Funeral Rain Press Corps

Genre: Black Metal
Label: Candlelight Records

Varg Vikernes needs no introduction. The man returns with his second album since his release from prison, and it’s everything one expects it to be: grim as fuck, while still pushing the boundaries of what black metal is and could be. Still seemingly not concerned with what anyone thinks, and stepping to the forefront of the genre with no fear, Varg delivers what could be his best album ever.
Fallen takes the listener through several moods, most of which is melancholy with a sense of hope, an anxiousness that is not generally one of Varg’s best known moods. It’s amazing to hear such music from the man, who has played some of the most bleak and misanthropic black metal ever.
I love Fallen, and eagerly await the next album.
10 out of 10.

Today, Moribund Records announces the signing of Spanish black metal inquisition Hrizg. Hrizg is the sole vision of its creator, also monikered Hrizg, and his first record for Moribund shall be Anthems to Decrepitude, set for release on May 3rd. This groundbreaking newcomer possesses a hideous spirit that resounds across times both modern and distant, and his Anthems to Decrepitude is a startling synthesis of sepulchral atmosphere and dynamic songwriting, all housed with an exquisitely morbid soundfield. Respectful of black metal’s past but committed to forging its future – heed Hrizg’s call and sing Anthems to Decrepitude!

Hrizg‘s bio, as explained by the man himself:
“I created Hrizg in 2005 as a one-man band of black metal in the old way, regarding influences from early albums of Satyricon, Mayhem, Dodheimsgard, Immortal, or Burzum – mainly in the old Norwegian vein, but I added my medieval and Celtic background so, Hrizg could sound a bit different, overall, by the vocal lines. I think the vocals are quite different from the typical black metal screams.

“I recorded two rehearsal songs with a session drummer called Misanthate – who played in several bands like Eldereon, Daemonlord, Flowing Crimson, Spawned and Detriment Sorrow – but this collaboration finished in these songs. Just after it, I made some more by myself, and I released it under the name of Oaken Path of Grief in 2006 on Varjot Productions, from Finland. They released 300 copies in tape format. This same year, I contacted Wraith Productions. They offered me to release this stuff in CD format, and that happened in 2007. After that, Wulfrune Rexxx re-released the tape version of this album, but all this stuff is sold out now.

“In 2007, I recorded two demos and one video-clip of the track ‘Si Vis Pacem Parabellum,’ taken from the Enemy of Weakness demo, which was out on split tape with Mortuus Caelum (Greece), through the Spanish label Final Embrace Records. After some other demos with no release, I recorded Anthems to Decrepitude in the last days of 2008. Anyway, the mix sessions took part in early 2009. In 2010, I released this stuff through my own demo label, Morbid Shrine Productions, and I sent a promo CD to Odin Thompson [Moribund label boss], and he offered me to release it in CD.

“This is my official discography:
- Oaken Path of Grief (full length), 2007
- Enemy of Weakness (demo), 2008
- Anthems to Decrepitude (Full length), 2011

“All my demos are still with no release, but some of them will be out this year, I hope.

“My goal is to make music and release it with a serious label. I waste a lot of time writing and producing my songs and writing all my lyrics, which are full of symbolism and meaning in the esoteric and Luciferian way, and taking some influences of religion, myths and Celtic history. I try to exteriorize all my hate and negative feelings through music, too, but not all – I leave something for the daily life! I would like to make gigs, too, but I guess that’s very difficult now, and really, that’s not very important for me.”

Fallen, the eighth album from Burzum, will be released in North America on April 5. The album is the second to be released via Varg Vikernes’ imprint Byelobog Productions (via Candlelight for the territory). Fallen features seven new compositions by the controversial Norwegian musician, each adding another storied journey to the celebrated Burzum legacy.

Vikernes says of the new album, “Musically, Fallen is a cross between Belus and something new, inspired more by the debut album and Det Som Engang Var than by Hvis Lyset Tar Oss or Filosofem. The sound is more dynamic. We mastered the album as if it was classical music and I was more experimental than I was on Belus in all respects. Lyrically it is similar to the debut album, in the way that it is more personal and focuses on existential issues. But the mythological undertone known from Belus is still there. I have also included some ambient tracks, a short introduction and a longer conclusion.”

Fallen features artwork from renowned French painter William Adolphe Bouguereau. It is a striking contrast to art Vikernes has used for his albums in the past. He comments, “the cover is part of a painting called “Elegy”. I used it in this context because the album deals with the concept of falling, not least in a metaphysical sense. By definition, ‘elegy’ means a mournful, melancholy, or plaintive poem. It is a funeral song or a lament for the dead. It is a poem written in elegiac meter or a sad or mournful musical composition.”

Many credit Burzum with influencing much of modern-day black metal. While his music has traveled roads often far removed from what many consider black metal to be (with parts ambient, electronic, and more), his compositions have immediately been taken to heart by countless legions of fans the world over. It is a “no fear” mentality that has made Varg Vikernes both an idol and a bastard.

Said Metal Army of 2010’s Belus, “Whatever you might think of Varg Vikernes, it’s impossible to deny the depressive brilliance of Belus, which recalls his classic albums Filosofem and Hvis Lyset Tar Oss yet shows a marked increase of maturity.” Fallen is the second album from the controversial recording artist since his release from the chains that bound him for nearly two decades. It is the first album from the musician to benefit from a proper North American release.

Burzum was founded in 1991 by Vikernes. Under the pen name Count Grishnackh, the youthful musician quickly recorded four albums. During his lengthy incarceration, Vikernes recorded two additional albums, thus completing his initial series of compositions. Released from captivity in 2009, Vikernes immediately set out on a new path of creativity and quickly recorded/released Belus on his own label imprint, Byelobog Productions. Both CD and vinyl pressings of Belus quickly sold out with repressings of the album not coming quick enough to keep up with demand. Decibel Magazine featured a candid cover story with the musician while Guitar World and other key Stateside magazines lined up for interview opportunities. He graced the cover of England’s Terrorizer and several other key international magazines.

Fallen Tracklisting:
1. Fra Verdenstreet
2. Jeg Faller
3. Valen
4. Vanvidd
5. Enhver til Sitt
6. Budstikken
7. Til Hel Og Tilbake Igjen

Genre: Black Metal
Label: Byelobog Productions

The newest Burzum album, Belus, is a striking tour de force. Musically, it could be one of Varg’s best ‘metal’ albums, with fast riffs and beautiful atmospheres.
Lyrically, it is the story of Belus, the sun god, and his rise and fall.
It sounds, together, like classic Burzum, but better. Varg has stated that he did do some actual production on the album, to make it sound bigger and better, and it shows. Don’t get me wrong though, Varg did not sell out and make some huge budget waste of plastic. This disc is still raw as fuck, but it’s tempered.
Just listen to it and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
A great album, right up there with Hvis Lyset Tar Oss and Filosofem, Belus is a definite favourite for me.
10 out of 10.

Burzum on MySpace.