how can it be considered polish?

In this instance, we're not looking for something pretty and shiny; we're looking for something dark and sinister, with, perhaps, a hint of harshness to it.  "Polish" is not needed, at all.  So yes, semantics, I guess.

It's more than just corrected production, Varg is playing in a way that seems to be ignorant of the elements of the songs and their evocative effect. Hence sensitivity, referring specifically to his instrumentation and not the character of the song (which is altered as a consequence).

I have to say, I quite like the way he's done parts of some of the songs, though I detest others.  The last half of Key to the Gate should definitely be at that speed, though the playing could be better, of course.

[Petrarca]

With "From the Depths of Darkness", tell me about the journey you take the listener on?

To me it is a journey to my own past, of fighting with wooden sticks in the forest, longing for the time when I was playing roleplaying games with RPG-nerd friends. It is a journey to a time when I had long hair, when I was dreaming of a fantasy world, living life free of responsibilities and being more alone than ever, before or after. It is both sad and fascinating, it makes sense and is absurd at the same time. It was my fall into a reeking bog, but also my rise to... "greatness". In a sense I died back then, or at least I gave up living normally, but I am still alive and fighting. In a different reality.

To you, the listener, "From the Depths of Darkness" might be something entirely different, but I can hope it will take you on your own special journey; wherever you want to go. Wherever you are able to go. Your DNA is your limit... limiting your mind.

http://www.burzum.com/eng/library/2011_interview_terrorizer.shtml

He seems to defend it as a "nostalgic" trip, revealing an expected desire to re-engage with his younger (and artistically superior) self.

Of course, it may just as likely be a fundraiser for the construction of a "tall stone wall" around his property.

[fallot]

This is not merely a defense of it, but its reality. Varg is acknowledging himself as broken, partly. This is nostalgia + bill paying, probably yeah. It's what he's capable of. It's what drives him. Hence it is what is reflected in his music. His technique has actually advanced overall (but it's a meaningless definition of technique).

It's a good justification, all things considered.