Burzum is the debut studio album by the Norwegian black metal solo project Burzum. It was released in March 1992, through Euronymous's label Deathlike Silence Productions. Six of the songs were later re-recorded in 2010 and released on the album From the Depths of Darkness, as Varg Vikernes was dissatisfied with some of the original vocals and production.
Most reissues of the album have been released as Burzum/Aske which includes the Aske EP as the final three tracks. Only the Aske version of "A Lost Forgotten Sad Spirit" was included on this edition.
It is considered a landmark in the black metal genre.
Gregory Heaney of AllMusic said Burzum has a "trancelike sound that hypnotizes listeners with its buzzing guitars and ever-present blastbeats that give the music a repetitive, almost ritual-like quality."
Gregory Heaney of AllMusic gave the album four and a half stars out of five and said it was "definitely an essential listen for any black metal fan."
In 2018, Revolver wrote: "Remarkable for its militaristic severity and creepy synth ambience, Burzum remains one of black metalâÂÂs earliest masterpieces."
All music and lyrics by Varg Vikernes except "Ea, Lord of the Deeps", words taken from the Necronomicon.
Note: Burzum/Aske renames track 3 as "Spell of Destruction" as Vikernes claims the word "Black" was added to the title by Euronymous without his knowledge. Track 2 is also amended to "Ea, Lord of the Depths".
Burzum
Additional credits