Umskiptar
Umskiptar ( Old Norse, Polymorph ) is the ninth studio album of extreme metal project Burzum, published on 21 May 2012 in Byelobog Productions.
Formation
The album was recorded in late 2011 as its predecessors in Eirik Hundvins Grieg Hall in Bergen Lydstudios. Hundvin was involved as a sound engineer at the recordings. Varg Vikernes himself produced the album and was responsible for all instruments, as well as the entire song.
Two months before the official release, the album was leaked, reportedly because his former PR agent promo CDs had been sent to an " extreme left " magazine. According to Varg Vikernes ' versions a Swede was responsible for the leak.
The album was released in the CD version, both as a jewel case and as a digipak. Sales in Europe were of Vikernes ' own label Byelobog Productions published (distributed by Plastic Head ). The U.S. version comes from Candlelight Records. On vinyl, there are three versions of the album, all as a double LP. They differ by the color of the vinyl and the side dishes. The LP versions were released on the British label Back on Black.
Title list
Music style and concept
Varg Vikernes described the album as " scaldic Metal" to also elude a designation as Black Metal, like his music on the part of his fans and critics is rewritten again and again. Vikernes distances itself since the 1990s from black metal and the associated scene.
The album title is Norwegian for ' metamorphosis '. The lyrics on the album were a poem by the Nordic Middle Ages with the name Völuspá (German, prophecy of the seer ') taken and are in Old Norse. On the album Vikernes is the 66 - strophige poem within eleven songs again, where he draws on elements of black metal, of Heavy Metal, but also the post-rock or ambient sounds of the albums Hlidskjalf and Daudi Baldrs. Vikernes ' musical setting of the poem is based on his own interpretation of the poem, which he presented in his book Sorcery and Religion in Ancient Scandinavia.
The album is mainly characterized by heavy, slow doom metal riffs. Vikernes ' vocals are in Norwegian and mostly clear. He is shown as a whisper or held in the baritone few times. His guttural vocals, known from Belus is to listen, as well as some verses are implemented as recitative. Some of the songs are backed with sound effects, such as field noise, bass drum and a trumpet with feedback to simulate a kind of battle, at Níðhöggr.
Vikernes described this album as a way back to the roots, in which the priority was placed on atmosphere and wholeness. For him, it expresses a European pagan concept of change that the threat of a new ice age. In addition, the album is a critique of the current political movements.
Reception
Due to the open rather extreme attitude of the musician that he wears in numerous pamphlets and calling out, his album of the establishment press has been largely ignored. On the other hand, there was the Internet sporadically reviews that ranged from benevolent to negative.
Grayson Currin of Pitchfork Media criticized the album due to the lack of structure and direction. Although there were some interesting musical elements, the album was nevertheless unnecessary and signs of dismantling his band. The album was simply boring and unspectacular.
Rüdiger floor of Powermetal.de other hand, describes the album as a " with great attention to details made concept work, which, however, something seems distant. "
Fafnir the alternative -music webzine Terrorverlag described the album as a mixture of the various creative phases Varg Vikernes:
" BURZUM proves one more time how to create songs full of fervor, atmosphere, depth and raw sentiment with the simplest and most basic means. Thus one finds also, Umskiptar ', both references to the raw early days as well as on the later, squinting in the ambient direction albums. In this case, however, Vikernes explores none of these individual extremes of, but now seems to have found his style in which to examine both the roots of Black Metal clear, but also the ambient facets have taken their equal place. "