Music review: Burzum - Det som engang var (1993)

Published on 2024-10-27

Something a bit more (in)famous than my two first reviews now. Arguably one of the most important second wave black metal bands at the heart of the drama everybody and his dog has read about. But I'm not here to write about anything other than the music itself.

For those who know extensively about Burzum's legendary '92-96 run, this choice may seem a little strange or even contrarian, but let me explain myself:

Compared to its self-titled predecessor, Det som engang var is simply much more polished, doubling down on those hypnotic, bass-heavy, medium tempo riffs free of annoying blast beats that cultivate a uniquely bleak and desolate atmosphere, together with a very dry production fitting it to a tee. Something I like to associate with Lovecraft's "blasted heath" in my visual imagination.

Tanabe Gou's fine depiction of the blasted heath ("The Colour Out of Space", 2015)

On the other hand, the following duo of Hvis lyset tar oss and Filosofem drastically left that special ambiance behind in favour of a more contemplative, almost psychedelic one that, while definitely good, isn't something I'm particularly fond of. But my issues with those don't stop here, sadly:

While the two firsts had decent, short ambient tracks ("Channelling the Power of Souls Into a New God" and "Han som reiste"), the concept was expanded from a few minutes into tasteless lengths (respectively 14 and 25 min) there.
Both first tracks are god tier, but both second tracks are full of that "wall of sound" sort of BM drumming I always found more-or-less boring (not absent from any of the albums being discussed, to be honest, e.g. first third of "Snu mikrokosmos tegn").
Basically, if you made the tracks "Det som en gang var", "Dunkelheit", "Erblicket die Töchter des Firmaments" and "Gebrechlichkeit .I" into an album, the result would clearly transcend both.

Det som engang var is almost perfect in comparison, even if less popular for multiple reasons, chief amongst which is the fact that '94-96 Burzum serves as "black metal for people who don't like black metal"; same way that most can appreciate Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison without being into country.