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From the Vaults, and Hopefully Back to the Vaults - 13%

sunn_bleach, November 27th, 2021
Written based on this version: 2017, Digital, Byelobog Productions (Bandcamp)

The problem with From the Depths of Darkness is how completely unnecessary it is. There is no way - no way at all - that Varg could redo the tracks on the first four albums and make them better in context of history or their parent albums. It's kind of shot from the beginning. Not because Varg couldn't or shouldn't revisit his older material by some lofty standard of musical authenticity, but because any re-recording would be divorced from its background. Black metal is a strongly album-oriented format, so picking out tracks to re-record for what's ostensibly a "greatest hits" compilation doesn't work.

Even if that weren't a problem, there's also the sad fact that the tracks here just don't sound good, and I mostly blame it on shoddy production (ironic, given the lo-fi qualities of the first four Burzum LPs) and the all-too-common problem with artists trying to rebottle lightning. The production is loud - extremely loud, like "loudness wars casualty" kind of loud. Even the ambient portions sound oppressively present - which is extremely disappointing/annoying given the original sparseness of a song like "Channeling the Power of Minds into a New God" was part of its charm.

After prison, Varg's vocals changed from a banshee-esque tortured scream to a whisper vox, and the whisper vox sound out-of-place in most of these re-recorded tracks. I do not fault the artist for revisiting old songs under a new aesthetic - especially given many of these were almost two decades old upon release of this album. Indeed, it would be a pretty cool experiment in charting how Burzum has changed. However, the tracks on From the Depths of Darkness sound more like a modern band trying to straightly play the old classics rather than a modern band putting their own take on them.

Varg plays the hits on From the Depths of Darkness as if he's trying to re-capture that old energy. They don't sound reinterpreted, they sound copied. The few differences are incidental when they aren't actively detracting - especially the hoarse whisper and production. There is simply no reason to listen to this when the originals are so widely available - and so widely excellent.

Originally posted to RateYourMusic. Edited for Metal Archives.

From the Depths of Darkness - 50%

Lars_Stian, September 16th, 2017

I don't really see why Kristian Vikernes felt the need to re-record a bunch of his old songs. The bad production, as well as the raw vocals, was what gave it character, and without it, it's not nearly as good.

The very first thing I'd like to discuss, is the introductions. There are three introductions, for whatever reason. I don't see why he felt the need to have so many, as none of them really add anything to the album at all. For the most part, they're just a bunch of ambient noise, no real melody or point whatsoever. Furthermore, I'd like to state my opinion about the choice of songs. I think his choice of songs was bad, the two songs that aren't from the debut, are from ''Det Som Engang Var''. The rest is, as stated, from the debut, and though I know many will disagree, most of the songs from the debut weren't too amazing. When they're taken away from the debut, they lose what really made them interesting, which is their historical importance. The only reason why I listen to the debut from time to time (though quite rarely) is because of how important it was to the black metal scene. Without their trademark production, and tortured screams, they're not really anything special anymore.

A big problem I have with this is the vocals. They aren't really even shrieks, they're just semi-harsh whispers. They just feel so tame. No aggression, no emotion, no passion, nothing. When, on the original, he screams "Ea, lord of the depths", you feel the rawness and aggression, however when he whispers it on this, it doesn't really warrant any reaction or emotion, it's just kinda "eh". On to the production. Everything sounds so clean and sterile, especially the drums. I must admit, I really liked the bad sound of the drums on the debut, you know, the garbage can sound of the snare, how it sounded like a car with a flat tire driving at the blast beats. I often found it hard not to drum along with my fingers, they felt like an important part of the music. Here, it's just a bit boring. Just as the vocals, they don't warrant any real reaction.

What I really don't get, is why re-record old songs if you don't do anything with them? Some tempos are changed, and some riffs repeated more times, and some melodies are played in lower keys, but they're essentially the same. I'd get why he would want to re-record if he had new things to add to the songs; renew the songs, rewrite riffs, maybe add some synths maybe, at least then it would feel like there was a point to the re-recording, but there's virtually no changes made. So why bother re-recording when there's no changes to add? Why re-record when you're already satisfied with the songs?

Right, so where there anything this album got right? No, not really. This just feels like a waste of time. There's absolutely no point to listening to this rather than the original "Burzum" and "Det Som Engang Var".

Re-recorded Greatest Hits - 55%

EvilSonovHell, May 20th, 2012

After hearing " Fallen", I was not disappointed at all with Varg keeping true to what he does; True Norwegian black metal in your face. With that being said I went to my local store a few months later and found another Burzum album thinking, I didn't know he was making another for this year. So of course, without looking at the back for song titles, I definitely assumed I was in for another treat. A treat alright, more of a surprise to find out it was one of those danged re-recordings.

Luckily it didn't turn out as bad as I thought. 1. Few of my favorites were on there, "Ea, Lord of the Depths", "A Lost Sad Forgotten Spirit", and "Key to the Gate". 2. The instrument track recording was still the same raw power as before with original recordings. So that right there was a huge plus in my book. Now towards the "not so kind" part per say, the overdubbed voice recording. I just feel that a lot of parts were not timed so well like the actual classic recordings. Some instances, I swore I heard key of the microphone in parts of songs, almost like those real primitive do it yourself black and death metal bands that record in their bedrooms. And lastly, his dubbing smudged with the music, pretty much cutting the sharp edge to the assault he dealt with those songs twenty years ago.

So there you have it, more or less a "greatest hits" album, versus an original album. For anybody that is new to Burzum, I'd highly recommend getting the "Burzum", "Aske", and "Det Som Engang Var " to hear these timeless classics. Actually hear these songs in their truest form, not re-recorded.

From The Depths Of Darkness - 80%

KonradKantor, April 26th, 2012

For the record, this is going to be a review written by a Burzum fan, for Burzum fans. Please kindly leave all complaints with the MetalReview.com public relations department, or simply move on if the band doesn't already interest you.

The very least that anyone can say about Varg Vikernes is that he's been a man of his word ever since his prison release. Since last year, he's graced us with Belus and Fallen, which were far from disappointing to already-converted lovers of Vikernes' music. The second release of this year, From The Depths of Darkness (not "Deeps"), features re-recordings of the most coveted Burzum works pre-Hvis Lyset Tar Oss. Thankfully, "War" was left out of the mix.

To these ears, Varg chose to use the exact same instrumentation that exists in the original recordings, but changed the album's mixing drastically. The result is old Burzum songs recorded in Hvis Lyset Tar Oss fashion. What would a Burzumite want more than to hear the old tracks recorded with the same intensity of what is one of the most powerful and influential black metal albums of all time?

Although From The Depths of Darkness is as perfectly justifiable as it is enjoyable, it lacks some of the "magic," if you will, that exists within the confines of the original Burzum/Aske and Det Som Engang Var LP's. Varg Vikernes once said that the whole point of the musical rebellion that is black metal is not to care about brands of instruments, types of studios or the "in" music at the time. To quote him:

"A few mistakes make the music more alive and personal -- it simply gives the music some "soul" and originality, so I never bothered to correct anything. The music on the Burzum albums is simply an honest and sincere, unvarnished and clear representation of me. Certainly I am not flawless or without mistakes, so neither is my music."

A musical visionary, Varg is absolutely correct in his practically prophetical statement as a sign of things that were to come in the extreme music industry. If there's one thing that's true about what most musicans consider traditional soul music, it's that the music is certainly not without mistakes. That's what gives the notes character. It wasn't the notes that were being played that attracted so many people to Burzum in the first place. It was how they were being played. That's what was so revolutionary about black metal at the time, and that's what separates extreme metal from any other form of rock music today.

Vikernes didn't exactly fail to live up to his standard of what is soulful music on these re-recordings, but two of the trademark sounds of the original recordings -- the wails of a soul in dire agony in the original "Spell of Destruction," for example; and the incessant pounding behind the drum kit featured in songs such as "Ea, Lord of The Depths," and "My Journey To The Stars" -- are completely missing in this supposed re-vamped re-recording. Still, it's nearly a worthy sacrifice given the increased intensity of the sharp-as-hell riffage on all of the new album's songs.

So if you're stuck trying to choose which song versions you prefer, you've missed the point of this release entirely. The most positive thing about From The Depths of Darkness is that we now have both recordings. If Hvis Lyset Tar Oss was too short for you, you now have an additional seven songs you can enjoy. If you think it's blasphemous and too profitable to be trve, nobody is forcing you to listen to this. On top of that, if the ferociousness of the old Burzum with such a fresh production is a sign of what's to come, do not be surprised if Burzum manages to pull an Album of the Year contender out of its hat, or burn down a church or two. Hell, at this point, anything is possible.

Originally written for MetalReview.com

Could have been a contender.... - 50%

Pratl1971, December 3rd, 2011

What I am having here is a severe attack of conscience and reason. On one hand I’ve been a Burzum fan for nearly 20-years and generally enjoy most of what Varg Vikernes has artistically put out. That said I’m not a fan of any artist redoing a past album, especially one that had a charm and resonance like the early DSP Burzum work. So here in From the Depths of Darkness we see Vikernes offering his take on the old classics “as they were originally intended”. I’m also not a fan of this statement; if they were originally intended this way, they should have been implemented as such accordingly back when with no excuses. I fully understand financial constraints, equipment issues, what have you; this adds to the serendipitous airs around the Burzum, Det Som Engang Var and Aske EP and, in my opinion, would not have been revisited in such a manner. Still, I admit to a certain excitement when I heard some samples of some of the tracks simply for, if nothing else, posterity’s sake.

When I first heard the Burzum album in 1992 I was astonished at how low-fi, thinly-produced and downright primitive it sounded, from the haphazard instruments to the insane vocals. After one shocked go-around I had another listen and found the absolute destitution and bleakness Vikernes was going for in that album, and it was magical to say the least. What we have here in this compilation is, at best, a retooling that was both unnecessary and wasteful, while the worst case scenario shows Vikernes shamelessly cashing in on some of the infamy of his name. While the latter is possibly less of the true picture in my eyes, I do hear a very interesting reworking of some classic tracks. However, the original sound of “Ea, Lord of the Depths” has some of the most horrific and tempestuous black metal sounds ever committed to vinyl, sickly disturbing production values notwithstanding. With this new version, for example, the polished and buffed essence that was the early Burzum work has been casually ‘repaired’ where a bandage was clearly not needed or wanted. Whereas the 1992 Varg Vikernes was a 19-year old visionary back in the demo days, the older man who now sees those classic tracks as inferior might have miscalculated his own value and worth in the classic Norwegian movement of the early 90’s. While he has never been shy with his opinions about himself or the world around him, I’m guessing this is how the 38-year old man views his vision some 20-years past.

To be perfectly honest these tracks pale in stark comparison to the originals, and while I understand this is the desired effect Vikernes had in mind the originality and honesty has lost some luster throughout. Yes, the tracks are widely of better quality, sonically and by design, subtle nuances and alterations be damned. Somewhere in this exhaustive foray lies the blatant picture of Varg Vikernes becoming one of the mass milieu of artists that are not only a dime-a-dozen but widely uninteresting and too similar for any real resonance. The vocals, now a breathy all-too familiar gasping, attempt to overshadow the agony and despair of the originals, failing in every aspect accordingly. The simplicity and immaturity of the original issues can never be replicated and, in all good conscience, should never have been tampered with in such a fashion. In typical straight-forward inquiry - what is the point?

I admit to liking some of the visions that Vikernes has fashioned for these tracks in the modern day, even though I find total and causal reticence in this record. What I will ultimately praise him for is that, while his current take on these songs might not sit well with long-term fans, he is keeping the original issues in print and not pulling them from circulation. Had he done this Varg Vikernes would have committed the ultimate sin in everything the Burzum name stands for in the present day. Aside from that, I’m not so sure these tracks are necessary in the line of releases, but they do provide a reasonable alternative that longtime fans will undoubtedly find insipid or egregious.

Don’t take it seriously and you’ll be just fine.

(Originally written for www.MetalPsalter.com)

A paler shade of past darkness. - 72%

hells_unicorn, November 29th, 2011

Revisiting the past is a dangerous game, but it is doubly so when one's past works are considered sacred relics of an artistic genesis of sorts. This is the dilemma that most would like to thrust upon Varg with the release of what are largely his most widely influential works in a modernized format. Granted, the Burzum concept of modern could be analogized as the difference between late medieval Gothic architecture vs. early renaissance era architecture with a similarly Gothic feel. That is basically what "From The Depths Of Darkness" is, a rehash of olden warriors with swords drawn who just happen to have discovered gun powder and are being supported by a handful of primitive cannons.

Anyone with a clear memory of the sonic characteristics of "Burzum" and "Det Som Engang Var" would expect any kind of a compilation of various songs from each respective album to be a jarring affair, shifting back and forth between various low-fi manifestations in a manner not all that dissimilar from Darkthrone's largely panned compilation "Preparing For War". This re-visitation, however, is a frighteningly consistent one in respect of production, coming off almost as though the exact same mixing levels and settings that gave us the recent "Fallen" were employed here. While definitely dark and misty sounding, it has a mellow smoothness to it that contrasts with the olden frost character of the early 90s.

But the real departure to behold here is in Varg's vocal interpretation. Whether it be a shift in sound preference or a necessity resulting from a fully matured voice, what is heard on here is more akin to recent Darkthrone releases where a low end growl replaces the high pitched shrieks of Burzum's past. With it comes a sense of moderation of character, something that is probably alien to most long time adherents to the cult of the 2nd wave. To put it plainly, the former overwhelming sentiment of agonized suffering has been replaced with a somewhat vindictive, but largely focused anger that is likened to a wiser man still being pissed off at the modern world.

Beyond the upgrade in production practices and a revamp of the instrumentation on the ambient keyboard number "Channeling The Power Of Souls Into A New God" into a slightly more menacing, guitar dominated beast, there is little change to be observed here. For all the talk of Varg allegedly profaning his former fits of brilliance, this is largely an inoffensive tribute to his own past. In fact, the biggest flaw that this album suffers from is that it doesn't really go much further than remembering the past. This is not something that can be counted as essential, nor is it some unworthy fit of pandering. It is more a sufficient rendering of already explored territory, and whether it was a necessary one largely terminates on whether one prefers the new production practices that were adopted after Varg left prison.

Neither here nor there, but bloody everywhere - 60%

autothrall, November 28th, 2011

I was quite perplexed when the announcement was first made for this compilation of repurposed and repackaged Burzum tracks. I'm sure I am not the only one. Those who follow Vikernes' in interviews will likely recall his statements to the nature of wanting his music to originally sound as bad as possible, with the worst instruments, the worst microphones and the worst amplifier; to really let the talents and the emotions of the individual shine through in the crudest array of musical devices. So it seemed to me a bit 'flip flop' that the early recordings Burzum and Det Som Engang Var would ever retrieve a treatment such as this one. But really, when it comes down to the line, it is Varg's music and his business what he does with the music. If the man wants to record his dishwasher on an endless loop for 80 minutes, then I'm sure there would be an applicable market...

Despite this hesitation, From the Depths of Darkness does not sound all that 'polished' or all that bad. Varg had mentioned he was never happy with particular elements of the original recordings, like the vocals, and thus he's gone on to adjust them without losing most of the music's primal underpinnings in translation. These sorts of releases are rarely much good for me. An artist might come along and blow the original recordings out of the water (like that recent Satan's Host collection); or simply complement the originals with a fresh coat of paint (Destruction's Thrash Anthems) that remains entertaining; or flop along uselessly with some unwelcome new vocalist present on the classics (Exodus' Let There Be Blood). In the case of this record, it's the same man, the same vision, only tweaked with a few components he wanted to hear, but may have muddled up in the original incarnations of the songs.

Now, this is not the entirety of Burzum or Det Som Engang Var, but a selection of tracks affixed with a few ambient intros and interludes. As such, one should not go into it expecting the same play order, and the alternation of the tunes creates a mildly different atmosphere. The guitar tones are more propulsive and brighter in pieces like "Feeble Screams from Forests Unknown" and "Ea, Lord of the Depths", and the screams a bit more brash. If anything, he's updated the level of production to that of his more recent efforts Belus and Fallen: not at all the sort of poppy, studio glamors one might expect, but a solid representation of where he's at today. To be sure, I don't think those original albums could EVER be replaced. Their importance to millions of fans, followers and clones is not in dispute, and part of their charm was their moral distance and the dry, downtrodden architecture of sound. If there is anything noticeably missing from these new versions, it's that same, somnolent spiral of agony.

The ambient pieces here are really just used to extract their ancestors from the originals, and create a separation. The best example is right up front, as the emergency-warning sounds that once inaugurated "Feeble Screams..." have been sliced, and a new intro "The Coming" is given its own, sparse, admittedly worthless existence. Same with the low, cavernous ambient rumbling of "Sassu Wunnu" which is placed before "Ea, Lord of the Depths". "Call of the Siren" is a bit more substantial, with some warped guitar loops and residual ambiance, but it too feels barren even for Burzum. I could have done without all of these, but as far as the more important metallic tracks, I found that some were still pretty exciting despite the facelift. "Key to the Gate" sounds positively thrashing here. "Channeling the Power of Minds into a New God" has a nice buzz to the two droning guitars. "My Journey to the Stars" sounds quite atmospheric and powerful...

To sum it up: Do you love these Burzum tracks so much that you're excited for their marginal mutation into a fresher form, with none of the dreaded onus of studio glitter or overproduction? Then From the Depths of Darkness will not prove a disappointment. Or does your devotion reach so exceedingly far that the very notion of this is of heresy and alienation? Well then, you probably aren't going to derive much amusement from this album. Personally, I'm on the fence. The new recordings were not completely offensive or unwelcome, but I just don't see them as necessary or all that compelling, since they largely follow the originals and only deviate in a few of their underlying details. I'm much more interested in his new ideas and material (I quite liked Fallen), and so I hope he will turn to that fertile territory next, rather than some future splicing and retreading of, say, Hvis Lyset Tar Oss and Filosofem.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com