It is only been one year since Burzum released
Belus, its first album since Varg Vikernes reentered his beloved free modern
civilization. Brand new Fallen is thus as far as I know thoroughly composed
during the last year; this new production is, as usual, recorded in Burzum's
and many early black metal bands' fetish studio, the Grieghallen. The extensive
list of instruments (featured on the website) used in this recording proves once
again that in Burzum nothing is done randomly.
The new album is mastered like classical music, which obviously influences its
dynamic.
The compositions are enclosed between "Fra verdenstreet" (I believe a reference
to
Yggdrasil, the "Tree of Life") and "Til Hel og tilbake igjen" ("To Hel and back
again"). There is clearly a red thread through the record, underlined by some
insisting, though simple, sometimes clumsy lyrics.
The fact that Fallen is meant to be more experimental I have to confess I can't
really hear
on this record, let alone a couple of new ways of interpreting moods, as created
by the drums used in "Til Hel og tilbake igjen", the album's longer outro. The
rest is a light, nude, slightly clinical mid-tempo black-metal.
Especially those who have "Det som engang var" as their favourite will rejoice.
The choice of the detail of Bouguerau's "Elegy" as artwork exhales classical
romanticism and completes the mood vehiculated by the lyrics magnificently.
