With a stroke of genius, Hvis Lyset Tar Oss
broke ground on what Black Metal could be. Its popular predecessor
Filosofem, further explores this atmospheric angle. Shifting tone and
temperament in slight degrees, Varg returns with the usual sentiments of
mother natures harsh realities, lonesome, esoteric and fantastical.
Consciously lowering fidelity somewhat, loose distant drums, simmering
fuzzy guitars and half spoken distortions of English lyrics embark on
lengthy marches. Another flavor of his crude yet deeply effective
atmospheres.
Exploring potent chemistries Dunkelheit and Erbicket pace through mid tempo storms of gnarly fuzz, illuminated by soft synth tones. The latter's eclipsing keyboard melody simply unforgettable. They breed an usual tension accepting inner peace and mortal death. Between them, Jesus' Tod runs rampant into the darkness, cycling mean, sinister riffs through hurtling blast beats. Completely unrelenting, only its catchy melody offers relief to its ceaseless nature.
In my opinion the record should have concluded with Rundgang, a twenty five minute minimalist piece evoking transient spiritual sentiments. Often erroneously compared to Tomhet, its soothing tone and curiously introspective mood plays like a headspace alteration, more so than a song. It won me over decades ago, a perfect companion for lonely night walks through forest and fields lit by moonlight. It holds a mesmerizing magic I only hope others can encounter too.
Either
side of this track lay the two halves of Gebrechlichkeit, a destitute
experience built on sullen guitar riffs and sluggish, melancholic synth
melodies. Lacking drums and its second instance simply pulling the
groaning vocals of despair, it seems as if an unfinished track has been
used to pad out the records duration, leaving its later half primed for
skipping over. This is where it loses merit. This could have been
another classic, given how undeniable its opening trilogy of song are.
Rating: 9/10