After disastrous "Belus," Varg changes name and sells farm

[Conservationist]

Vikernes was released in 2009 after serving 16 years for murder and three church fires.

The farm in Bø in Telemark listed on the mother who bought it for 1.9 million kroner in 2006. Vikernes has used farm during the leave and stayed there after his release.

Now the yard sale with an asking price of 2.2 million dollars, writes Varden.

According to a Danish website has Vikernes changed its name to a new one that is unknown to the public. The entry Varg Vikernes not exist in the tax lists.

Zootex News Service

Any number of things could make me do this:

1. The bureaucracy in Norway required to even grow, say, a turnip means that you'll be filling out triplicate forms for decades.
2. Varg fans emulate Twilight fans in their behavior
3. Belus was such a horror I'd hide my face from the light
4. Finally just giving up on humanity like everyone else

[Umbrage]

5. The new neighbors are immigrants

[Ribbon]

6. Death threats from Sweden.
7. Insider info on Russia invading Norway.

... Each possibility driving the point further - it's irrelevant.

... And in all likelihood, certainly unrelated to Belus. Belus is hardly disastrous. It's just sorely imperfect. Unfinished, rather. Rushed. Impersonal and flat, both in delivery and conception.

[Heydrich]

You find Belus disastrous, but openly praise the newest Slayer material??? here:

http://www.anus.com/metal/hall/index.php/topic,9194.0.html

I wouldn't call Belus brilliant by any stretch(in fact, I'm so generally bored with Black Metal I can hardly listen to any of it), but compared to say, new Slayer, I'd take those post-prison Vargisms all day long.

Guess this is one we just don't see/hear the same way.

[Umbrage]

You find Belus disastrous, but openly praise the newest Slayer material??? here:

http://www.anus.com/metal/hall/index.php/topic,9194.0.html

I wouldn't call Belus brilliant by any stretch(in fact, I'm so generally bored with Black Metal I can hardly listen to any of it), but compared to say, new Slayer, I'd take those post-prison Vargisms all day long.

Guess this is one we just don't see/hear the same way.

Compare World Painted Blood to the five Slayer albums that preceded it. Then do the same with Belus and the five Burzum albums that preceded it. Slayer is coming from crap but going in good direction again. Burzum is coming from excellent but going in shit direction. Which would you support more?

[Heydrich]

^ I don't exactly find a strong argument there, with all due respect, and truth be told, I don't really "support" either one. Still, Slayer haven't released anything I find at all relevant or interesting in two decades, so their previous five albums are meaningless to me. Just because their newest sucks less than say, the previous five, seems a horrible way to guage quality, one way or the other(something this site is normally altogether unforgiving about, I might add). I fully agree(and said so) that Belus left much to be desired, and was clearly a major step backward, so we have no disgareement there. But by comparison, I still find Belus a hell of a lot more listenable on the whole than new Slayer, though whether that, in and of itself, is saying much of anything or not is certainly debatable.  

[Umbrage]

Fair enough. But allow me to rephrase the argument: two men are walking through a desert. One is near an oasis but walking away from it, the other is miles away from the oasis but walking towards it. Who would you say is going in the right direction? Perhaps the man miles away from the oasis seems more lost than the man near it, but at least he is walking in the right direction and that deserves more support than walking away from the oasis.

I understand your sentiment that both albums are not that praiseworthy at all and that both bands had their best period a long time ago. But at least Slayer is walking towards the oasis again. And it's not just about listenable albums, it's also how old bands can influence new bands. If Slayer goes back to their thrash roots and inspires others to do the same then I consider that better than whatever Belus will inspire upcoming artists to do.

[Devamitra]

Regardless of a personal preference for "Belus" over "Hlidskjalf" and "Christ Illusion" over "World Painted Blood", the above is a weird strain of logic to follow. a 50% improved Slipknot or Deathspell Omega won't amount to much in any critical review. Whereas Summoning, Ildjarn (hails towards the other topic!) and others have had their constant ups and downs without us needing to make a big deal out of it as even their missteps bear easy on the ears.

It all boils down to the fact that people on either side of the argument wish to use "Belus" to influence mainstream opinion and thinking - this is not wrong. But by the above mentioned logic it could also be easily said that one should support the people coming in from crappier music to listen to "Belus"; approve of it and guide them to even higher a level of standard.

[Umbrage]

If you're such a big fan of logic then why bring up Slipknot or Deathspell Omega? Those bands never did anything good. 50% of zero is still zero, obviously.

My logic is no weirder than yours. People have been coming in from crappy music to better music ever since metal was born. What exactly is your point? That we need crappy music to guide people to better music? That makes less sense than preferring to support a band that is finally going in the right direction again over supporting a band that just made a grievous misstep, which is all that I'm saying here.

[Devamitra]

No, you misread it. My logic is to ignore which band we are talking about and appreciate the album on its own merits, or not at all. Have there been even five better albums than "Belus" released this year? Weren't there more than fifty better than "World Painted Blood" the previous year? And note, the year is used here simply as an illustrative device, not as an absolute way of assessment. I need to point this out lest there will be nitpick.

[Heydrich]

Fair enough. But allow me to rephrase the argument: two men are walking through a desert. One is near an oasis but walking away from it, the other is miles away from the oasis but walking towards it. Who would you say is going in the right direction? Perhaps the man miles away from the oasis seems more lost than the man near it, but at least he is walking in the right direction and that deserves more support than walking away from the oasis.

I understand your sentiment that both albums are not that praiseworthy at all and that both bands had their best period a long time ago. But at least Slayer is walking towards the oasis again. And it's not just about listenable albums, it's also how old bands can influence new bands. If Slayer goes back to their thrash roots and inspires others to do the same then I consider that better than whatever Belus will inspire upcoming artists to do.

I see your point - I just don't really agree. And quite honestly,  I don't see new Slayer being much of a positive influence on anyone one way or the other. I'll say as plain as I can - I think World Painted Blood is a snore(and a silly, clumsy title to boot) and see no real need to praise it or condemn it personally, but am more comfortable just ignoring it. I only noted what I did based upon other Threads recently posted here.    

    

[istaros]

That we need crappy music to guide people to better music? That makes less sense than preferring to support a band that is finally going in the right direction again over supporting a band that just made a grievous misstep, which is all that I'm saying here.

I'm not going to claim this as proof, or even evidence - but, just thinking out loud: most people who appreciate good music started off appreciating shit.

Have there been even five better albums than "Belus" released this year? Weren't there more than fifty better than "World Painted Blood" the previous year? And note, the year is used here simply as an illustrative device, not as an absolute way of assessment.

Four bands that had a better release this year than Belus: Black Funeral, Cemetery Urn, Ares Kingdom, Autechre. Probably Master, too, though I haven't listened to their latest yet. If you want to include upcoming albums that are VERY FUCKING LIKELY to be better, by all accounts(seeing as we're only halfway through the year): Profanatica, Avzhia(if we're lucky), Inquisition. Please name forty out of your fifty. Thirty, if you want to exclude Autechre for not being metal.

[Conservationist]

I think World Painted Blood is a snore(and a silly, clumsy title to boot) and see no real need to praise it or condemn it personally, but am more comfortable just ignoring it. I only noted what I did based upon other Threads recently posted here.

The title, obviously originally "World Genocide," is a hack.

The music is improved on their last two, but that's basically all anyone's going to say: improved.

However, if we all show approval of this direction, they may continue to make better music. Their record label seems fascinated with trying to make them flavor of the month, however.

People have been coming in from crappy music to better music ever since metal was born. What exactly is your point? That we need crappy music to guide people to better music?

People do need learner music, to guide them, but in the case of Belus, it's that a proud and free thing became a subservient thing. I'm not sure that's good for anyone.

As someone pointed out above, the Slayer is pulling back from utter pandering, while Burzum is racing toward it. Sell him to the Arabs.

[Sepulchral Voice]

What are the chances that the next Burzum album will turn around and go toward the oasis? I'd say if Vikernes gives it more thought, and gets inspired, we can have another Burzum jewel. He needs to go less literal, and I don't really want to see another literal concept album. I'd like to see a collection of coherent songs that present a common idea. He needs to make mortals dream again.

[Devamitra]

Four bands that had a better release this year than Belus: Black Funeral, Cemetery Urn, Ares Kingdom, Autechre. Probably Master, too, though I haven't listened to their latest yet. If you want to include upcoming albums that are VERY FUCKING LIKELY to be better, by all accounts(seeing as we're only halfway through the year): Profanatica, Avzhia(if we're lucky), Inquisition. Please name forty out of your fifty. Thirty, if you want to exclude Autechre for not being metal.

Regarding Black Funeral, Profanatica and Avzhia you have a point. The rest aren't bad but also not exceptional. Master was maybe on par with "Belus"; a masterful (!) album in general standards, less so considering the band in case.

If my list would actually serve some purpose, I could type it out, based on the two or three dozen new releases I have bought and enjoyed last year and the same amount I just might accept in trade or ridiculously cheap price. "World Painted Blood" fits in neither category.