2010 re-release on Varg Vikernes own label with new liner noteswritten by Varg himself. This album features the original coverartwork inside with a slipcase featuring brand new exclusiveartwork outside

Det som engang var, what once was What an oddly appropriatetitle for this masterful release. Odd because at the time of itsrelease, the title didnt bare any relevance to the state of thisband, but as time went on it became more and more fitting. For itseems that Burzum will never again record anything quite like thisalbum, Varg has moved on to new territories and it seems he isntlooking back. However, this is by far my favorite work of his, asthe sound here a much more matured and refined version of the stylefeatured on his self-titled album and the Aske EP. So fittinglythis is what once was of Burzum, and sadly, what may never beagain. Of this albums purely musical qualities, the guitar work isby far the best. Varg uses a variety of different techniques,creating quite a few distinctive groups of excellent riffs andleads that are all different enough from one another to truly makethe album sound diverse but not so much that it falls apart. Muchof this album consists of rather traditional sounding chordprogressions that have a clear first wave black metal influence,yet this seems to be forgotten by many of its critics. One canclearly hear the Celtic Frost influences pouring from Vargs guitarin songs such as Key to the Gate and Lost Wisdom, for example. Themost prominent techniques used here, and the one this album is mostfamous for, is the slower, depressive (as it has come to be known)style. Varg uses this to create compelling riffs that truly shineby being as dark as possible; thriving on an unforgiving sense ofdissonant minimalism. While these certainly dont take as much sheerguitar skill to play as the aforementioned first wave riffs, theyare so skillfully crafted that they strike me with amazement everytime I listen to this. Other times Varg takes the same minimalstyle but puts a consonant twist on it, creating absolutelymagnificent lead melodies that flow through the songs with analmost indescribable beauty. All these styles contrast nicely witheach other. The more overtly consonant melodies dramatically clashwith the dismally dissonant ones and the somewhat lively first waveriffs with the depressive ones. Another big knock on this album isabout Vargs somewhat odd vocal presentation. He uses a ratherexaggerated scream that is quite high-pitched and raspy, and attimes, sounds as if he is actually groaning in pain. Some may callit melodramatic or overdone. It accompanies the guitars and theoverall atmosphere of this album very well, as all of them are verypassionate and emotional. During some of the slower songs, he alsouses a deep, dark but clean singing voice, and this sounds great aswell. In addition to the black metal tracks, there are three darkambient songs on this album, all of which are of about the samequality. They all carry more or less the same aesthetics and workin the same ways that the black metal songs do, having thatexcellent isolative atmosphere. However, all three are constructedquite differently. But from the somber, slow-moving Den OndeKysten, to the epic grandeur of Han Som Reiste, to Svarte Tronerdissonant industrially tinged soundscapes, no one of these songsare any less than excellent. All of them showcase Vargs talents forcreating brilliant ambient melodies and deeply immersiveatmospheres (both of which would be shown even more later on inVargs career with his two entirely ambient albums). Although, Imust admit, all of these tracks sound very synthetic, Im guessingthe keyboard he used was of pretty poor quality. This is a stunningpiece of music of incredibly high quality. The guitar work, thevocals, the song-writing, the ambient pieces, and the overallatmosphere; all the elements work perfectly on their own andtogether, creating one of the most engaging listening experiencesever.

Track listing:
1. Onde Kysten
2. Key To The Gate
3. En Ring Til Aa Herske
4. Lost Wisdom
5. Han Som Reiste
6. Naar Himmelen Klarner
7. Snu Mikrokosmos Tegn
8. Svarte Troner

Condition cover: nm

Condition cd:nm

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