Entry 821 - Burzum - Filosofem

Style: Hypnotic black metal, ambient/dungeon synth

Primary Emotions/Themes: Entering a meditative state where I become one with the world around me

Thoughts: "Separate the art from the artist." A divisive saying if I've ever heard one, and yet it is fully applicable here. There are few people less infamous in all of metal than Varg. His list of offenses is long and involved and will not be recounted here. They do set the stage though for a moral decision. Can I enjoy the music of someone who has views such as his and done deeds as despicable as he has done?

Filosofem is the fourth full length of the Burzum project and sees Varg take his music to the logical conclusion of what was started on Hvis lyset tar oss. These songs are longer with the shortest one being just over seven minutes long... the longest being twenty five. The repeated riffs that come wave after wave have been refined and molded to make a much greater impression. 

The title track from the previous album hinted at this style, but the riffs were bland and overly repetitive for what they were. By contrast songs like Jesu dod take the same formula and reinvent it. The instead of the riff becoming annoying, it feels like it should go on forever. Instead of the vocals getting in the way of my enjoyment of the music, they have been pushed back and made slightly less agitating. 

The production ahs been muted somewhat as well. While this is obviously a black metal album, the production is slightly clearer than expected - especially considering the bands past. While still sounding behind a wall of fuzz, the production is decidedly more accessible. The instruments are clear and well defined, the vocals are mixed well, the drums - while not the clearest - server their purpose well and don't dominate the record in any way. In short, the production is well done and quite pleasing to the ears.

This then leaves the outlier on the album... the twenty five minute synth track. This is a direct extension of Tomhet from the previous album and could be considered an early form of dungeon synth - though to my ears it sounds more like an ambient track. The songwriting here remains the same as the rest of the album, albeit with different instruments. The melodies continue for lengthy periods of time with no change. They are never unpleasing to the ear, and often fade into the background as I'm going about my day. It's a bit of an outlier to the black metal on the remainder of the album.

Filosofem is Varg's magnum opus. It is easily digestible to anyone who has a taste for black metal, and will remain in my head for days at a time. Does this make it good enough for me to detach the man from his music? I don't know... the jury is still out. For the time being though this album is the only one of his I have in my collection, and it will likely remain that way for a long time.

Written May 16th 2024