BURZUM Sol Austan, Mani Vestan (2013) CD

Varg Vikernes has always made records on his own terms, which is either admirable or infuriating depending on where you stand, and either way doesn't change what the music does.

Sol Austan, Mani Vestan is pure ambient Burzum, no guitars, no metal, no concession to what anyone expected in 2013. Released during his post-prison period, it sits alongside Dauði Baldrs and Hliðskjálf in the catalogue, synthesiser-driven and deeply rooted in Norse mythology, the titles translating roughly to "Sun in the East, Moon in the West." It's cold, vast, repetitive in the way that actually works, built for long nights and an appreciation of the bleaker side of Scandinavian atmospheric music. The black metal underground wouldn't exist as it does without Burzum's foundational role, and this record is for the completists and the genuinely curious about where that lineage leads when it strips everything back.

Format: CD, full length album. Origin: Norway. Genre: Ambient, Black Metal.

Fans of: Mayhem, Darkthrone, Bathory, Immortal, Blasphemy.