Burzum - Filosofem (Black Metal)

Varg Vikernes never seems to surrender to redundancies and compromises, and Burzum's fourth full-length album Filosofem is only further proof of that. Recorded in March 1993, and released on January 1st 1996, Filosofem sees the master of controlled chaos and atmosphere, Burzum, releasing their fourth opus, giving a nod to the masterful Hvis Lyset Tar Oss while altering their formula once again, this time towards a more ambient oriented album than its predecessor(s).

Described as the ultimate "anti-black metal" album by Varg Vikernes himself, Filosofem is an exercice in texture and layered themes and motifs clashing against each other, under the guidance of Burzum's extreme atmospheric song writing. Simple on an aesthetic level, but incredibly profound artistically and musically, Filosofem is the album that went on to influence thousands of Burzum clones throughout the globe.

There is a wretched sense of balance in Filosofem. The first half is arguably more hostile, more lively and infinitely more aggressive than the more ambient second, but even this detail further solidifies that Burzum is a true master of black metal songcraft. It's no secret that Burzum massively influenced the nascent Norwegian black metal scene, being the main influence behind bands like Darkthrone and Mayhem, and it should be noted that Burzum's music is also a key component behind modern black/death metal masterworks such as Phantom's Mindless Horror and Neraines' Fenrir Prowling (an album, supposedly, dedicated to Varg Vikernes).

A stellar release through and through, Filosofem is highly recommended to fans of black metal, and fans of metal music in general.