There are gaps in the tape of reality. There are dimensions best left unexplored; formless things and forces in this universe best not fucked with; demons that eat your mind like a maggots in corpse. Such are the dangers when a Burzum onslaught in consummated. Oh, yes, we had Burzum night. Oh yes, the music of the Dark Lord Grishnachk was contemplated. But, as I stated, there are gapes. The present reality melts in a disarray, the center does not hold. Weird Things happened that night, and yet there is no accounting for all that transpired. It is a blur. Perhaps Demon Scourge can clear up a few things.
The past is as much a mystery as the future. Who can say what shaped the events that happen to you? The past can reach its icy hand out and grasp you anywhere on this endless time continuum we are caught inside. The death of Zodron the minstrel set into motion a chain of events that reverberates to this moment as our party spends its third day in the forest of Samur. Our guide, Master Raknar has led us to a spot deep within the cool canopy of ancient trees where the wyverns we seek utilize a convergence of natural energy sources to perform their magical works. Bloodmace and I need to convince one of these noble beasts to give us a portion of their royal blood to anoint the charms that we fashioned from the skull of Zodron. We were forced to destroy his body when he was possessed by our foe, Lord Hedron of Dantor. We are joined on this quest by the terrible duo from beyond the burning sands of the Time Desert, Hellmaster and Lady Deathcrush, who just recently saved us from doom at the hands of reptilian hordes. Also joining us is Nactan the wanderer, who aided us in our battle with the yerda creatures of northern Jenkabala .
For the uninitiated and ignorant, Burzum is the one man band of convicted murderer and crypto-nazi Varg Vikernes, who spent 16 years in a Norwegian prison for the murder of his fellow Mayhem bandmate Øystein Aarseth aka Euronymous. His music a truly a reflection of the soul and mystical philosophy of a true sociopath, but his music is compelling beyond the mere tabloid aspect of his story. Burzum is a true pioneer of Norwegian Black Metal, and has inspired countless corpse painted imitators.
First, we checked out Burzum's latest offering, 2011's 'From the Depths of Darkness', a collection of re-recorded songs from the first two albums, 'Burzum' and Det Som Engang Var'. Gone is the lo-fi aesthetic by 'true cvlt' fantatics. The songs are richer, more vicious, more powerful for it, though they do lose a certain grim atmosphere that made the first albums so charming. Sonicly, for better or for worst, would sound like the natural successor of the next album we listened to. True cvlt fundamentalist fans are undoubtedly howling in despair.
Now it’s night and our party has come to rest in this cathedral of leaf and limb. Master Raknar places another log on the fire and briefs Bloodmace and I on our route for the next day. Hellmaster and Deathcrush have retired to their makeshift sweat lodge where they are meditating and working magic. I search the firelight’s perimeter for Nactan but he has wandered off into the night, as usual. Movements in the shadows bring our group to attention. The deep shadows on the northern side of our camp begin to swirl together and slowly they begin to take form. Clouds of black congeal into a purple cloaked human form. Tolar the mystic! Our friend is still a bit blurry from the transition into the physical world, but we can clearly see he wears the corpsepaint of battle. This is a serious matter and we await his words, but no words come. The fire’s flame burns brighter and leaps upward, as if to singe the branches that shield it from the sky. From the very air comes the sound of Burzum, and our ears burn with the white hot melodies, half- remembered tunes from before the weird cataclysm that turned our world into an ocean and most of our forest into the Time Desert. The fearsome, grimacing Tolar turns his gaze on Bloodmace. Eyes locked together, the weird mystic begins quietly speaking, “The desert is growing. His face is with you even now.” Almost whispering, he comes closer. “His face is with you, with you. Call the door with seven.” His eyes open wide, almost peeling back. His voice raises to an evil, trollish screech. “Seven sacrifices! Seven eternities in doom! Beware your past!” A terrible, inhuman wail rises from all around, becoming a hellish choir. Blood gushes up from the ground, extinguishing the fire. A thick, silent jelly engulfs my being and the last thing I hear is the voice of Bloodmace. “Sweeet, I gotta learn that one”
I open my eyes in a state of battle, sunlight blinding me. Swinging, lunging, and falling at nothing.
Darkness.
I awaken once again on the ground near the still smoldering fire from last night.
Wait….last night…A deep voice addresses me, “Demon Scourge?” I look up to discover a pointed, dragon-like head. Fearsome, noble eyes stare out at me. The Wyvern has found us.
'Fallen', released earlier in 2011, is Burzum's latest collection of original music. This is much more mature, forward thinking Burzum than his previous offering, his first post-prison album 'Belus'. Returning is the experimental ambient nature of his older material, but new his the sense of dynamics, especially in the vocal department. The familiar (if aged)screech is there, but spoken and half sung parts find their way into the mix. As always, the guitar work is intriguing, not so bludgeoning and slicing as mesmerizing.
The future is a mystery of the past. Now is a riddle solved tomorrow by looking at yesterday, and so it goes down the line. We hunted our prey in the forests of Samur, but we were the quarry in a larger game. Who was with us in the forest last night? Even now those words echo in my head. Were they help from a friend or a warning from the unseen tyrant? Lord Headron has vanished to the world, but only to grow stronger in his moldering keep, hidden within forests of dream. His forces are legion and oppress the lands of Samur and the northern peninsula mercilessly, forcing obedience to their puritanical religion with deadly force. HEDRON! You will tremble when you stand before the treacherous posse gathered against you! Your kingdom of fear is about to topple and we will mosh on its ashes! Until next week metal breathren, HORNS UP!
We would have liked to have heard more of the album, but when you fuck with demonic forces this powerful and evil, when you piss off the Nordic gods just once too often, unpredictable elements begin to take hold. Couches are stabbed. Cats are harassed. Liquor is consumed in ridiculous quantities. Psychosis rules the night. We had to get our mystic home. Thus ends this edition of Metal Night.
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