BURZUM Hvis Lyset Tar Oss Cassette 1994 (2022)

There are albums, and then there are albums that literally changed what black metal was allowed to be. Recorded in 1993 and released on Misanthropy in 1994, Hvis Lyset Tar Oss (If the Light Takes Us) is one of those records, for better or worse and with all the complicated history that phrase implies.

Four tracks, 45 minutes, and almost no percussion to speak of. Varg Vikernes stripped the genre back to something raw and hypnotic, burying the guitars under layers of icy atmosphere until the whole thing sounds less like a band playing and more like weather. Ambient black metal wasn't invented here exactly, but it was crystallised. "Hvis Lyset Tar Oss" and the 22-minute closer "Tomhet" remain benchmarks that drone and dark ambient artists are still measuring themselves against decades later. This 2022 limited edition cassette pressing brings it back in the format that suits it best, an analog hiss that feels at home in the fog.

Format: Cassette, limited edition 2022 pressing. Original release: 1994, Norway. Genre: Black Metal / Ambient Black Metal.

Fans of: Darkthrone, Mayhem, Wolves in the Throne Room, Lustmord