''Aske'' (

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

for ''Ashes'') is an EP by Norwegian black metal solo project Burzum. Though recorded in April and August 1992, after ''

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. B ...

'', it was released before that album in March 1993, through

Deathlike Silence Productions Deathlike Silence Productions (DSP) was a Norwegian independent record label founded in Oslo in 1987 (initially as Posercorpse Music) that focused on black metal. DSP supported the black metal revival in the early 1990s. Helvete was the headq ...

Background

The cover is a photograph of the Fantoft Stave Church after its

arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...

on 6 June 1992.

Varg Vikernes Louis Cachet (born Kristian Vikernes; 11 February 1973), better known as Varg Vikernes (), is a Norwegian writer and retired musician best known for his early black metal albums and later crimes. His first five records, issued under the name Burz ...

was strongly suspected of burning the church, and the photograph is widely believed to have been taken by Vikernes himself. According to the official Burzum website, the cover photograph was taken by Are Mundal. In an interview, Mundal stated that Vikernes, a longtime friend, asked him to visit the site of the church shortly after the fire and take photographs, of which one became the album cover. Mundal was initially regarded as a suspect in the arson, but was cleared of all charges. Vikernes allegedly had the photos developed in Sweden in order to fend off suspicion. Bass guitar on two of the tracks is performed by

Samoth Samoth (born Tomas Thormodsæter Haugen, 9 June 1974) is a Norwegian guitarist and multi-instrumentalist in the country's black metal scene. He is well known for his distinct guitar work and drumming in the band Emperor, as well as his formatio ...

of the band

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

. A tape version featuring the old title of the release ''Inn I Drømmens Slott'' (Norwegian for "Into the Castle of Dreams") were made by Varg and spread by him and Samoth, the album was initially intended to be released on Varg's personal label called "Burz-Nazg Prod" (later Cymophane) before the Deathlike Silence Prod. pressing.

Release

The first 1000 copies of ''Aske'' were packaged with a

lighter A lighter is a portable device which creates a flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of items, such as cigarettes, gas lighter, fireworks, candles or campfires. It consists of a metal or plastic container filled with a flammable liquid or c ...

bearing the album cover's image of Fantoft Stave Church's remains. ''Aske'' was later re-released as ''Burzum / Aske'' alongside the songs from Burzum's debut album.

Track listing

Personnel

Count Grishnackh Louis Cachet (born Kristian Vikernes; 11 February 1973), better known as Varg Vikernes (), is a Norwegian writer and retired musician best known for his early black metal albums and later crimes. His first five records, issued under the name Burz ...

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, bass (track 2),

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

– bass (tracks 1, 3) *

Pytten Eirik Hundvin (born 8 February 1950), also known as Pytten, is a Norwegian producer and recording engineer for many classic black metal albums, mainly by Norwegian bands, nearly all of which were recorded in the Grieg Hall in Bergen. Hundvin is ...

– production

References

External links

Burzum "Aske" (mini-LP) 1993
at burzum.org {{Authority control Burzum albums 1993 EPs Black metal EPs Norwegian-language albums