Burzum - Belus Review

Burzum - Belus
Full-length, Byelobog Productions/PHD, March 8th, 2010

This is undoubtedly the most anticipated record in black metal for well over a decade. While many of the reviews I have already seen of it are either wholly praising or bashing the album, it is safe to say there is no real middle ground in regards to this record (or Varg himself). While many fans were anticipating some more akin to his older works, many of us knew that this simply was not possible. How could some one who has been imprisoned for all that time come out and make the same thing he made in his youth? He simply could not, people change a great deal of time and Belus is a key testament to that. While listening to this album there is one thing that is undeniable; this is a Burzum record, plain and simple. Everything that made Burzum who he was is still intact, just refined a bit and presented in a new fashion.

The simple yet breathtakingly hypnotic riffing is still used, the simple, short-cycled drum rhythms and the underpinning counterpoint bass are all still here. The only real difference is the vocals, the vocals are very much like the ones presented on Filosofem, just without all the distortion and thin production. Another big difference is the usage of clean vocals and while Varg did hint to these on older recordings, they are much more prevalent on Belus.

Everything presented here is classic Burzum, funneled through the filter of a much older (and maybe calmer?) man. To these ears, this album was a step right back into the 90s and seems like a perfectly logical follow up to the mind-bending masterpiece that was Filosofem. Its almost as if time had stopped for all these years and Varg managed to pick up exactly where he left off before his imprisonment, just channeled through the spirit of an older, possibly more wise person.

One of the biggest changes outside of the vocals is the production. Gone are the old, cavernous and cold sounding recordings of the past. That production is replaced with a shockingly warm and thick sounding record that works quite well with the new material. This album is not overproduced by any means, but is clear, warm and has a depth that is much different than his earlier works.

On numerous forums I have seen lashings about the possible use of a drum machine and the album being home recorded. To that I say, even if both of those were true, would it really matter? It seems many people have been inclined to use any little thing to mar this record that they can. To me, it makes no difference. I could care less if he used a drum machine or recorded it at home, simply for the fact that this is the Burzum record I had very much wanted to hear. I did not have high hopes for this album at all, but even upon the first listen I was convinced that Belus truly was and is something special.

Aside from Sverddans (which is a good track, just a bit out of place amongst the rest of the album), I do not think Varg could have recorded a better 'comeback' album. It continues the past tradition of Burzum, but adds new dimensions and facets that are very much fitting to the record. For some it may take many listens to the album before they get what is really happening here, but the time invested is definitely worth it. A truly outstanding album, as only Varg could have presented it.

Reviewed by E. - 9/10