Review Summary: An essential for any black metal fan.
Black metal, in general, is a genre that I’ve been very, very picky about. I was never into the classics, like the early work of Darkthrone, Burzum, Emperor or Mayhem, but Ulver’s debut “Bergtatt” always stood out for me. It broke the mold of what was considered black metal at the time and on its own is a damn near perfect release that I’ve never gotten tired of, despite the numerous listens I’ve given it. Back in 1994, “Bergtatt” (the first of a folk/black metal trilogy) was very much ahead of its time, incorporating elements that were virtually unheard of at the time, and creating a sound that would inspire some of today’s folk and black metal mammoths.
Sound wise, “Bergtatt” creates a very moody and atmospheric blend of folk acoustic guitars, flutes, clean singing and piano and a blistering and dark brand of black metal, which was pretty experimental at the time, but the result is beautiful and genius, but it feels natural, not pretentious or forced in any way.
The range of the sound is amazing, from very grim and tortured black metal to the melancholic folk elements is perfectly done and complements each other beautifully. Garm’s voice is pretty astonishing honestly. The cleans themselves sound very depressed and soulful, especially when they go into more Gregorian chant like sections (I.E. “Een Stemme Locker”) while the black metal vocals sound rough and grim, they sound very bleak, very raspy, and the contrast between the two styles is perfectly done and adds a lot to the atmosphere.
Same with the instrumental work, which is fantastic. A lot of melodic and talented guitar work with memorable riffs, violent, but not overwhelming, drumming, and plenty of calming and peaceful (even beautiful at times) folk brought to the mix. As I said, the way the black metal and the folk elements play off each other is perfectly done and very even. Meaning both are very evenly blended together there is not too much black metal and not too much folk.
It goes from these fast and visceral black metal sections to some very peaceful acoustic parts, and all accompanied by flutes and piano and some haunting female singing on the track “Een Stemme Locker”.And the way that all of this is crafted together into this one sound not only keeps the album varied and stops it from getting boring or repetitive but also achieves a very authentic “woodland/forest” type atmosphere and a strong “fairy tale” (if you will) feel to the whole thing. The raw production does help the atmosphere as well.
Its also a short record. Only five tracks that total clock in at just over a half-hour, so it’s not at all an overbearing album.
As a whole, “Bergtatt” is great album without any real noteworthy flaws. It’s a masterpiece and highly recommended release, well worth the thirty-five minutes it takes to listen. If only the band had stuck with this sound for the rest of their career.
