Ulver, Bergtatt - Et Eeventyr i 5 Capitler (Head Not Found-1995)
This is an odd one for this blog, as the cover shows that it is black metal in it's content so commercial success really was never going to happen. But as many bands from that genre have now went on to headline big festivals and even start to sell very well I feel this can now be placed here. Many kids now seem to be right into the sound that was black metal from back in the 90s. But it really was back then underground. No radio station would play it and with all the stupid church burnings and silly corps paint the mainstream ran a mile.
Some of the music from many of the bands was pretty crap. But a few bands really did make it all work and with each album move on the style. This band moved it on with the very first album. Forget all the harsh vocals and screaming lyrics about religion here was a well made album that really has you enjoying it's content.
The album has the classic guitar, drum and bass content but the whole construction is quite different as it adds a lot of Norwegian Folk music to the mix. So much so the genre could be easily mistaken. But the elements of black metal are still there but used in more of an atmospheric way, helping to enlighten you to some sort of story. The title in English is "Taken into the Mountain - A fairy tale in 5 Chapters".
Back then you could not get this album very easily and I had to get it mail order. Not only that there was no internet shops so I had to phone a shop in Germany and ask how to get this. Then I had to get German Deutsch marks and send it in an envelope. People now would never ever bother with all the trouble but is how we did it back then kids. Two weeks later I got this (and others). The CD copy I have is all in Norwigen and has no English at all so it was all a nice mystery to me.
First listen is a real eye opener, the album it starts with some fast drums and guitar but nothing faster than a normal rock album. The first vocals are more of a chanting, and the music is quite confusing. You really do not expect any harmonies and melodic music in this album. It is different but it is there. At the time I had never heard such repetitive music not so much the same note but the same melodic tone repeated. A great little guitar solo played in a riff style accompanies the music. At the time I am sure I looked at the CD to make sure it is the right one.
The whole album has the Folk style there and is mixed with the classic down tuned black metal style but it is done in a way it feels right. The drums can be played very franticly and this is evident on track two where even that starts with a passage of acoustic picking style much like the folk music mentioned. Flute and piano are also welcomed into the music and again all mixed up in that metal style so many feel is to heavy. But this album is so refreshing and my best comparison is to opera. Not so much in musical content but in performance.
The album really was big news back then as it shocked so many hardened fans. Some disliked it most took it as a new start and from now on the style changed every year. This band did not tour live or even have photos or interviews helping to keep some sort of mystery about the band and the album. Who were there inspirations? what's the album based on? what is next? do you burn churches? all questions never asked as there were no one to answer them.
The repetitiveness of the music really trained my ears and got me into some other bands including many other styles of metal music that pushed the boundaries. Ulver to this day are still one of my favorite bands/artists and even now the music they make is for me utterly compelling. Later albums like "Shadows Of The Sun" again got me into even more bands and artists. Bands like Merzbow, Nurse with Wound and Thorr's Hammer were welcomed to my ears now.
The production is spot on here, not too polished but enough engineering so it can all be recorded right as the performances by the artists are simply stunning. The band went on to record more music under the black metal style but by album four they switched to a more Avant-garde metal style. And later ambient/electronic styles were explored, but the link to BM is always there and this album is one of the best even to this day 19 years later so many have tried to copy it and failed badly.
If you only hear one black metal album ever make it this one. And to the kids into Watain and Nachtmystium this is why they exist.
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