''Aske'' ( Norwegian for ''Ashes'') is an EP by Norwegian black metal solo project

Burzum Burzum (; ) is a Norwegian music project founded by former Mayhem member Varg Vikernes in 1991. Although Burzum never played live performances, it became a staple of the early Norwegian black metal scene and is considered one of the most infl ...

. Though recorded in April and August 1992, after ''

Det som engang var ''Det som engang var'' (Norwegian for ''What Once Was'') is the second studio album by the Norwegian black metal solo project Burzum. It was recorded in April 1992 and released in August 1993 through Burzum's own label, Cymophane Productions. ...

'', it was released before that album in March 1993, through

Deathlike Silence Productions Deathlike Silence Productions (DSP) was a Norwegian independent record label founded in Oslo in 1987 (initially as Posercorpse Music) that focused on black metal. DSP supported the Norwegian black metal scene in the early 1990s. Helvete was th ...

Background

The cover is a photograph of the

Fantoft Stave Church Fantoft Stave Church (; Nynorsk: ''Fantoft stavkyrkje'') is a reconstructed stave church in the Fana borough of the city of Bergen, Norway. History The church was originally built around the year 1150 at Fortun in Sogn, a village near the inne ...

after its

arson Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercr ...

on 6 June 1992.

Varg Vikernes Louis Cachet (born Kristian Vikernes; 11 February 1973), better known as Varg Vikernes (), is a Norwegian musician and author best known for his early black metal albums and later for his crimes. His first five records, released under the name Bu ...

was strongly suspected of burning the church, and the photograph is widely believed to have been taken by Vikernes himself. According to the official Burzum website, the cover photograph was taken by Are Mundal. In an interview, Mundal stated that Vikernes, a longtime friend, asked him to visit the site of the church shortly after the fire and take photographs, of which one became the album cover. Mundal was initially regarded as a suspect in the arson, but was cleared of all charges. Vikernes allegedly had the photos developed in Sweden in order to fend off suspicion. Bass guitar on two of the tracks is performed by

Samoth Samoth (born Tomas Thormodsæter Haugen, 9 June 1974) is a Norwegian guitarist and multi-instrumentalist in the country's black metal scene. He is well known for his distinct guitar work and drumming in the band Emperor, as well as his formati ...

of the band

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

. A tape version featuring the old title of the release ''Inn I Drømmens Slott'' (Norwegian for "Into the Castle of Dreams") were made by Varg and spread by him and Samoth, the album was initially intended to be released on Varg's personal label called "Burz-Nazg Prod" (later Cymophane) before the Deathlike Silence Prod. pressing.

Release

The first 1000 copies of ''Aske'' were packaged with a

lighter A lighter is a portable device which uses mechanical or electrical means to create a controlled flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of flammable items, such as cigarettes, butane gas, fireworks, candles, or campfires. A lighter typic ...

bearing the album cover's image of Fantoft Stave Church's remains. ''Aske'' was later re-released as ''Burzum / Aske'' alongside the songs from Burzum's debut album.

Track listing

Personnel

* Count Grishnackh –

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

(track 2),

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...

– bass (tracks 1, 3) *

Pytten Eirik Hundvin (born 8 February 1950), also known as Pytten, is a Norwegian producer, musician and recording engineer. He is widely known for producing and collaborating with influential acts in the Norwegian black metal scene, including Mayhem, Bu ...

– production

References

External links

Burzum "Aske" (mini-LP) 1993
at burzum.org {{Authority control Burzum albums 1993 EPs Black metal EPs Norwegian-language albums Arson in Norway