Ulver - Nattens Madrigal - aatte hymne til ulven i manden (1997) Review

Spring 1997, Century Media Records

As it seemed that Ulver were moving to a softer and slower style, first with the superb folk black metal album "Bergtatt" and then with the fully acoustic folk "Kveldssanger", I doubt anyone saw this coming back then. The band decided to return to it's original roots (which might not even be that) and release a primitive, raw black metal record equal to Darkthrone in severity. For that reason, it is a pity if this classic album doesn't come up in conversations about the elite Scandinavian extreme metal scene in the 90s, it considered a top album by many. I can't see if it's the album of the decade but it sure is one of the most acebric outcomes from up there in the north.

Before listening to the album, one should be prepared to listen to something with a harsh, dirty production. Expect a lot of fading sounds, hisses, reverbs etc..., while the compositions lack any tricks, stay as traditional and immidiate as possible. Garm has disproved the rumours that Ulver recorded it outdoors in a forest, but still it sounds as if they did not have the money and they did not care to clean any part of the sound, trying to create the madrigal of the night. Today, we thank them for putting this together, an album that can be used as a lighthouse when it comes to describing Norwegian black metal of the second wave. Even though it is close to the albums of it's brother bands, you don't feel as if you have listened to this before, because of the agitating originality that needs time and trained ears to discover. As far as I'm concerned, there are a couple of incredible parts that worth a place among the best black metal of their decade.

It turned out that Garm has a powerful voice that can raise up both heaven and hell, from his deep clean chants to something as scourging as this. This album doesn't contain any clean vocals, only screeches and shrieked wolf howls, totally primeval in their very nature. His agressive screams have grown more bitter than in "Bergtatt" or he just used them is a more bitter way here and it is an essential characteristic of the whole album. Haavard and Aismal were in charge of the guitars and I sincerely didn't expect anything less than an amazing job. Each song contains more than two or three riffs and all of them are amazing, floating between the hated side of Darkthrone and the almost epic side of early Gorgoroth, with a personal Ulver touch. Of course, the majority is built on sharp and fast-paced tremolo melodies. The drumming is based on blast beats and it's mostly covered by the guitars and the bass is almost non-existent, except a small audible piece in the last song Wolf And the Night. In that song, there is an one note sound that reminds of a piano but probably isn't, as well as some notable riffs out of the whole album. Other standout tracks are Wolf and Man, Wolf and Passion.

I think "Nattens Madrigal" is stripped to it's fundamental parts and it's composed in a simple, anti-mainstream way. The production makes it hard to grasp on and still it is highly accepted for it's overall quality. The third and final album of their black metal trilogy before going into digital music, was a worm filled fruit, an awful anthem for the wicked forest people, meant to be worshipped by the fans and hated by the outsiders. One would think that moving to a bigger label as Century Media would turn them into something lighter, but no. The wolves inside man are restless and hungry.

Track listing:
1. Hymn I - Wolf and Fear
2. Hymn II - Wolf and the Devil
3. Hymn III - Wolf and Hatred
4. Hymn IV - Wolf and Man
5. Hymn V - Wolf and the Moon
6. Hymn VI - Wolf and Passion
7. Hymn VII - Wolf and Destiny
8. Hymn VIII - Wolf and the Night

DAMAGE: 9.0/10

Ulver - Kveldssanger (1996) Review

1996, Head Not Found

After an engrossing debut, Ulver did not hesitate to experiment even deeper into their soft side, releasing an fully acoustic folk album, based on the acoustic guitars, the vocals, cellos and the flutes. They did not hesitate to experiment from the second album, which is acclaimed by many to be the first dark folk / neofolk record. The language is in Norwegian again and the title means Evening Songs, a convenient description of the musical content, because it is a relaxing, laid back album for the silent hours of the day.

The tracks here are relatively short, most of them lasting between one and three minutes, except the last, Ulvsblakk, which is longer. Seldom are lyrics used and the album is mostly instrumental, except for a couple of lines in some songs and an a capella song, Sielens Sang. Like most artists hate their masterpieces, Ulver were not fully satisfied with this album after all, despite it's grandeur. The vibe of acoustic classical is all over this album, which deliberately eschews from any metal elements to present an arboreal synthesis, very different from anything else that the fans of the extreme metal scene were used to back then. Feeling close to nature and being part of it is a main characteristic here.

The drummer of the band, AiwarikiaR, did not have much to do here, since there is hardly any drumming, but he did participate with the sounds of a flute, and there is no bass used at all, naturally. Garm's sumptuous voice is getting the album a one step higher alone, with incredible baritone chants in the songs, whether there are lyrics or not. It's easier to understand the beauty of the guitar lines and their variations than it was in Bergtatt, even though there too, Haavard had worked on some amazing ideas.

My favourite tracks are Naturmystikk, Høyfjeldsbilde, Kveldssang and Ulvsblakk. Imagine a quiet, silent night among the woods, lightless, away from the modern world. From their first three albums, "Kveldssanger" is the most interesting, yet the least attractive to me, since I prefer heavier stuff in general. Great atmosphere with a great musicianship and enough inspiration from nature, were the sculptors of this one and only record, that many bands imitate these days with modern equipment, but fail to overcome. For it's shape, it was doomed to get a fair amount of haters and people that would not appreciate it, but is innovative and alluring.

Track listing:
1. Østenfor Sol og Vestenfor Maane
2. Ord
3. Høyfjeldsbilde
4. Nattleite
5. Kveldssang
6. Naturmystikk
7. A capella (Sielens Sang)
8. Hiertets Vee
9. Kledt i Nattens Farger
10. Halling

DAMAGE: 7.5/10

Ulver - Bergtatt - Et eeventyr i 5 capitler (1995) Review

February 1995, Head Not Found

Ulver's debut album is a part of their first era trilogy, before changing into more experimental / electronic music. From the first demo "Vargnatt", the band showed it's exceptional style of combining harsh black metal with melodic/folk elements. This full length arrived to lift them off the ground and transfer them into the pantheon of the Norwegian scene, with one of the most original and captivating albums until then. It was released several years before the atmospheric black metal scene started taking it's first steps with Agalloch and there was really nothing like this back in 1995.

The album is written in ancient Danish with some Norwegian phrases and it's concept is about girls that were lured by evil spirits and demons into the mountains, so that they would live forever in their halls and castles. This folkloric subject gives boosts the excitement and the interest of the record, welcoming the listener to it's own way of storytelling, which is ample for anyone to understand, whether they speak Danish/Norwegian or not. "Bergtatt" is split into five tracks which last a total of 34 minutes, with a moderate track duration around 4-8 minutes each.

The band's sound in this album is softer than your average black metal band, lots of acoustic parts, pipes and clean vocals are used. Garm's voice is amazing and could not go any better over these tracks, demonstrating his talent to sing / scream like he did. The production of the clean parts is warm and touching, capturing the feeling of being deep in the forest of a mountain perfectly, including the sample in "Capitel III" where you can hear the sound of a person running and going over pieces of wood.

The compositions are not as agressive as their compatriots at the time and the sound focuses on the essence of blistering euphoria rather than pure hatred, a piece of work that could work as a bridge between the two sides. Every song is a highlight, since the album is not repetitive and the constant switching of acoustic and distortion parts entrench a potent result. Still, in several moments this change, from harsh raw black metal, to an acoustic folk part, is done a bit disorderly, like a new song is kicking in. This lack of constistency does not decrease the quality of the album by any means though, and it's definitely listenable.

While the first song is purely sung in cleans, the second is a vicarious sample of the whole album, with a wise dose of acoustic guitars, distorted guitars with shrieked vocals, melodic lines and an audible, sweet bass sound. The chanting at the end of the song is amazing, and continues to the beginning of the third track, which contains one of the heaviest moments of the album after a melancholic intro. There, you can find pure black metal sound, riff and vocal driven.

Then, Capitel IV and V are my favourite. IV has no distortion at all but it's still dark and intense. The splendor of Garm's voice is shown with the low, deep singing he does and the female psalmodies in the end give a very special feeling to the track. V starts with a fast-paced tempo and a true Norwegian scream (yes, this a true Norwegian one) and wanders around the by now familiar Ulver formula of combining the calm with the storm. It ends beautifully, with an organic acoustic guitar tune.

There has always been a debate in me, whether this or "Nattens Madrigal" is my favourite off their early era and I haven't decided yet, because I enjoy them for different reasons. This album is an engrossing offer by a really talented band, and despite it's minor, tiny flaws, it is considered a classic by the scene and by me.

Track listing:
1. Capitel I: I Troldskog Faren Vild
2. Capitel II: Soelen Gaaer Bag Aase Need
3. Capitel III: Graablick Blev Hun Vaer
4. Capitel IV: Een Stemme Locker
5. Capitel V: Bergtatt - Ind I Fjeldkamrene

DAMAGE: 9.25/10

Mysticum & Ulver - Mysticum / Ulver (Split, 1994) Review

Ulver & Mysticum "Ulver/Mysticum"

Summer 1994, Necromantic Gallery Productions

Listening Needs

Apart from the unholy trinity of Mayhem-Burzum-Darkthrone and other famous ones like Enslaved or Immortal, many bands emerged from Norway during the early 90s that did not get that much attention, just enough so that they would become "kvlt" a decade later. Mysticum's only full length "In The Streams of Inferno" is an industrial black metal blast that was recently re-released and they are working on a new album right now. As for Ulver, they heavily changed their sound to experimental/ambient paths and managed to remain magnificent. This split was released right at the period when both bands were breathing black metal inspiration, angry teenagers against the world with a talent for music.

The two bands offer one song each, and that makes it a short release that lasts ten minutes. The track by Ulver is taken from their debut demo Vargnatt, released a year earlier, and Mysticum's track is taken from their demo Wintermass, also released in 1993. I always examine the cover of a release and this one is rather simplistic, some trees and fog, overused but essential arts for the genre that please my eyes. Only vinyls were released for this and i bet it looks pretty good on a 7" cover.

Ulver's track "Ulverytternes Kamp" reflects the music they were creating back then and for their first three albums, which is raw and agressive black metal filled with some melodic and acoustic parts. It sounds a little bit different than the version of the demo, but the two songs are basically identical.  I am fond of their early stuff and this song is no exception, it is awesome all the way. Mysticum's offering is in wronged by the production and its poorly recorded. There are some synths on the back but they are a bit hard to hear and the drums seem to cover the rest of the song at some moments. The compositional part itself is legit and innovative for its time, they proved that with their full release.

If we were around when this was released, we would not hear any new music by the bands. They probably were in touch from before and decided to throw out a release together, just for the sake of it. It is enjoyable but not something that i will return and listen to again, since these two have released much better demos and albums.

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DAMAGE: [7.0/10]