''Dauði Baldrs'' (

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

for "Baldr's Death" or "The Death of Baldr") is the fifth album by the Norwegian solo act

Burzum Burzum (; ) was a Norwegian music project founded by Varg Vikernes in 1991. Although Burzum never played live performances, it became a part of the early Norwegian black metal scene and is considered one of the most influential acts in black m ...

. Unlike Burzum's previous work, which was mostly

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with t ...

, this is a dark ambient album. It was recorded using a

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

and a normal

tape recorder An audio tape recorder, also known as a tape deck, tape player or tape machine or simply a tape recorder, is a sound recording and reproduction device that records and plays back sounds usually using magnetic tape for storage. In its present- ...

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 Bur ...

while he was in prison, as he was not allowed to have any other instruments or recording equipment. It was completed in a few months due to his limited access to synthesizers, which was also the case with the following album, ''

Hliðskjálf In Norse mythology, Hliðskjálf is the high seat of the god Odin allowing him to see into all realms. ''Poetic Edda'' In ''Grímnismál'', Odin and Frigg are both sitting in Hliðskjálf when they see their foster sons Agnarr and Geirröðr, ...

''.

Concept

The album is about the legacy of

Baldr Baldr (also Balder, Baldur) is a god in Germanic mythology. In Norse mythology, Baldr (Old Norse: ) is a son of the god Odin and the goddess Frigg, and has numerous brothers, such as Thor and Váli. In wider Germanic mythology, the god was kno ...

, the second son of

Odin Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered Æsir, god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, v ...

Norse mythology Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern period ...

. Most likely a concept album, as the whole album leads up to

Ragnarök In Norse mythology, (; non, Ragnarǫk) is a series of events, including a great battle, foretelling the death of numerous great figures (including the gods Odin, Thor, Týr, Freyr, Heimdallr, and Loki), natural disasters, and the submers ...

, the battle at the end of the world in Norse mythology.

Music

Stylistically, the album is a mix of

medieval music Medieval music encompasses the sacred and secular music of Western Europe during the Middle Ages, from approximately the 6th to 15th centuries. It is the first and longest major era of Western classical music and followed by the Renaissance ...

ambient Ambient or Ambiance or Ambience may refer to: Music and sound * Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgrounds * Ambient music, a genre of music that puts an emphasis on tone and atmosphere * ''Ambient'' (album), by Moby * ...

, neoclassical and

minimalism In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Don ...

, a distinct change from the raw black metal that characterized Burzum's earlier work. Some songs are very folk-driven and medieval, while some are sparse, hypnotic, ambient minimalist songs, particularly "Illa tiðandi". The album has been described by many as "

dungeon synth Dungeon synth is a genre of electronic music that merges elements of black metal and dark ambient. The style emerged in the early 1990s, predominantly among members of the black metal scene, such as Mortiis, Burzum, Robert Fudali of Lord Wind ...

". "Móti Ragnarokum" contains

monophonic Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction (often shortened to mono) is sound intended to be heard as if it were emanating from one position. This contrasts with stereophonic sound or ''stereo'', which uses two separate audio channels to reproduc ...

sections mixed with other thicker sections. "Illa tiðandi" is easily the most minimalist track, with only two sections being repeated over the 10:29 duration, which are both simple piano melodies, eventually accompanied by a choral chant. "Illa tiðandi" is an alternative version of the song "Decrepitude I", while "Bálferð Baldrs" is an ambient version of the main riff from the song "Jesu død". "Moti Ragnarokum" is an extended, ambient version of the song "Mace Attack". Two of these songs appeared on Burzum's previous album ''

Filosofem ''Filosofem'' (Norwegian language, Norwegian for "wikt:philosopheme, Philosopheme") is the fourth studio album by Norwegian black metal solo project Burzum. It was recorded in March 1993 and was the last recording before Varg Vikernes was sente ...

''. The song "Dauði Baldrs" was later re-arranged into a

style as the song "Belus død" on the 2010 album '' Belus'', although it was composed in the 90s on "Wotans Verhängnis" and remained unreleased.

Name and release

The album was originally named ''Balders Død''. The Misanthropy promo CD sent out before the album's release had this title, as well as a different cover. Furthermore, some copies of the album have a misprint of the Burzum logo, spelling it "Burzu". Rare original pressings of the LP include an eight-page booklet with artwork and Norwegian text as well as a set of six

tarot card The tarot (, first known as ''trionfi (cards), trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a pack of playing cards, used from at least the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play card games such as Tarocchini. From their ...

s. The

swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various Eurasian, as well as some African and American cultures, now also widely recognized for its appropriation by the Nazi Party and by neo-Nazis. It ...

-adorned cloak worn by a man on the cover is an almost exact copy of the cloak worn by the character ''Thordur'' in ''

When the Raven Flies ''When the Raven Flies'' (original is, Hrafninn flýgur ()) is a 1984 Icelandic-Swedish adventure film written and directed by Hrafn Gunnlaugsson. The story is set in Viking Age Iceland. The film was selected as the Icelandic entry for the Bes ...

''.

Reception

''Sputnik Music'' gave the album a 1.5 out of 5 review, saying it's "40 minutes of a crazed neo-Nazi, church-burning murderer playing a toy piano. It's only half as funny as it sounds."

Track listing

All tracks by

Credits

– synthesizers, audio engineering, songwriting *

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 t ...

– mastering

Notes

External links

Burzum discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daudi Baldrs 1997 albums Burzum albums