Search - Burzum :: Hlidskjalf

Better than i expected

Justin | New Jersey | 01/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"while it is certainly too short at 33 minutes, hlidskjalf really is a good and diverse record, with a good booklet and atmosphere. some of the keys sound a bit cheesey, but i can forgive it because of the circumstance (done in jail).



the music is enirely keyboard driven, but with some good drums (electronic of course) in some parts. it isn't just a long midi rambling, there are some very different parts/songs on here, from the bombastic sounds of Ausuzgardaraiwo, to the very minimal and quiet tracks like Der Weinende Hadnur and Frijos Einsames Trauern. the entire thing is drenched with mythological themes, and comes off quite melancholy.



all in all, this record comes closer to the definition of minimal darkwave than it does to true ambient. i would recomend this as a first ambient or minimal electronic record as well, because it does have a lot of variation, and isn't as boring as some other albums i can think of (you don't have to be so much in an ambient mood to play it.) not that this is the absolute best, but it is a very good record."

Dark, bleak and crushingly beautiful

Chris 'raging bill' Burton | either Kent or Manchester, United Kingdom | 12/21/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In my mind, this album is a testament to Vickernes' ability to single handedly make cold, bleak music that reflects his dark, warped mind. Now that he's incarcerated he only has access to a synthesiser to carry on making music, but I wondor if he'd have made this sort of music anyway. Burzum was one of the greatest black metal bands of the 90s, and it deserves that title due to its bleak emtional sound that so many black metal bands didn't have. And even though the distorted guitars and the tortured screams are gone, Varg still manages to convey those feelings with a digital synthesiser. It could have come off sounding cheesy (if not downright stupid) had it been attempted by most other people. But once again Varg proves he is capable of capturing moods where most people wouldn't know where to start.



The instrumentation is very sparse and simple for the most part, but then Burzum always has been. That's the beauty of it. What he does with it is what is important. Here he has created an ambient abstract album with an incredible feel. If you can get past the crude sounding keyboard, you'll find an album that slowly reveals itself to you over time and captures your imagination like few others."