| | Full Review | Ratings (735) |
Give your Rating |
| 3.0 good | Kyle Ward EMERITUS | February 19th 10 |
Belus is certainly not what I was expecting. On the one hand, we have the regressive nature of Vikernes as he sticks to murky, tremolo-picked riffs for a large portion of the album, and also utilizes a less-unique scream than what fans were used to on Hvis Lyset Tar Oss and the like. On the other, Belus shows the signs of over a decade of maturity, utilizing muffled clean vocals and a large heap of melody which is rather out-of-character for a Burzum release. The production, not surprisingly, hasn't evolved much from the likes of Burzum's releases in the early 1990's, but isn't inherently terrible or off-putting. Not a masterpiece in any sense, but then again not a complete failure, Belus closes the book on the mystery of where Vikernes' sound would go upon his release from prison.
6 Bumps | Bump |
| 0.0 | Athom EMERITUS | February 22nd 10 |
How to write a Burzum song (2010 Edition)
Step 1: Choose a boring riff
Step 2: Keep playing it over and over until you are just about to lose sanity.
Step 3: Repeat steps 1 and 2 for 11 minutes.
4 Bumps | Bump |
| 0.0 | Motiv3 | February 20th 10 |
The Burzum of 2010 was always going to be a different from the Burzum of 1994 which produced the now legendary Hvis Lyset Tar Oss. The traditional black metal tremolo-picking riffs are still there and the production is still in the vain Vikernes' earlier work. However Belus is an album which shows the signs of a Burzum that has evolved and moved on with the times. The album as a whole is very much riff based and has distinct lack of ambience from the previous releases, whilst that takes out the fact that sometimes in the past Vikernes went a bit overboard with it, it does take out a unique factor which made Burzum so prominent. The Longer songs on this album tend to drag on too long especially the 11 min 'Glemselens Elv'. Vikernes doesn't seem to have the ability like he did on Hvis Lyset Tar Oss to produce a song over 10 mins with only 3 or 4 riffs used at a time to really work. Despite this however there are positives to take out this album, the amount of melody is very surprising and un-burzum like but comes across as a breath of fresh air and something new and inspiring to the Burzum sound. The focus and engagement of riffs has certaintly allowed Vikernes to come up with some new riffs, a couple i never thought he would be capable of producing and implementing in an album to make it work. The harsh vocals do seem to lose some of that unique edge, but are solid nonetheless. Overall Vikernes has nothing to be ashamed of, he said he was gonna produce a black metal album and a Burzum album of 2010 and he certaintly did. A solid and a bit surprising album, but still one in the shadows of his previous work.
2 Bumps | Bump |
| 3.5 great | Eakflanderyof | March 3rd 10 |
I think Varg rushed this album a little, but it's still pretty solid. What does disappoint me is that the ambient black metal that still remains a little on this album is somewhat lackluster and boring. Morgenrode goes on for way too long and that's the way I feel about the more "ambient" sections. The more aggressive riffs are better here which is surprising in a good way since the direction he took was unexpected. What I disagree with the general consensus on is the vocals. They are very well executed and still sound like Varg. I would go as far as to say it's his best vocal performance to date. The production is perfect for what he intended as well and for black metal it's pretty good production. This album was pretty good, but I'm expecting a little more with the next one. I'm hoping he continues in this vein, but with more new material next time because, as he said, it was a lot of older material reworked.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 3.5 great | Hopig213 | February 27th 10 |
I don't know Why everybody is talking about the repetitions in this album, because all burzum albums are known for their repetition of riffs (Filosofem..) and that is what has made them good and special, because Varg's able to mesmerize you with that after many listens. I think this is a Great Burzum, and I'm not disappointed at all.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | plutosatanclubhouse | February 25th 10 |
I don't know what people were expecting from this, but to be perfectly honest I'm not disappointed in the slightest at Belus. It might not be a neoclassical conceptual masterpiece like Hvis Lyset Tar Oss or Filosofem, but it's rock solid, few frills black metal that is unapologetically true to its roots. Varg has no reason to be ashamed: this album is great.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 3.5 great | Yazz_Flute | February 22nd 10 |
Varg looks so jolly in that profile picture.
Also this is better than a 2.9 average rating.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 3.4 great | Erwann S. STAFF | October 17th 19 |
Varg's best 2010s output. Some riffs are not as interesting as masterpieces he can pull off, but it's still a good ol' atmo bm record.
Bump |
| 2.5 average | ManiacBlasphemer | September 25th 19 |
Most people complain about this album being too repetitive as if repetitiveness has not been the main trait of Burzum since it began. How can you like the classic 90s albums who are repetitive, but not like this one due to repetitiveness? There is a glimmer of truth though. The early Burzum albums had a knack to find some good melodies and repeat them as much as possible, like squeezing an orange out of all of its juice. Belus has little inspired melodies to squeeze juice from. And there aren't many melodies in it anyway. Varg had a knack in the past to find a hypnotic melody and use and reuse it over and over again. This was the reason why his minimalist music didn't feel a chore to listen to. But in this case, he wasn't inspired enough. The middle section is better with the rest being totally forgettable. This should have been released as an EP.
Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | Risodo | May 20th 18 |
"Belus" is certainly the best work that Varg did with Burzum upon his release from prison. Here we can savor the end of Black Metal sound on his albums, as his project now is only ambient music with nordic and mystical influences. Varg made his name with Burzum's legacy, and even though the record is not as skilled to be compared to "Filosofem," it is very dense and atmospheric. "Kaimadalthas' Nedstigning" is a lousy song, but the ones that close the album are practically sublime.
Bump |
| 3.0 good | Arokan | January 24th 18 |
I never expected to say that but this is actually... good. Pretty similar to Burzum old stuff, my only complaint is that clean vocals are really terrible and sound just out of place but aside from that it's just a solid record.
Bump |
| 2.5 average | EasterInTheBatcave | December 15th 15 |
Poor vocals and mostly uninteresting songs. The production is off-putting, too-- not lo-fi in the traditional sense but also not particularly clear. Burzum's worst black metal record.
Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | pornogrindtheater | January 21st 14 |
It isn't Filosofem (probably my favorite Burzum, although Hvis Lyset tar oss could give it a run for its money), but Belus is really quite excellent, one of the best black metal albums since the turn of the century. And something interesting - I find I like the music even more when I stare at the album cover. The image suits the music absolutely perfectly and seems to even enhance its effect.
Bump |
| 1.5 very poor | mkamrass | August 15th 13 |
This is Varg's worst album to date, it just does not feel complete. Also, the repetition
within each song becomes tiring (he plays the same riff/beat over again and they are not
even that interesting), sure a lot of individual Burzum songs are long and repetitious, but
the ones on this album are too much to handle in listening to them.
Bump |
| 3.0 good | LokitheTrickster | February 23rd 12 |
Better than the previous two albums before it, but not outstanding. However, there are some good songs though. Sverddans in particular is a great song and Keliohesten is close behind it. They both have a definite black metal sound to them. The rest is just okay.
Bump |
| 3.5 great | ManRunsOverBus | March 22nd 10 |
Surprisingly good . 'Sverddans' is a waste of time though.
Bump |
| 3.0 good | qwe3 | March 6th 10 |
i like the first song. yeah his stubborn minimalism is detrimental to the music still but the riffs are good, and the subtle variations low in the mix keep it interesting. but hey thats the first song, everything else could blow. qwe will wait and see. listen, rather. ok decided this is a great but sometimes boring album thats all there is to it
Bump |
| 2.0 poor | LostViking | March 2nd 10 |
Boring and repetitive. Riffs that go nowhere. Weak vocals. Just a lazy record. What else would you expect from one of the most overrated BM musicians. Think he'd do better for his fans. Varg is an enigma. And that's being nice.
Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | Yea, my final legacy to this piece-of-shit site. | February 25th 10 |
Album is good, but that's about it. Nothing here can compare to any of his older classic albums. Returns to the black metal style of the past, but really fails to compete with the classic Burzum albums. The thing that really disappointed me about this album was Varg's vocals. To me, his vocals sound completely uninspired and it kind of brought the album down.
Bump |
| 3.5 great | junkie | September 20th 23 |
| 3.5 great | Spec | May 12th 23 |
| 3.5 great | haxxiy | February 23rd 23 |
| 4.0 excellent | Bren80 | July 30th 22 |
| 3.5 great | Azrael | December 1st 21 |
| 2.0 poor | Jerrad | August 24th 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | Oobaloo | June 29th 21 |
| 4.5 superb | boo7 | May 23rd 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | Hehe | December 14th 20 |
| 3.5 great | Suyan | June 27th 20 |
| 3.0 good | remi | May 7th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | d00mguy | March 20th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Brabiz | March 18th 20 |
| 3.5 great | Sarah | December 5th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | AntalWS | November 21st 19 |
| 3.5 great | kodama | October 18th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Sasaboy | September 22nd 19 |
| 3.0 good | blou52 | August 21st 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | shanks | August 2nd 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | BigBlob | July 24th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Aranox | June 8th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Eons | June 7th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | latpac | December 21st 18 |
| 3.5 great | Behexen | November 19th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | meditant | November 19th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | bSmith | May 15th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | Gary STAFF | February 9th 18 |
| 3.5 great | orakst | December 22nd 17 |
| 3.5 great | Zamasu | December 19th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | Fear | December 10th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | garsiai | October 31st 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | snoddas | October 24th 17 |
| 4.5 superb | Scuro EMERITUS | August 6th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | GazAldo | June 30th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | Nud | April 11th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | Wrongjam | February 21st 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | Ulairi4 | November 5th 16 |
| 2.5 average | Stormii | September 27th 16 |
| 3.0 good | Jeejee | September 26th 16 |
| 4.0 excellent | Chaioth | August 27th 16 |
| 2.0 poor | Elynna | August 6th 16 |
| 5.0 classic | Dagar | July 13th 16 |
| 2.5 average | stakis | July 11th 16 |
| 4.0 excellent | Rdawg | May 9th 16 |
| 3.0 good | Steev | February 28th 16 |
| 4.5 superb | Horsey | February 15th 16 |
| 5.0 classic | hsb | December 12th 15 |
| 2.5 average | Mazarb | November 22nd 15 |
| 2.5 average | Pegana | November 18th 15 |
| 2.5 average | Fozzie | September 26th 15 |
| 4.0 excellent | HoB | July 21st 15 |
| 4.0 excellent | Faustus | April 11th 15 |
| 4.0 excellent | TheOath | April 3rd 15 |
| 5.0 classic | Hamed | March 9th 15 |
| 4.5 superb | Aion | March 6th 15 |
| 4.0 excellent | Dav85 | February 1st 15 |
| 3.0 good | Jeclub | January 17th 15 |
| 3.0 good | ckssr1 | January 13th 15 |
| 4.0 excellent | fuzzbutt | December 30th 14 |
| 4.0 excellent | esav | November 22nd 14 |
| 3.0 good | adr | August 10th 14 |
| 3.5 great | Ayil | July 23rd 14 |
| 4.0 excellent | joomisy | June 14th 14 |
| 3.5 great | PFNPJ | March 29th 14 |
| 3.2 good | Trey STAFF | February 1st 14 |
| 3.0 good | Pagan | January 17th 14 |
| 2.0 poor | Skoj | December 20th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | Olik1984 | December 16th 13 |
| 3.5 great | hasv | November 30th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | unkle | November 6th 13 |
| 3.0 good | alarm | October 20th 13 |
| 1.0 awful | kalki | September 25th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | Smial | September 1st 13 |
| 4.5 superb | goat38 | August 17th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | SMUD | July 18th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | Chorbo | June 29th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | Caelum | May 19th 13 |
| 5.0 classic | fkbm | May 15th 13 |
| 3.5 great | E0N | May 1st 13 |
| 3.0 good | Majkl | February 28th 13 |
| 3.5 great | Nammai | February 26th 13 |
| 3.5 great | oubli | February 25th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | Posty95 | January 23rd 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | cb123 | January 22nd 13 |
| 2.5 average | Sevhead | January 13th 13 |
| 2.0 poor | Deviant. STAFF | November 29th 12 |
| 2.5 average | ceddy78 | October 26th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | sagu | September 27th 12 |
| 5.0 classic | kristof | September 23rd 12 |
| 3.0 good | KILL | August 16th 12 |
| 3.5 great | PapaH | August 7th 12 |
| 2.5 average | Rail | May 20th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | Lought | April 28th 12 |
| 3.5 great | Shvyin | March 1st 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | Shuyin | February 13th 12 |
| 4.5 superb | Imiface | January 16th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | Sawks | January 6th 12 |
| 2.5 average | HWBTW | December 19th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | lintu987 | December 11th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Evilin | December 11th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | mar1s | October 22nd 11 |
| 3.0 good | stotty | September 25th 11 |
| 4.5 superb | jlb1993 | September 20th 11 |
| 4.5 superb | Mrnuble | September 17th 11 |
| 3.0 good | stfrnz | August 17th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | FoxPie | July 28th 11 |
| 2.5 average | true | July 26th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | eeule | July 18th 11 |
| 3.5 great | Zo0lz | July 8th 11 |
| 3.0 good | Manco | June 19th 11 |
| 4.5 superb | Wolves | April 24th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Jips | February 26th 11 |
| 3.5 great | Lakes2 | February 12th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | IRAI | February 3rd 11 |
| 5.0 classic | Noqmyr | January 30th 11 |
| 3.5 great | Thor | December 12th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | SadGonzo | December 10th 10 |
| 3.0 good | ACY | December 9th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | Bleekill | November 22nd 10 |
| 5.0 classic | Waaltz | November 11th 10 |
| 3.5 great | Oceans | November 4th 10 |
| 2.5 average | Mendigo | October 24th 10 |
| 2.5 average | YUJOS | October 16th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | Kenos | September 25th 10 |
| 3.0 good | noisy | September 6th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | miltos | September 4th 10 |
| 3.0 good | Thane | September 3rd 10 |
| 3.0 good | Kriss | July 31st 10 |
| 3.5 great | rc1288 | July 22nd 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | BaZaH | June 29th 10 |
| 3.5 great | BlueW | June 21st 10 |
| 3.0 good | Yusuf | June 3rd 10 |
| 3.5 great | Scoot | May 24th 10 |
| 2.5 average | Niels | May 16th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | Photon | May 16th 10 |
| 3.0 good | Evisc | May 4th 10 |
| 3.0 good | LuTo | May 3rd 10 |
| 3.0 good | Skyler | April 28th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | blabony | April 15th 10 |
| 2.5 average | Zoo | April 14th 10 |
| 1.5 very poor | drewkar | March 16th 10 |
| 3.5 great | Iai EMERITUS | March 13th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | jk2two | March 12th 10 |
| 3.0 good | Bleak | March 10th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | Wizard | March 2nd 10 |
| 5.0 classic | Dash | March 1st 10 |
| 4.5 superb | Ghost76 | February 24th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | alsid | February 23rd 10 |
| 3.5 great | Hoenir | February 21st 10 |
| 2.0 poor | RedSky | February 21st 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | tomr4 | February 20th 10 |
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