Hliðskjálf

This article covers the Burzum album Hliðskjálf. For the throne of Odin in Germanic mythology, see Hlidskialf .

Hliðskjálf
Studio album from Burzum
Publication (s)	1999
Label (s)	Misanthropy Records , Cymophane Productions
Format (s)	CD
Genre (s)	Ambient
Title (number)	8th
running time	33 min 45 s
occupation	Varg Vikernes (keyboard)
chronology Dauði Baldrs (1997) Hliðskjálf Belus (2010)

Hliðskjálf is the sixth album of the Norwegian solo project Burzum by Varg Vikernes . It was written in 1999 during his imprisonment, during which he had only a keyboard as his only instrument. As a result, all songs - as on the previous album Dauði Baldrs - were recorded with this one. In terms of content, various topics from Germanic mythology are dealt with.

Mythological background

Almost all song titles contain elements of Germanic mythology . The title of the album is also based on the Norse term Hlidskialf for Odin's throne. The songs themselves are instrumental , but in the booklet of the album you can read descriptions and background information for each song, which contain stories based on Germanic myths. Above all, the battles between the gods and the general Germanic worldview are dealt with, with most of the descriptions focusing on individual deities.

layout

The album cover was designed by Tania Stene and shows a dense forest, in the middle of which the remains of a throne can be seen in the form of two stones. It is obviously an allusion to the (destroyed) throne of Odin.

In the booklet you can see some artworks by Stephen O'Malley . He is also responsible for the design of the album. In total, there are eight graphics, some of them abstract , each of which is assigned to one of the songs.

style

From a stylistic point of view, it is largely linked to the previous album. Only the song Der Weinende Hadnur , which is a new keyboard version of the melody of The Crying Orc from the album Burzum , partly ties in with the old style from previous albums.

The songs are mostly kept very simple, mostly they start, as in The Death of Wuotan , from a basic melody that drags on for a long time, and then begins to change into another.

There are no longer any elements of the Black Metal strongly influenced by Burzum , to which all releases before Vikernes' imprisonment can be assigned. In an interview, Vikernes justified this style change, which had already taken place in the previous album, by stating that he no longer felt connected to Black Metal. Later, however, he attributed the change to the fact that he had only one keyboard at his disposal while in prison:

"Dauði Baldrs" was what I could do from a prison cell, and "Hliðskjálf" too, but they were all music that I liked.

"'Dauði Baldrs' was what I could do in a prison cell and 'Hliðskjálf' too, but they were all the music I liked."

- Varg Vikernes : A Burzum Story: Part X - The White God

Playlists

Two versions of the album were released at the same time, which differ only in the title lists. Small changes in the wording of the titles have been made here. In contrast to some earlier releases, in which Norwegian and English song names were used in addition to the German, all the titles here are in German in all versions. When the CD was reissued in 2008, the tracks from the first version were used.

Version 1

1. Tuisto's Heart - 6:18
2. The death of Wuotan - 6:44
3. Ansuzgardaraiwô - 4:35
4. The love of Nerþus' - 2:13
5. Frijô's Lonely Mourning - 6:16
6. Empathy - 3:56
7. Frijô's Golden Tears - 2:45
8. The Weeping Hadnur - 1:17

Version 2

1. Tuisto's Heart - 6:18
2. The death of Wuotan - 6:44
3. Ansuzgardaraiwô - 4:35
4. The love of Nerþus' - 2:13
5. The Lonely Mourning Of Frijô - 6:16
6. The Power Of Compassion - 3:56
7. Frijô's Golden Tears - 2:45
8. The Weeping Hadnur - 1:17

criticism

In a review on metalstorm.net the album is praised, the first three pieces are “nothing but pure ambient masterpieces” (“The first three are nothing but pure ambient masterpieces.”), While Die Liebe Nerþus' is the highlight of the album . Stylistically, it is on a par with the works of bands such as Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream . However, that the music is not very original and it is criticized Dead Can Dances Within the Realm of a Dying Sun is comparable.

A review on anus.com also highlights the influences of Dead Can Dance, Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk and emphasizes the “long ambient structures” and the “hypnotic pulsation of the rhythm”, which makes the album more demonic like a “ soundtrack or a sequence Set commands ”in a“ dominant background role ”.

On metal.de the primitive style of the album is criticized. Particularly addressed are the titles that deal with Frijô and The Weeping Hadnur , "whose preschool-like clinking", according to the critics, "is simply unbearable". In the same review, however, the atmosphere created with the simplest means according to the review is praised. In another review on the same page, however, the purchase is only recommended to people who “[have to] buy everything that says Burzum”.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} metalhead3: Burzum - Hliðskjálf review on MetalStorm.net. May 4, 2009, accessed July 6, 2010 . 
2. ↑ Interview from Heresy zine # 3. (No longer available online.) Heresy Magazine # 3, archived from the original on December 28, 2009 ; accessed on June 22, 2010 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
3. ↑ Josh: Interview with Josh of Abruptum zine (Feb. 1998). (No longer available online.) In: Abruptum Zine. 1998, archived from the original on August 10, 2009 ; accessed on January 8, 2010 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
4. ↑ Varg Vikernes: A Burzum Story: Part X - The White God. November 14, 2009, accessed June 22, 2010 . 
5. ↑ Varg Vikernes: Burzum - Discography - Official Releases - "Hliðskjálf" 1999. Accessed July 8, 2010 (English). 
6. ↑ Hlidskjalf Review on anus.com. (No longer available online.) Dark Legions Archive, archived from the original on June 4, 2010 ; Retrieved July 6, 2010 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
7. ↑ metal.de album review from chest
8. ↑ Timor: Burzum - Hlidskjalf - CD review at metal.de. metal.de, April 20, 1999, accessed July 8, 2010 .