Sample of Burzum re-recordings

You can now listen to a preview of the new Burzum re-recordings album From The Depths of Darkness below. This latest venture from Varg Vikernes sees him delve into his older material and record a selection of tracks from the first two albums – Burzum and Det Som Engang Var. While re-recording classic material is always risky business, From The Depths of Darkness doesn’t sound too bad.

What made the first couple of Burzum records so unique was its recording quality. It was gloriously shit, everyone will agree to that, but it was that primitive nature that made them so eerie and atmospheric and it certainly wasn’t contrived either. This on the other hand utilises modern day recording technology on songs conceived in a meagre environment, so the possibility of neutering the material is a fear. But from these samples it feels like the songs have just been given a little facelift and Varg’s vocals (the little we do hear) sound more pronounced and even more caustic than on the originals.