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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
icy, beautiful & haunting black metal treasure., November 25, 2003
The inspiring career of Ulver begins here, with the first installment to the "black metal trilogie." Although I'm sure few people (read: no one) expected Ulver to eventually tackle experimental electronic music, it would have been obvious from the outset that this was a very special band with a promising musical journey ahead of them. This is probably the most beautiful metal album I have heard. Actually it's difficult to think of anything with a metal disposition that comes close. And it is beautiful without any tacky symphonic pretenses or lame synths."Chapter I" begins with a hammering drum roll, then enters the evocative, melodic riffing and Garm's haunting, multitracked voice. It feels weird calling a man's voice "beautiful" but Garm's chanted vocals, in an archaic tongue (which adds to the album's seductive mystique), here make me shiver like few others. It is immediately apparent that the production is subdued and gentle, rather than abrasive and trebly. The metal of this album possesses a accomplishes a rare feat of atmosphere, due to the complementing distant sound of the production. A brief middle section of twin interlocking acoustic guitars emerges, then it switches back to the electric-guitar-based melodious stream of riffing and indelible vocal themes. "Chapter II" opens with acoustic guitar and flutes which shifts to the first sheer black metal passage, impelled forward by driving blastbeats and a maelstrom of fierce yet melodic riffs. Also, we are introduced to the antipode of Garm's celestial chant, which is his chilling, diabolical scream. It ends with an enchanting, harmonious a capella section. "Chapter III" is mostly stormy melodic black metal mixed with feral screams and chants. The middle of the song has the sounds of a woman running and breathing heavily with burnished piano runs in the background (probably has something to do with the story -- and I'm assuming _Bergtatt_ IS a story given the chapters and song titles and all...) The fourth chapter has two acoustic guitar chords as well some sparse, wooden sounding percussion on every fourth beat which are repeated for the entire duration. The surrounding sounds are varied, however: deep, chanted male vocals; brief glittering acoustic guitar solos; haunting soprano vocals. The band's mindfulness of texture is amazing. Then the finale, the fifth song, propelled at first by blastbeats, dense and soaring tremolo picking, and Garm's tormented scream. Then the metal is cut out, replaced by a rapid, plucked steel-string acoustic guitar figure with ravishing nylon-string sprinkled over it. This then vanishes as abruptly as it appeared, replaced by the epic, climactic, tense main riff and kinetic drumming that anchors the middle section. Devillish vocals again appear, snarling. The final, symphonic (without sounding cheesy or gimmicky) buildup with soaring, sustained guitar is astoundingly magnificent. The metal fades out, leaving a gorgeous, classical sounding coda on acoustic guitar which ends the disc. You realize at this point that the album is barely longer than 30 minutes, but it is so perfect and amazing you'd be a fool to care. Of the "trilogie," _Nattens Madrigal_ is the most definitive black metal album, and _Kveldssanger_ is just achingly gorgeous although it technically isn't black metal (it's all Norwegian folk songs, y'know). But in the end I would have to say the mix in _Bergtatt_ is the most compelling. Very highly recommended, even to those who normally shy away from black metal. This album proves that a good artist can make gorgeous music even in a form that is typically vile and evil. The black metal purist may not like it but it's his loss.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Norwegian Enchantment, April 22, 2002
"Authenticity" is more crucial in Black Metal than any other style of music, with the only possible exception being some of the more extreme factions of hardcore punk. With that in mind, it would be difficult to be more authentic than Norway's Ulver. Instead of their church-burning contemporaries, Ulver chooses to subvert Christianity by creating music that hearkens back to a more primitive, pagan time.
Bergtatt was their first album. Sonically it resembles their masterful third album, Nattens Madrigal, more than their other releases. The story follows a young maiden as she is "taken into the mountain" (Berg=mountain, tatt=taken). Unfortunately, no English translation is available, but the "Fairytale in 5 Chapters" goes as follows:Capitel 1
The first chapter deals with the protagonist, in this case a young maiden, being led astray in the forest. The music here is mostly in a major key, with singer Garm harmonizing beautifully with himself in descending cadences. Capitel 2
Chapter 2, in Garm's words, is "a description of her emotions as the veil of night mercilessly is being let down upon her." It starts off with a pretty minor acoustic guitar/flute piece that wouldn't have sounded out-of-place on their next release, Kveldssanger. Instead of resolving to the tonal center on the eighth repitition, chaos erupts. Garm's tortured screams are accompanied at times with occasional Gregorian chant-esque passages that are similar to those found on the first track, particularly when the track slows to a more moderate tempo. Capitel 3
This chapter has our heroine attempting to flee from the presence of the subterranean forces. Another blast of pure Black Metal; this song evokes terrifying images as a thunderclap erupts under the descending tension/resolution of the chordal structure. Midway through, the piece fades into an acoustic interlude followed by an almost Musique Concrète rendering of the sounds of running through the forest accompanied by spiraling piano arpeggios. Then back to the "grind", as it were, for the remainder of the song. Capitel 4
In Chapter 4, the maiden is "bewitched by an alluring and seductive voice." This is the album's most gothic sounding piece, with a repetitive acoustic guitar phrase provoding the framework for Garm's low chanting. The maiden responds, as if in a trance. At this point, the spirits recognize that it's easier to "tempt a fly with honey rather than a flyswatter", which results in... Capitel 5
The last chapter, in which our heroine is "spirited off into the mountain." This song contains elements of all of the other 4: the furious blast-beats, the acoustic interludes, the mid-tempo victorious viking-metal passages, the alternations between harsh screaming and beautiful (en)chanting harmonies. A wonderful album, a wonderful story.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The grey skies frown over forests on the mountainside..., August 2, 2004
Ulver, my first real foray into black metal, is probably the most beautiful (dark) metal band I have known since Opeth. Much like their Swedish contemporaries, this Norwegian band largely utilize melodies, acoustic guitars (and other forms of transition between heavier songs and parts thereof), and clean vocals to further differentiate themselves from the annals of heavy metal norms. However, Ulver does more than just sound melodic or have a shining moment here or there; they create (no, EMBRACE) a trait that far surpasses any gimmick, theme, or talent in most other bands: atmosphere.
When you listen to this album's five tracks, you are carried deep into the mountains of Norway. You hear the crickets chirping in the shrubbery nearby. You smell the thick green odours of the trees about you. You feel the wind, cool and fresh, flowing through the trees to gently embrace you in its primal movement. The allure of the mountainside by dusk beckons you deeper into the forest...
...much like the unfortunate protagonist in the story this album narrates. For the whole of this story, read d_didonato's marvelous review. It is a rather eerie story, yet it perfectly fits hand-in-hand with the beautifully archaic atmosphere created by the five amazing musicians that made up the original Ulver lineup.
Håvard "Haavard" Jørgensens is the lead, rhythm, and acoustic guitarist. His heavier riffs, along with fellow guitarist (only for rhythm, however) Aismal, flow with such languid lucidity, it is like the fall of a gentle rain storm or the trickling of a wild river; far from a headbanger's delight. The opening riffs to "Capitel I" are a perfect example of this. As well, Håvard's acoustic guitar (like during the breakdown near the end of "Capitel I," the intro to "Capitel II," (paired with ethereal, beautiful flute, performed by ), and the outro to "V," is supremely beautiful. Finger-picking in a Norse folk style, the acoustic breakdowns are highly reminiscent of Opeth, yet somehow even more archaic and at once lulling and cryptically sinister. Haavard's leads are also very beautiful; again, in "Capitel I," there are not one, but three solos (two during the bridge, and a fantastic one during the outro) that perfectly, PERFECTLY, complement the song's subtle beauty.
Erik Olivier Lancelot, better known as AiwarikiaR, is the drummer on this album, as well as the man responsible for the utterly beautiful flutes (which are highly effective during the pre-outro to "Capitel I," the intro to "Capitel II," and on other parts). His drumming is fast, thunderous, yet hardly threatening or overly heavy. With much usage of double-bass pedals, AiwarikiaR creates the perfect amount of heaviness to not contrast, but to heighten, the melodies that are present in every song. He also makes great use of his snare drums and the crashing of cymbals during the heavier moments. Hugh Steven James Mingray, AKA Skoll, plays the bass, which again is a great addition to the blend of heavy melodies. For the most part, he cannot clearly be heard (the production is purposely foggy, as I shall get into momentarily), but there are moments in which he shines through (like during some of the sweeping shifts in the riffs of "Capitel II," and during a majority of "Capitel III"), and he clearly knows what he's doing; he is far more than the average metal bassist.
And then there's Krisoffer Rygg, AKA Garm, on vocals and the principle songwriter/lyricist and the heart and soul of Ulver. Speaking of heart and soul, Ulver has a great fascination with wolves. "Ulver" literally means "wolf" in Norwegian; as well, a couple of the band member's names are taken directly from Nordic mythology: Garm is the blood-stained wolf which guards the underworld; Skoll is the wolf which eventually devours the sun during Ragnarok, the apocalyptic end of the world (and the marking of the rebirth of mankind). Cool, huh? But back to Garm...
Garm has a whole range of voices that he uses highly effectively. To further anchor themselves in black metal, yes, Garm has harsher vocals which sound tortured, tattered, and not from beyond the grave, but rather from forces outside of our known world. However, Garm does SO much more than this! For the most part, you see, he sings with one of the most beautiful voices any male human has ever been gifted with, along with Mikael Åkerfeldt and James LaBrie. Haunting, distant, and with mixed times of sorrow, despair, loneliness, and often lighter emotions (especially a beckoning cry of allure), Garm proves that you don't have to understand a language (Ulver sings completely in Norwegian, a very bold act) in order to FEEL the mood.
Finally, there's the album overall. What can I say that I haven't already? PLENTY! However, I won't spoil it all for you. There are so many moments to moan "Ooh..." and "Ahhh..." to with this album. The atmosphere is so thick, so real, you'll forget that you are not in a forest, but only listening to this album. There are even non-musical touches which further heighten this: the crash of thunder on "Capitel II." A brief brush of rain and wind at the end of "Capitel V." The full minute or so of hearing a woman's hurried breathing as she rushes through the woods, her feet crunching twigs and leaves underfoot, as a twisting, eerie (but of course, beautiful) piano is played in the background (by Steinar Johnsen, AKA Sverd) during the middle section of "Capitel III." And the most powerful aspect of this album, I think, is the slightly dim production, which is PERFECT; it's like the final touch of mist in the audio portrait that BERGTATT paints).
A pure masterpiece in only about half an hour, BERGTATT is one of the most unique, moving, and atmospheric albums you will ever hear. Buy this album, and be lost (and blissfully possessed) in the forests forever.
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