Artist

Burzum

Norwegian black metal

Norway • Formed 1991

Burzum is a music group from Norway, active since 1991. Their discography on Gatefold includes 17 records.

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Albums tracked

In collections

1991

Since

Biography

Burzum was a Norwegian black metal music project founded by Varg Vikernes in 1991. Although Burzum never played live performances, it became a part of the early Norwegian black metal scene and is considered one of the most influential acts in black metal's history. Vikernes has also released four dark ambient and neofolk albums. The word "burzum" means "darkness" in the black speech, a fictional language crafted by The Lord of the Rings writer J. R.

The Arc of Burzum

The pivots — what forced Burzum to reinvent.

The Grieghallen Sessions
Between '92 and '93, Varg banged out his most essential material in a feverish run at Grieghallen with Pytten behind the desk. These sessions defined the second wave of black metal, trading technical proficiency for a raw, cavernous atmosphere that felt physically cold. You hear it in the way the drums bleed into the guitar tracks, creating a wall of hiss that felt more like a field recording than a studio album.
The MIDI Incarceration
After the murder of Euronymous and the church arsons, the project was forced into a total gear reset inside a prison cell. Stripped of his guitar and drums, Varg turned to a basic synthesizer and a tape recorder to produce 'Dauði Baldrs' and 'Hliðskjálf'. It was a jarring shift to dungeon synth that pissed off the purists, but it laid the groundwork for an entire subgenre of lo-fi ambient music.
The Belus Return
Released after his parole in 2009, 'Belus' saw a return to the guitar-driven sound but with a cleaner, more controlled production style that lacked the jagged edges of the early nineties. The frantic, screeching vocals were replaced by a more rhythmic, spoken delivery that reflected a guy who had spent fifteen years in a cage. It was technically better played, but it lost the chaotic magic that made the Grieghallen tapes so dangerous.

Influences

Bathory — Varg has cited Quorthon as the primary blueprint for the one-man band format. You hear it in the epic, pagan pacing of the later tracks and the flat, dry drum production on the early demos. It’s the foundational DNA of the entire Norse sound.
Celtic Frost — The 'Ugh!' grunts and the mid-tempo, dragging riffs on the self-titled debut are direct descendants of Tom G. Warrior's work on 'Morbid Tales'. He took that primitive Swiss filth and stretched it out into something more atmospheric. It’s the bridge between old-school thrash and true black metal.
Von — The extreme minimalism and repetitive three-note riffs that define 'Transilvanian Hunger'-era writing were heavily informed by this San Francisco cult act. Varg admitted the sheer simplicity of their 'Satanic Blood' demo changed his approach to songwriting. It’s why those early Burzum tracks feel like they’re stuck in a loop.
Thorns — Snorre Ruch’s cold, dissonant guitar style on the 'Grymyrk' tape was the secret sauce for every musician in the Bergen and Oslo circles. Varg picked up those specific chord voicings and the 'cold' ringing notes that became his signature. Without Snorre, that specific Norwegian guitar tone doesn't exist.
Dead Can Dance — The atmospheric, non-metal elements of the project were heavily influenced by the neoclassical and darkwave vibes of Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard. You hear it in the droning, ritualistic synth passages that break up the black metal assaults. It provided the high-brow gloom that separated him from the typical Satanic acts.