Music review: Blut Aus Nord - Ultima Thulée (1995)

Next in line (progressing alphabetically, unless I get a sudden urge). I could write True heir to Burzum's early sound alongside Strid and that'd be enough for connoisseurs, but let's elaborate a bit.

If you want even more context on the aforementioned sound, I suggest you read my first Burzum review. Anyway, this album specifically takes after the raw, extreme coldness and the intelligent use of ambient interludes (even improving upon those, in my opinion). A lot of bands tried to capture this aura (often labeled as atmospheric DSBM, stuff like Xasthur, Gris, I Shalt Become and hundreds of USBM garbage clones), but I'd say very few actually succeeded.

This kind of sound is better described by the vivid picture it paints (together with the eerily matching cover art): that of a man trudging through endless blizzard on a vast frozen expanse, completely lost and alone; for days on end, without any hope of survival left, but walking anyway. Actually similar to the Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou manga but bleaker, now that I reread myself.

I don't think there's much else to say, really. With Graveland's early output and maybe Gehenna's First Spell, it's one of the few works where the background synth is the final sound's most important ingredient.