Burzum Comments On Upcoming Album "The White
God"
Varg Vikernes of Burzum, who was recently released from prison
in Norway, has issued the following announcement about releasing a
new album titled "The White God:"
"As You might already know, my dear ladies and gentlemen, and
others individuals too, I am no friend of the modern so-called
Black Metal culture. It is a tasteless, low-brow parody of
Norwegian so-called Black Metal anno 1991-1992, and if it was up to
me it would meet its dishonourable end as soon as possible.
However, rather than abandon my own music, only because others have
soiled its name by claiming to have something in common with it, I
will stick to it. The ‘black metallers’ will probably continue to
‘get loaded’, ‘get high’, and in all other manners too behave like
the stereotypical Negro; they will probably continue to get foreign
tribal tattoos, dress, walk, talk, look and act like homosexuals,
and so forth. Some of the ‘black metallers’, their fans and
accomplices will probably even continue to pretend - and actually
believe - they have something in common with Burzum, but let me
assure You; they don't! I play what can be described as some sort
of metal music, all right, and they do too, but the similarities
ends there. Freud wrote books. Tolkien wrote books. The
similarities ends there.
"Why more of Burzum? Well, I am what I am; a musician. Musicians
produce music, when they can, and now I can; I am no longer
imprisoned by the criminal anti-Norwegian regime in Norway. Will my
music be any good? My guess is that if You like Burzum You like
Burzum. If You don't You don't. I do try to change all the time,
but most of the time I fail, and many appreciate that. Others
don't.
"The coming album is called ‘Den Hvite Guden’ (The White God)
and is a musical and lyrical description of the the White God
(alias Apollon, Baldr, Belenus, Belus, Bragi, Byelobog, Jarilo, et
cetera) and the annual events of his life. I describe the stories
of the myths like they could have been before they were myths, by
presenting to You bits and pieces of the sorcery and religion of
ancient Europe (more elaborately described in my unpublished book
‘Trolldom og Religion i Oldtidens Skandinavia’ [Sorcery and
Religion in Ancient Scandinavia]). It is not intended for play the
‘low-brow metal’ style, but instead I imagine a listener willing to
sit down, ideally in solitude, and think for a minute, about the
White God and our forebears, whether they were Picto-British,
Finnish, Gallic, Greek, Roman, Scandinavian, Scytho-Slavic,
Daco-Thrakian or whatever, and about their magnificent,
intelligent, positive, beautiful, healthy and strong culture. I try
to help You create an image of this with the help of Your own mind,
by offering a few clues and guidelines. The album is political only
in the way that it offers an alternative to the depravity offered
to us by the intrusive popular culture and the commercial
entertainment industry - and by modern so-called Black Metal, for
that sake.
"The début album was intentionally anti-commercial and
anti-Death Metal, the ‘Det Som Engang Var’ album was experimental,
the ‘Hvis Lyset Tar Oss’ album was intentionally monotonous and
ritual, the ‘Filosofem’ album was intentionally different from the
others, ‘Dauði Baldrs’ was what I could do from a prison cell, and
‘Hliðskjálf’ too, but they were all music that I liked. ‘Den Hvite
Guden’ will be no different in that respect, but I am older now, in
fact twice as old as I was when I recorded the début album, and I
am therefore different. The new album might differ from the old
albums more than some might appreciate, but I hope not. Even if
some of You might appreciate the old Burzum, I must be allowed to
evolve, just like everybody else. Maybe You will like the new
Burzum too. I will not do my best to copy and reproduce my old
music, just to please somebody. I never did and I never will. If it
sounds similar it is because it is made by the same person. If it
sounds different it is because it is not the same music and because
I have evolved.
"I can add that just like on the other metal albums (with the
exception of ‘Hvis Lyset Tar Oss’) ‘Den Hvite Guden’ features some
very old Burzum tracks. ‘Filosofem’ featured the ‘Burzum’ track,
from 1991, and ‘Den Hvite Guden’ will feature the ‘Uruk-Hai’ track,
from 1988-1989, although the title and the lyrics have been changed
to fit the new concept. It will also feature the original ‘Dauði
Baldrs’ metal track, from 1993. In a sense this album too will not
be ‘new material’, but just a collection of previously unpublished
tracks; some new, some old. If some think my composing skills have
disappeared altogether, then at least there will be some gems for
them too.
"You can expect to see ‘The White God’ around March-April (anno
2010), when he traditionally returns from the hidden world of
shadows."