Burzum (; ) is a Norwegian music project founded by former Mayhem member

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 ...

in 1991. Although Burzum never played live performances, it became a staple of the

early Norwegian black metal scene The early Norwegian black metal scene of the 1990s is credited with shaping the modern black metal genre and producing some of the most acclaimed and influential artists in extreme metal. The scene had a distinct ethos, and its core members ref ...

and is considered one of the most influential acts in

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with tr ...

's history. The word "burzum" means "darkness" in the

Black Speech The Black Speech is one of the fictional languages constructed by J. R. R. Tolkien for his legendarium, where it was spoken in the evil realm of Mordor. In the fiction, Tolkien describes the language as created by Sauron as a cons ...

, a

fictional language Fictional languages are the subset of constructed languages (conlangs) that have been created as part of a fictional setting (e.g. for use in a book, movie, television show, or video game). Typically they are the creation of one individual, while ...

crafted by ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high fantasy novel written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book ''The Hobbit'' but eventually d ...

'' writer

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson ...

. Burzum's lyrics and imagery are often inspired by fantasy and

Norse mythology Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology, is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia as the Nordic folklore of the modern period. The ...

. Vikernes founded Burzum in 1991 and recorded the first four Burzum albums between January 1992 and March 1993. From 1994 to 2009, Vikernes was imprisoned for the murder of Mayhem guitarist Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth and the arson of eight churches. While imprisoned, he recorded two

dark ambient Dark ambient (referred to as ambient industrial especially in the 1980s) is a genre of post-industrial musicReed, Alexander: ''Assimilate: A Critical History of Industrial Music'', Oxford University Press, 2013, , p. 190 that features an ominous, ...

albums using only

synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

s, as he had no access to drums, guitar, or bass. Since his release from prison in 2009, he has recorded several more albums, including those in the dark ambient and

neofolk Neofolk, also known as apocalyptic folk, is a form of experimental music blending elements of folk and industrial music, which emerged in punk rock circles in the 1980s. Neofolk may either be solely acoustic or combine acoustic folk instrume ...

genres. Vikernes ended the Burzum project in 2020 before announcing a new album in 2024.

History

Early years (1988–1992)

Varg Vikernes began making music in 1988 with the band Kalashnikov. The following year, the name was changed to Uruk-Hai, after

the creatures The Creatures were an English band formed in 1981 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and drummer Budgie both members of the group Siouxsie and the Banshees. Their music, initially based on drums and voice, evolved over the years. The Creatures releas ...

from

's ''

''. In 1990 and 1991, Vikernes played guitar for the

death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...

band Old Funeral, which also consisted of members who would later form the band

Immortal Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Immortal or Immortality may also refer to: Film * ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film * ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film '' The Wisdom of ...

. He appears on the Old Funeral EP ''Devoured Carcass''. Vikernes left Old Funeral in 1991 to concentrate on creating his own musical visions. He had a short-lived project called Satanel, along with Abbath Doom Occulta. He then began a solo project under the name Burzum. The word "burzum" means "darkness" in the

, a language crafted by Tolkien. Soon after recording two demo tapes, he became part of the Norwegian black metal scene. With his demo tapes, he had attracted attention from Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth of Mayhem, who had just recently formed Deathlike Silence Productions. Aarseth then signed Burzum to the label, and shortly after, Vikernes―under the pseudonym of Count Grishnackh (another name adapted from ''The Lord of the Rings'')―began to record Burzum's self-titled debut album. According to Vikernes' autobiography on his website, he had intended to record the album in the worst recording quality possible (due to this being a typical trademark of the early Norwegian black metal scene), while still making it sound acceptable. Burzum's eponymous debut album was released in 1992, being the second album released on Deathlike Silence Productions. The song "War" from this album had a guest appearance from Euronymous, playing a guitar solo "just for fun", according to Vikernes. Vikernes has stated that he had never played any live shows with Burzum, though at one point was interested in it, so Samoth of Emperor accompanied him as a session bassist, though only appearing on the '' Aske'' EP. Additionally, Erik Lancelot was hired to be the band's drummer, though did not record on any Burzum material, and along with Samoth did not play a live show. Vikernes had by then lost his interest in playing live concerts, and stated that he "didn't even need session musicians anymore". Therefore, Samoth and Lancelot had parted ways with Burzum. ''

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. ...

'' was released as Burzum's second album in 1993, recorded in 1992.

Imprisonment (1993–2009)

May 1994 saw the release of ''

Hvis lyset tar oss ''Hvis lyset tar oss'' (Norwegian language, Norwegian for ''If the Light Takes Us'') is the third studio album by Norwegian black metal solo project Burzum. It was recorded in September 1992, but not released until April 1994, through Misanthrop ...

'', a new album of previously recorded material from 1992. Burzum remained as a solo project until 1994, when Vikernes was arrested for the murder of

Euronymous Øystein Aarseth (22 March 1968 – 10 August 1993), better known by his stage name Euronymous, was a Norwegian musician and a founder of and central figure in the early Norwegian black metal scene. He was a co-founder and guitarist of the No ...

and the burnings of several churches in Norway. During his time in prison, Vikernes released his next album, titled '' Filosofem'', on 1 January 1996. Recorded in March 1993, ''Filosofem'' was the last recording Vikernes made before his imprisonment. ''Burzum / Aske'', a compilation comprising the ''Burzum'' album and ''Aske'' EP, was released in 1995. While imprisoned, Vikernes managed to record two other albums in a

style. They were released as '' Dauði Baldrs'' (1997) and '' Hliðskjálf'' (1999). Both of these albums were created with a synthesizer, as Vikernes was prohibited from using any other instruments in prison. In 1998, all Burzum albums released up to that point were re-released as vinyl picture discs in a special box set called ''1992–1997''; however ''Filosofem'' did not contain "Rundtgåing av den transcendentale egenhetens støtte" due to its length. The regular vinyl issue of ''Filosofem'' on Misanthropy was a double album, containing tracks 1–3 on the A-side, the "Decrepitude" tracks on side 2 and "Rundtgåing av den transcendentale egenhetens støtte" on side 3, with an etched D-side.

Post-imprisonment and retirement (2009–2020)

Soon after being released, Vikernes started writing new tracks (nine metal tracks and an ambient intro and outro) for an upcoming Burzum album. According to Vikernes' recounts, several record companies were interested in releasing his first album in eleven years. He stated about the new album, "I want to take my time, and make it the way I want it. It will be metal, and the fans can expect genuine Burzum." The album was going to be originally titled ''Den hvite guden'' (''The White God''), but he later decided to change it to '' Belus'', which was released by the independent record label Byelobog Productions (''byelobog'' is the transliteration of "''белобог''" in Slavic languages, meaning 'white god', Belobog) on 8 March 2010. It was also announced that a movie would be released in 2010, based on Varg Vikernes' life in the early 1990s. The movie would mainly draw inspiration from the book '' Lords of Chaos'', with the film being of the same name. Vikernes expressed his contempt towards both the movie and the book upon which it is based. A second new album of original Burzum material, '' Fallen'', was released on 7 March 2011, followed by a compilation album, ''

From the Depths of Darkness ''From the Depths of Darkness'' is a compilation album by one-man musical project Burzum, released on 6 December 2011 through Byelobog Productions. It consists of newly re-recorded tracks from Burzum's first two albums, ''Burzum'' (1992) and ''De ...

'', containing re-recordings of tracks from Burzum's self-titled album and ''Det som engang var'', on 28 November 2011. A third new studio album of original material, titled ''

Umskiptar ''Umskiptar'' (Old Norse for ''Metamorphosis'') is the ninth studio album by the Norwegian one-man band Burzum, released on 21 May 2012 through Byelobog Productions. '' Sôl austan, Mâni vestan'' ("East of the Sun, West of the Moon"), Burzum's first electronic album since 1999, was released in May 2013. On 27 April 2013, a song was posted on the official YouTube channel of Vikernes, titled "Back to the Shadows". In a blog post, Vikernes stated that "Back to the Shadows" would be the last metal track released by Burzum. Another album, '' The Ways of Yore,'' was released in June 2014. After a period of inactivity, Vikernes posted a video on his YouTube account in June 2018 announcing that "

e had E, or e, is the fifth Letter (alphabet), letter and the second vowel#Written vowels, vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others wo ...

moved on

rom Burzum Rom, or ROM may refer to: Biomechanics and medicine * Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient * Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac * R ...

, saying "bye bye" to the project. In July 2018, a YouTube user named Hermann posted unreleased materials of Uruk-Hai from 1988 to 1990 and Burzum's Bergen prison recordings from 1994, which he received from Tiziana Stupia. In October 2019, Vikernes posted a tweet saying he intended to release another album as Burzum. He announced that the tentative name of the album would be ''Thulêan Mysteries'', which would have 23 songs. The tracks from the album were previously used as background music on Vikernes' YouTube channel, which was taken down the same year. Vikernes also said that the music of ''Thulêan Mysteries'' is meant to be used as a background soundtrack for his MYFAROG

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out ...

. On 18 December, Vikernes tweeted the album cover for ''Thulêan Mysteries'' and announced its release date as 13 March 2020. Vikernes has stated it would be Burzum's last album at the time.

"Burzum (NEW)" (2023–2024, 2025-present)

On 8 September 2023, Vikernes released a new song titled "The Reincarnation of Ódinn". In April 2024, Vikernes announced the return of the project on his X account, with a new album titled "The Land of Thulê". It is the first metal album since ''

Umskiptar ''Umskiptar'' (Old Norse for ''Metamorphosis'') is the ninth studio album by the Norwegian one-man band Burzum, released on 21 May 2012 through Byelobog Productions.

Musical style

Burzum's music includes both straightforward

as well as

and neo-medieval music. It is often minimalist and dark, with repetition and simple song structures. Vikernes has described Burzum as a kind of "spell" or recreation of an imaginary world tied in with Pagan history. Each album, he claims, was designed as a kind of "spell" in itself, with each beginning song intending to make the listener more susceptible to "magic", the following songs to inspire a "trance-like state of mind", and the last song to carry the listener into a "world of fantasy" (dreams, for the listener would fall asleep—Burzum was supposed to have been evening music). Vikernes claims the intent to create this fantasy world came from dissatisfaction with the real world. He has stated the "message" of Burzum can be found in the lyrics of the first song of the first album ("Feeble Screams from Forests Unknown"). Burzum's lyrics and imagery are often inspired by fantasy and

, and do not feature the far-right political views Vikernes is known for. In a 2010 interview, Vikernes said: "Burzum is not a political or religious band, or even an anti-religious band. Burzum is music; art if you like, and the interpretation of art lies in the eye of the beholder. I might be Nordic, heterosexual and have a Pagan ideology myself, but why would I expect the fans of my music to be just like me?". Despite the project's apolitical nature, Burzum is included on Meta's Dangerous Individuals and Organizations list. Burzum's early work was influenced by

Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson ...

; for example, Vikernes' early moniker "Count Grishnackh" is taken from an orc character called Grishnákh in Tolkien's works. ''Burzum'' is a word of the

Mordor In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional continent of Middle-earth, Mordor (; from Sindarin ''Black Land'' and Quenya ''Land of Shadow'') is a dark realm. It lay to the east of Gondor and the great river Anduin, and to the south of Mirkwood. Mount ...

meaning "darkness" (though Vikernes views what Christians consider "darkness" as "light"), and is inscribed on the

One Ring The One Ring, also called the Ruling Ring and Isildur's Bane, is a central plot element in J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings'' (1954–55). It first appeared in the earlier story '' The Hobbit'' (1937) as a magic ring that grants the ...

in Tolkien's ''

''.

Influences and legacy

Vikernes said that the German thrash metal band

Destruction Destruction may refer to: Concepts * Destruktion, a term from the philosophy of Martin Heidegger * Destructive narcissism, a pathological form of narcissism * Self-destructive behaviour, a widely used phrase that ''conceptualises'' certain kin ...

"changed my approach towards playing my instrument" despite having only discovered them in 1991. In a 1996 interview with ''Terrorizer'', Vikernes also named Bathory's ''

Blood Fire Death ''Blood Fire Death'' is the fourth studio album by Swedish extreme metal band Bathory. It was released in October 1988, through Music for Nations sublabel, Under One Flag. The album, although mostly black metal, includes some of the first exam ...

'' and

Celtic Frost Celtic Frost () was a Swiss metal music, heavy metal band from Zürich. They are remembered for their strong influence on the development of several metal subgenres, particularly extreme metal,Bukszpan, Daniel. ''The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal' ...

's '' Morbid Tales'' as significant influences on Burzum. He credited

Dead Can Dance Dead Can Dance are a British-Australian band founded in Melbourne in 1981 by Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard, before relocating to London the following year. The Australian music historian Ian McFarlane described Dead Can Dance's style as "const ...

's ''

Within the Realm of a Dying Sun ''Within the Realm of a Dying Sun'' is the third studio album by Australian band Dead Can Dance. It was released on 27 July 1987 by 4AD. Background By this time, Dead Can Dance were predominantly a duo of Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry, alon ...

'' for being one of Burzum's first non-metal influences. Other non-metal artists he has cited as influence include

the Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Crawley in 1976 by Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) and Lol Tolhurst (drums). The band's current line-up comprises Smith, Perry Bamonte (guitar and keyboards), Reev ...

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...

and New Order. In 2011, Vikernes said that he no longer kept up with new black metal bands and listened mostly to the Cure instead. Burzum is widely considered to be the most influential act in black metal history. Bands that have listed Burzum as an influence include

Deafheaven Deafheaven is an American black metal band formed in 2010. Originally based in San Francisco, the group began as a two-piece with singer George Clarke and guitarist Kerry McCoy (musician), Kerry McCoy, who recorded and self-released Demo (Deafh ...

Liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...

, Wolves in the Throne Room and Altar of Plagues. The project has also inspired musicians from other genres, including

Chelsea Wolfe Chelsea Joy Wolfe (born November 14, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Her work blends elements of gothic rock, doom metal, and folk music, folk. Growing up in Northern California with a country musician father, Wolfe began ...

, Mount Eerie,

Thurston Moore Thurston Joseph Moore (born July 25, 1958) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter best known as a member of the rock band Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside Sonic Youth, as well as running ...

, and Vision Eternel.

Discography

Main releases * ''

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 ...

'' (1992) * ''

'' (1993) * ''

'' (1994) * '' Filosofem'' (1996) * '' Dauði Baldrs'' (1997) * '' Hliðskjálf'' (1999) * '' Belus'' (2010) * '' Fallen'' (2011) * ''

Umskiptar ''Umskiptar'' (Old Norse for ''Metamorphosis'') is the ninth studio album by the Norwegian one-man band Burzum, released on 21 May 2012 through Byelobog Productions.Sôl austan, Mâni vestan'' (2013) * '' The Ways of Yore'' (2014) * '' Thulêan Mysteries'' (2020) * ''The Land of Thulê'' (2024) EPs * '' Aske'' (1993) Singles * "Mythic Dawn" (2015) * "Forgotten Realms" (2015) * "Thulean Mysteries" (2015) * "The Reincarnation of Ódinn" (2023) * "The Magic of the Grave" (2024) * "The Hidden Name" (2024) * "The Nature of the Gods" (2024) * "The Call of the Kraken" (2024) * "Beyond the Gate" (2024) * "Winds of the Vanished Realm" (2024) * "Memories in the Mist" (2024) * "What Will Come" (2025) * "Elfland" (2025) * "Beneath the Barrow" (2025) * "The Mound of Fire" (2025) Demos and promos * ''Burzum Demo'' (1991) * ''Reh/Demo 91'' (1991) * ''Burzum Promo'' (1992) * ''Promo Tape (with Uruk-Hai)'' (1994) Music videos * "Dunkelheit" (1996) Compilation albums * ''Burzum / Aske'' (1995) * ''Burzum Anthology'' (2002) (bootleg) * ''Draugen – Rarities'' (2005) (bootleg, mistakenly featuring an Ildjarn track) * ''Burzum Anthology'' (2008) * ''

'' (2011) * ''Foreldra'' (2019) * ''Thulê'' (2019) * ''Unreleased Material 1988–1994'' (2021) Box sets * ''Burzum 1992–1997'' (1998) * ''Burzum 1992–1999'' (2010) * ''XIII'' (2018) * ''In the Arms of Darkness'' (2019) Other appearances * ''Presumed Guilty'' (1998) (contributed "Et hvitt lys over skogen") * ''Gummo'' soundtrack (1998) (contributed "Rundtgåing av den transcendentale egenhetens støtte") * '' Fenriz Presents... The Best of Old-School Black Metal'' (2004) (contributed "Ea, Lord of the Depths")

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Norwegian black metal musical groups Norwegian ambient music groups Norwegian dark ambient music groups Musical groups established in 1991 Musical groups from Bergen One-man bands English-language musical groups from Norway