Burzum – Belus

ANUS came out a couple weeks ago with a giant defecation on the new Burzum. People immediately complained that we hadn’t heard it, were being judgmental, and all sorts of silly stuff. What they didn’t realize is that you can hear a lot of things without officially owning them or getting them from the label, but you’re not going to do anything to hurt your sources. All of that changed last night, of course, with the official leak of the Belus master and 2LP version.

You want the tl;dr on the new Burzum? “Sounds good, soulless and disorganized.” This album has no direction but Varg is so adept at making simple riffs pretty that you want to drink it down. Cold, sweet, vast in flavor like a Snapple — but after listening to it a few times, you end up thinking: why am I doing this? This is no different than watching TV, going to a megachurch to hear about my immortal soul, or buying wallpaper. It’s pretty but has no direction so it ends up being like all other drone albums: a basic theme that picks up detail as repetition increases, then trails off into nowhere.

If you want music to replicate the experience of watching cheerleaders attempt to act out Macbeth, this might be for you, but not likely. Riffs are based on simple harmony and well-composed, but go nowhere, incorporating at random influences from Russian black metal, Ukranian black metal, German speed metal, Terrorizer and random death metal. A good deal of this shows the tripartite influence of Swedish melodic death metal, Slavic drone metal, and the American style of black metal flavored indie rock. The first track “borrows” the melody from the title track of one of the keyboard albums. Two of these tracks are obvious Uruk Hai do-overs.

The final track sounds like Sunn o))) doing their version of Burzum. Makes me wonder if the label and his Russian handlers didn’t sit him down with recent black metal blockbusters and try to get the trained monkey to make his own version. The musical ability here is precocious as always, but the raw material fed into the machine is gunk, so what’s output is really well-adorned gunk.

When you hear it, notice how simple the riffs are relative to the fills, trills and decorations that space them. It’s like dressing up a turd until it looks like a Faberge egg, from a distance. But when you get close, or listen to it a dozen times, you’ll see the difference.

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112 thoughts on “Burzum – Belus”

  1. fuck says:

    DAMN I MISS BURZUM :L

  2. Glory says:

    well at least its better than cold lake

  3. Ivan says:

    lol Glory.

    Anyway, :(

  4. Anti-modernist says:

    I honestly haven’t heard it yet, but judging by the samples it does sound overly polished and from what I picked up from it, it sounds similar to newer Rotting Christ.

  5. PosterG says:

    Actually you don’t need to listen to it a dozen times, you don’t even need to listen to it a second time. The album is thoroughly disappointing. Some songs (Kaimadalthas’ Nedstigning, Sverddans) are painful to the ears.

  6. newdarkages says:

    Listened to it this morning, have to agree.

  7. Knur says:

    The guy who wrote this album should serve a sentence for murder.

  8. You’re all wrong, “Belus” is Taake’s best album yet…oh wait.

    Another one time legend pisses their own legacy up the wall. “Once Emperor” indeed.

  9. fuck says:

    @Harold

    LOL

  10. JesusEqualityFreedom says:

    Was it just me or did this album have no atmosphere whatsoever? The material on this album could have been used to make an alright EP, but as a full length it’s bad.

  11. Haich says:

    What a pathetic attempt at a retort to the reaction of your initial post about the Belus samples. Your observation is incredibly flawed and obviously biased by releases of countless Burzum clones since 1994.

    “you’re not going to do anything to hurt your sources”

    You had NO sources. Stop bullshitting and trying to cover up the fact that you made yourselves look like idiots, as usual. The metal scene continues to cry tears of laughter at this website. You have no credibility.

    This album has NONE of the characteristics described in your adolescent excuse for an observation, and only shows how “well” you’ve taken it in.

    Belus should be heard and assessed by stripping out what has happened to Black Metal since the second wave came to a close. It is obvious that Vikernes’ (main) influence has been his own imagination, and that is more than enough.

    “Riffs are based on simple harmony and well-composed, but go nowhere, incorporating at random influences from Russian black metal, Ukranian black metal, German speed metal, Terrorizer and random death metal.”

    Burzum has always been about simple harmonies, since the very beginning, but I guess probably having heard each album only once, this escaped your notice. As far as influences go, should Vikernes have no musical influences? – what a stupid attempt to water down the structure of the compositions. As far as “going nowhere”, clearly you’ve rushed through the record. But I guess, being a writer for this site, it is your prerogative to try to appear to not like anything!

    Belus has no dents or sour points other than a characteristic which appears across all Burzum albums which is that of inconsistency. Vikernes has written plenty of average songs, but when his songs are at full strength, the high points are rarely matched elsewhere in Black Metal. Belus is a fantastic work of art, and has brought the real voice of the second wave into the 21 century, and at the same time shows Vikernes’ own progression as a musician. This is a triumpant return.

  12. [Haich] says:

    I want to apologize to the ANUS.com staff for undermining their incredulous abilities at pointing out the shortcomings of recent metal releases.

    Disregard everything I just said previously about Belus, for I suck cocks.

  13. Flanky says:

    ^ Who is it that keeps doing this? It was amusing the first time. The 500th, not so much.

  14. Xr says:

    The old material was sublime lyric, but this is just bland prose. Not illiterate, but likely too long in the making. At times it hints towards beauty, but only as much as a travel guide represents its subject. I’d rather prefer travelling by Engram for a wilder ride. This album has a strange maudlin feeling of nostalgia to it; maybe some healthy farm life is better grounds for future output.

    Speaking of labels, has anyone information about Byelobog Productions?

  15. N. says:

    Probably not the best from Burzum and deserves some criticism, but there is another fact worth noticing. Funny how this site changed its opinions on Vikerness and Burzum since the fiasco with burzum.com. From glorifying to endless bashing in “unbiased” reviews. DLA is rotting from within, same as Corrupt and nobody seems to care. Once Emperor.

  16. fffffff says:

    Whoever replied to Haich doesn’t know what “incredulous” means. What smart readers this site has.

  17. Cargast says:

    I listened to this once, and I thought “what an incredible disappointment”. Now, I’m listening to it again, and I’m thinking “this is fucking awesome”. The first time I listened to it, I was barely conscious, having been awake for twenty seven hours. Now, I’ve slept well, and I actually have the energy to take this album in properly.

    To any of you who respect my opinion in the slightest – though I doubt many of you actually know who I am – here’s a bombshell: I think this is better than Hvis Lyset Tar Oss. But then, Hvis Lyset Tar Oss is my least favourite Burzum album, because I’m an intellectually inferior being who prefers the rawer composition of Det Som Engang Var, Aske, and the debut, to the hideous complexities of Hvis Lyset Tar Oss.

  18. Carl says:

    Burzum-y riffs, but Vikernes himself doesn’t seem to understand them anymore.

    “Belus’ D

  19. Adrian McCoy says:

    “Probably not the best from Burzum and deserves some criticism, but there is another fact worth noticing. Funny how this site changed its opinions on Vikerness and Burzum since the fiasco with burzum.com. From glorifying to endless bashing in “unbiased” reviews. DLA is rotting from within, same as Corrupt and nobody seems to care. Once Emperor.”

    Or maybe the album’s worth bashing and has nothing to do with some fabricated drama. That is possible. I don’t get the praise for Vikernes in the Until the Light Takes Us reviews here if that is the case either.

  20. fuck says:

    adrian’s finally starting to get it..

  21. Cargast says:

    The comparisons to NSBM/Drudkh/modern Black Metal are interesting, given that Vikernes hasn’t listened to any Black Metal since Transilvanian Hunger. It’s also interesting that Vikernes has managed to create music “in the vein of” NSBM/Drudkh, but has managed to make it better than anything that has come before, of those “subgenres” of Black Metal. I’m on my fifth listen, and it’s getting better and better. But then, I wasn’t expecting a turd, so I didn’t receive one.

  22. Hermod says:

    Well, if you don’t appreciate BELUS then you don’t appreciate BURZUM. It is in essence no different from the previous albums. This review could ecually well be applied to Filosofem or Hvis Lyset Tar Oss etc.

  23. milmashtia says:

    Actually the review on the burzum page sounds much more positive than the one on this blog.

  24. Morbid_lad says:

    Heard one song so far, it didn’t create much atmosphere for me. There’s still some interaction between the riffs, but it feels somewhat like shoegaze to me.
    I will have to listen more before I make a final judgment.

  25. TT says:

    Belus isn’t perfect but without the burzum.com/burzum.org conflict this review would have a completely different tone.

  26. Anonymous says:

    You know, I used to lurk around here and I normally found the stuff written here to make sense. But this review is just obnoxious and obviously influenced by certain affairs….

  27. Sheriff Homo says:

    I thought this review was just the fags at anus butthurt over the burzum.com drama. Then I heard the album. This shit makes Xasthur sound good.

  28. fffff says:

    Sheriff Homo, you sure have interesting, edgy opinions and a provocative name! Can we be friends?

    Tryhard.

  29. fuck says:

    fffff, you sure are an anti-hipster!! I especially like the sarcasm delivered to the tryhard guy, it was hilarious! we should totally hang out and try to come up with funny things to say to obvious losers, you know?

    :)

  30. Pavel Yuri says:

    Hey everyone, we just released our friend’s(wolf count grishnackh)album and it is now attainable through this forum, under audiofile, BELUS download from me personally, Pavel, under alias Cognitive Desonance. We decided to do this as a gift to those poor souls who think Anus is the god website of metal, and give them a chance to listen to it because we’re sure “anus” won’t do such nice things for their members because they don’t want to hurt their “sources”. So I guess you can call it charity. Get a free copy for only the next few days, soon it be expired. Dasvidenya!

  31. I Am The Cross says:

    Hahaha yeah PERFECT observation there, sir. You obviously dislike Burzum. Try reading a bit more before you spit shit out to the masses.

  32. Xr says:

    Gentlemen.

  33. Adrian McCoy says:

    “We decided to do this as a gift to those poor souls who think Anus is the god website of metal, and give them a chance to listen to it because we

  34. cet30048 says:

    “Dasvidenya!”

    Obvious troll is obvious.

  35. Mud says:

    “Belus isn

  36. surgery & torture says:

    This record was always advertised as an album with no original material. I find it highly unlikely that studio leftovers from 1991-94 will have much of a strong Drudkh influence. Take it as a compilation. It’s not supposed to have a “direction” because the songs were written at different times for different purposes. As for the “obvious” uruk-hai ripoffs, Varg had said a couple songs on this album were from the uruk hai days.

  37. borezum says:

    gay

  38. borezum says:

    i suck cocks

  39. borezum says:

    Dear Mr. Prozak, please shut down this site forever.

  40. borezum says:

    DISREGARD DISREGARD DISREGARD!!! prozak’s a fucking hero.

  41. Negru Voda says:

    i love how you guys think everything that’s popular (or in this going to be popular) automatically sucks, and come up with ridiculous justifications for why. this album is miles above the dreck that is early borezum. eat dicks

  42. Espinoza Gay Prozak says:

    Popular is not metal… popular is bad.

  43. negru voda says:

    i am obvious troll

  44. jeremy says:

    This seems like a pretty epic debate, so I couldn’t resist the urge to write a quick post for posterity. So … how ’bout those Lakers?!

  45. jeremy says:

    Nevermind, I suck the 13.5″ black cocks of the Lakers.

  46. baawwww says:

    anyone who does the cock joke anymore is just a COPYER AND A BIG FAT PHONY!!! >:L

  47. Espinoza Gay Prozak says:

    I choke on cock

  48. jeremy says:

    Whoops! So anybody can just use any screen name, even if it was already used by someone else…okey dokey. Well we know three things about him for sure, he: 1) is black or aspires to be 2) does actually suck cocks or aspires to and 3) despises irony. It’s important to clarify this for stumble-uponers.

    It’s also important to clarify that Hessiandom is rife with prowess that girlfriends of various races often dream about, though I will refrain from (suspiciously) providing explicit details like Mrs. Cocks. So … how ’bout those White Cocks, I mean Sox!!!

  49. THE GODDAMN BATMAN says:

    PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS PENIS

  50. jeremy says:

    derp!!!!!!

  51. jeremy says:

    That’s obviously a sound that cutesy wootsy little 12 year old girls make while dreaming about their favorite length/color of “cock” and listening to The Ramones. Is it something from the Radio Disney crowd that’s supposed to make a girl somehow appear clever or “hip”? Boy I hope not. No, it must just be the little cutie pie girlie wurlie Ramones ballerina “cock” fantasy thing.

  52. anonmudkipz says:

    @ jeremy
    cool story FAG

  53. jeremy says:

    good one!

  54. Cargast says:

    Posted on Antihumanism.com:

  55. Pestilence says:

    The album pales in comparison to his early works, yeah, but I don’t think it’s completely awful. Morgenroade is the definite highlight.

  56. Xr says:

    Even if I have to disagree, I am thankful that some people take this opportunity here serious, still.

    Whatever one may feel or think about the new album (incidentally, the topic here, what some have missed), what some people spurt out here is less than poor. And obvious.

    Nonetheless, after a few more listens, I still feel that the material on Belus has been ruminated on for too long – not by the ‘reviewers’ here, which it is seems -; but by Varg himself. Belus, while not as bad or even mediocre as polarised here, just does not have the immediate, alienated, tremendously yearning feel to it DSEV for example had. It sounds polished and calculated, starkly contrasting to older recordings, and as such disappointing in regards to what may have been: It leaves to hope for the unsatisfied that there, maybe, in future truly original, representative and conclusive material is to be heard. Since then, life’s going on, so is music.

    Belus did add little itself, and sadly, fulfilled more.

  57. jeremy says:

    Awww, did wittle ballerina get her feewins hurt? … so sorry! Poor wittle baby!

  58. Xr says:

    φτωχέ, stfu

    Your grandfathers 75th shocks few here.

  59. The LNSG began when our founding members became dissatisfied with their political options in modern, liberal democratic industrial society. No single party addresses the necessary issues, nor recognizes that modernity itself is the cause of its enduring and pervasive problems.

    We believe in a resurrection of traditional methods of the pre-Christian past, including naturalism and nationalism, and while these are demonized in our current time, we realize they are necessary to end the decay of our society. We went to your highest learning institutions, studied your greatest thinkers, and are comfortable navigating and succeeding in your society. However, we disagree with its fundamental values: money and the “empowerment” of the individual.

    The mission of the LNSG is to make healthy changes to a sick system, using the values of the ancients in modern form. While globalism and populism are against nature and Tradition, we turn instead to time-proven methods of leadership, and strip away unnecessary emotion, both “love” and “hate,” to create a rational future for our people.

    I am a nationalist and if this website had any sense it would stick to nationalism, since that’s the only thing its good for…

    FUCK THE DARK LEHGIONS ARCHIVE!!!

  60. The even more real Adrian McCoy says:

    LNSG? Their site is like suicide trolling.

    Off topic, GTFO

  61. Xr says:

    Adrian is either what some people prefer to call special, or a trollbot deployed (shat out?) by the ANUS itself.

  62. The TRULY real Adrian McCoy says:

    Once again, I have to apologize for my previous remarks. I was drunk on jello shooters from the gay bar where I found out my favorite dancer, Barry Ballsack was killed by AIDS in a freak meth-snorting incident. I have since sucked 8 cocks and am feeling more calm. I can’t stress enough my regret for my earlier outlash.

  63. THE ULTIMATE ADRIAN MCCOY says:

    I feel my good reputation ruined.

    Once again, I have to apologize for my previous remarks.
    No, I am an antisocial retard and do not know how or am able to apologize for my boring, attention-craving, pathetic behaviour.

    I was drunk on jello shooters
    I was high on jenkem.

    from the gay bar where
    I grew up, run by my father/brother.

    I found out my favorite dancer, Barry Ballsack was killed by AIDS in a freak meth-snorting incident.
    Actually, truly, honestly, Opeth played in there.

    I have since sucked 8 cocks and am feeling more calm.
    Eighty. Shemale tranny cocks. Dark and long.

    I can

  64. Adrian McCock says:

    LONG LIVE THE ANUS!

  65. The Return Of The Son Of Adrian McCoy says:

    Belus is shallow and sterile. Everyone move on.

  66. Adrian McCoy says:

    Cheapest shop on the street.

  67. Adrian McCoy says:

    I’m sixteen this year!!!

  68. tastey de=light says:

    Guess what, neither anus or metal is going to change anything about this world. It’s all going to fail and die, you are being brainwashed by fat old dorks who hate their lives. There is a default anusian response for this I can already predict, and you can’t change the facts.

  69. fuck says:

    Adrian McCock is a legend now. great.

  70. Leonard McCoy says:

    ANUS or metal are indeed not changing the world, but they’ll keep sane those who will. I’ll leave it to the ANUSites to pull the guilt card- I’m a doctor, not a moralist.

  71. The Penis of Adrian McCoy says:

    You all choke on me too much.

  72. The Penis of Adrian McCoy says:

    i dont exist

  73. :L says:

    im twelve and what is this

  74. Espinoza Gay Prozak says:

    This is metal.

  75. Bernard McCoy says:

    Adrian, mom wants you to pick up some milk on the way home.

  76. Stan Cooper says:

    Bernie? Bernie McCoy, is that you!? Bernie, it’s Stan!! How ya doin’ old buddy, old pal? What are you up to these days? Gotta gay little son, I see.

  77. Damian McCoy says:

    “^ Who is it that keeps doing this? It was amusing the first time. The 500th, not so much.”

    Are you sure about that?

  78. Edgar P. Middlestone-McCoy says:

    Indubitably.

  79. Jebediah Hatfield says:

    I hate them McCoys!

  80. Adrian McCoy says:

    You guys are total fucking idiots…I miss deathmetal.com sooooooo damn much it’s not even funny…

    FUCK MALLCORE!!!

  81. Adrian McCoy says:

    I would suck corey taylor’s penis.

  82. Coy AdrianMc says:

    You total fucking idiots are MALLCORE… I miss soooooo much damn funny deathmetal…

    it’s not even FUCKguys.com!!!

  83. Mactatus says:

    Well I must say I am glad not to be an Anus writer ’cause I would be very upset at how dumb my readers are.

    Do you seriously think that Anus liked earlier Burzum just because burzum.org did not exist? Or do you think that if Belus had been as good as Hvis Lyset Tar Oss, Anus would have given it a negative review?

    You really want me to believe this site is giving positive reviews to people they like, and bad reviews to people they don’t. Maybe if they were doing that they would be rich like MetalSucks?

    Please, children. You are only fooling yourselves.

  84. V. Vikernes says:

    LOL @ Jebediah Hatfield & Edgar P. Middlestone-McCoy

  85. Troll says:

    Yo dawg, I put a troll in your trollin’ thread, so your trolls can troll themselves. . . While you troll!

  86. Chris Rock says:

    Yo dawg, I put a motherfucker in yo muthafucka, so you can fuck yo mutha while you motherfuck her!

  87. amDoingItRight? says:

    dog yo i put toast in yo toaster a toaster so you can toast while toast toast you IN SOVIET RUSSIA

  88. TJ vids says:

    Hi I’m a slightly overweight male from Topeka Kansas and I cant wait for Belus to be available on iTunes! I’m also jewish!

  89. anonmudkipz says:

    someone should make an encyclopediadramatica article on Adrian McCoy because he’s easily become one of those FORCED MEMES

  90. I Kicked Your Pregnant Wife in the Stomach says:

    “Do you seriously think that Anus liked earlier Burzum just because burzum.org did not exist?”

    LOGIC POWER!

  91. BEATING UP HIPPIES FOR THEIR DRUGS AT A PHISH CONCERT says:

    yup

  92. Cargast says:

    “Well, there’s no such thing as ‘burzum.org’, so I guess we can enjoy this music.”

  93. twat says:

    the album is a disappointment regardless of whatever the fuck the burzum.org thing is about..

  94. I think the world needs more people like Adrian McCoy who rock the boat. If he upset you… good! You’re not as certain of your ideas as you thought. Don’t blame the messenger, haters.

  95. Adrian McCoy Fan Club says:

    herp derp
    unfunny shit is unfunny

  96. In Soviet Rusia Adrian McCoy isn't Gay says:

    When is the new Burzum video coming out? Thou you think it will be shown in MTV?

  97. The Adrian Coalition says:

    Only Adrian is real – truly beautifull trolling that killed the ANUS fanboi in my soul.

    to ponder!

  98. The First McCoyan Church says:

    HATING CANNIBAL CORPSE IS PROVEN IMMORAL!!!! REPENT TODAY ANUSites!!

    ACCEPT HE WHO SUCKS COCKS INTO YOUR HEART AND YOUR IMMORTAL SOUL SHALL BE SAVED!!!

    FREE US FROM THE TEMPPTATION OF NU METAL!!

  99. Adrian says:

    i would get butthurt, but it appears that I’m high on LEROY JENKEMS again

  100. am hitlar says:

    tell me if that’s appropriate and get back to me, ANUSites. because that’s the filth that Adrian McCock is spreading

  101. am hitlar says:

    I’ll check for replies when I get back from the Lady Gaga show. I am one clever little kunt. White Zombie rox my sox, boyeee!!!!

  102. am hitlar says:

    BAAAWW someone soiled my good name time to become AN HERO

  103. harrylittlekunt says:

    umm … is that it?

  104. FFFF says:

    Lemonparty, meatspin: HAVE YOU SEE GOATSE??? OMG IT’S SORT OF UNKNOWN BUT YOU SHOULD LOOK AT IT

  105. am hitlar says:

    @ ffff
    that’s gay shit.. not interested

    also, comments got deleted.. someone’s a little uptight about faggotry..

  106. Magnus says:

    If the release date for this was 20 years earlier, I’m sure you’d be jizzing all over it. Hopefully this has snapped you back to reality so you can put into question the lies you’ve repeated to yourself for years to see how shitty and ridiculous all the other Burzum albums are too.

  107. EndoftheRoad says:

    Shit I fucking loved it.

  108. EndoftheRoad says:

    Oh and and anyone who say different is a fucking cancerous metalfaggot.

  109. Adrian Mc Coy says:

    Disregard that I suck cocks.

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