Vikernes' music is characterised by hypnotic repetition and simple yet profound song structures this trademark sound has been present on Burzum's black metal and electronic albums alike. Musically, Burzum has progressed from primitive, raw black metal to classical-influenced ambient music characterised by minimalist tendencies and dark atmospheres. He has stated the 'message' of Burzum can be found in the lyrics of the first song of the first album ('Feeble Screams from Forests Unknown'). Vikernes claims the intent to create this fantasy world came from dissatisfaction with the real world. Each album, he claims, was designed as a kind of 'spell' in itself, with each beginning song intending to make the listener more susceptible to 'magick', the following songs to inspire a 'trance-like state of mind', and the last song to carry the listener into a 'world of fantasy' (dreams, for the listener would fall asleep-Burzum was supposed to have been evening music). Vikernes has described Burzum as a kind of 'spell' or recreation of an imaginary world tied in with Pagan history.

Much of Burzum's later music focuses on Norse legends, especially his most recent two ambient albums: Dauði baldrs deals exclusively with the legend of the death of Baldr and Hliðskjálf recounts the death of Wotan and the approach of Ragnarök. As he continued to release albums, Vikernes' attraction to Norse mythology and Pagan beliefs became more and more apparent. Some of Burzum's early songs featured titles like 'En ring til å herske' ('One Ring to Rule') however, Vikernes later explained this to be a reference to the Rheingold of Norse mythology rather than to Tolkien's works, which themselves owe debt to Norse mythology. The choice of the name for the project reflects both this influence and the desire for anonymity: 'Burzum' is a word of the Black Speech of Mordor meaning 'darkness' (though Vikernes believes that Pagans consider it to mean 'light' as opposed to how Christians consider it to mean 'darkness'), and is one of those found on the Ring-inscription of the One Ring (the final part of the Ring inscription being '…agh Burzum-ishi krimpatul, or '…and in the darkness bind them'). The band's early music shows heavy Tolkien influence for example, the name 'Count Grishnackh' is taken from an orc character called Grishnákh in Tolkien's works. All of the band's albums feature intentionally low production quality. Musical style Burzum's music features characteristics common in black metal, including distorted, tremolo-picked guitar riffs, harsh vocals, and the use of blast beat and double bass techniques in the drumming. While imprisoned, Vikernes recorded two albums in the dark ambient style. During 19, Burzum recorded four albums however, in 1994 Vikernes was convicted and imprisoned for the murder of guitarist Øystein 'Euronymous' Aarseth and the arson of several churches. It began during 1989 in Bergen, Norway and quickly became prominent within the early Norwegian black metal scene. (“Seven Harmonies of the Unknown Truth” is a recording of the Norwegian black metal band Ildjarn, while “Outro” is simply a recording of Burzum’s “Den Onde Kysten” being played in an empty room.) The presence of those fakes only makes the unsettling achievement of Burzum’s early work more stunning by comparison.Burzum is the musical project by Varg Vikernes (under the pseudonym 'Count Grishnackh'). Draugen is an unofficial release and contains a few songs that have been proven to be counterfeits. The muddy demo of “Lost Wisdom” is tattered and warm, while “Dunkenheit” is so bristly and piercing that the guitar almost ceases to sound like one. What’s really amazing about Draugen is the way it shows the wide range of tones Virkeners got from his instruments, even as he remained singlemindedly devoted to a specific purpose. “A Lost Forgotten Sad Spirit,” “Et Hvitt Lys Over Skogen,' and “My Journey to the Stars” are definitive Burzum: songs that become transcendent and ethereal through use of sheer unrelenting noise. Featuring outtakes from Burzum’s esteemed early period-which lasted from 1991 until Varg Vikernes’ imprisonment in 1993- Draugen offers new glimpses of an already well-documented phase of productivity.

Draugen burzum