Dauði Baldrs
Encyclopedia
Dauði Baldrs or Dauthi Baldrs (English
: "Baldr's Death" or "The Death of Baldr") is an album by the Norwegian
artist Burzum
. Unlike Burzum's previous work, which was black metal
, this is a dark ambient
album. It was recorded using a synthesizer
and a normal tape recorder
by Varg Vikernes
while he was in prison, as he was not allowed to have any other instruments or recording equipment. It was completed in a few months due to his limited access to synthesizers, which was also the case with the following album, Hliðskjálf.
in Norse mythology
. Most likely a concept album, as the whole album leads up to Ragnarok
, the battle at the end of the world in Norse mythology.
, ambient
, neoclassical and minimalism, a huge stray away from the raw black metal that characterized Burzum's earlier work. Some songs are very folk-driven and medieval, while some are sparse, hypnotic ambient minimalist songs, particularly "Illa tiðandi". The songs contrast each other quite a lot, with the title track, "Bálferð Baldrs" and "Í heimr heljar" being the most medieval-like. "Móti Ragnargkum" contains monophonic
sections mixed with other thicker sections. "Illa tiðandi" is easily the most minimalist track, with only two sections being repeated over the 10:29 duration, which are both simple piano melodies, which are eventually accompanied by a choral chant.
"Illa tiðandi" is an alternative version of the song "Decrepitude I" while "Bálferð Baldrs" is an ambient version of the main riff from the song "Jesu Død". Both of these songs appeared on Burzum's previous album Filosofem
.
"The song "Dauði Baldrs" later got remade as the song "Belus Død"."
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: "Baldr's Death" or "The Death of Baldr") is an album by the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
artist Burzum
Burzum
Burzum is a musical project by Varg Vikernes . It began during 1991 in Bergen, Norway and quickly became prominent within the early Norwegian black metal scene...
. Unlike Burzum's previous work, which was black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
, this is a dark ambient
Dark ambient
Dark ambient is a subgenre of ambient music that features foreboding, ominous, or discordant overtones. Although it had its roots in the 1970s, Dark ambient emerged in the 1980s and 1990s with the introduction of newer, smaller, and more affordable Effects units, synthesizer and sampling technology...
album. It was recorded using a synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
and a normal tape recorder
Tape recorder
An audio tape recorder, tape deck, reel-to-reel tape deck, cassette deck or tape machine is an audio storage device that records and plays back sounds, including articulated voices, usually using magnetic tape, either wound on a reel or in a cassette, for storage...
by Varg Vikernes
Varg Vikernes
Varg Vikernes is a Norwegian black metal musician, writer, philosopher, religious and political activist, arsonist and convicted murderer.Vikernes was born near Bergen, Norway. In 1991, he founded the one-man music project Burzum, which quickly became popular within the early Norwegian black metal...
while he was in prison, as he was not allowed to have any other instruments or recording equipment. It was completed in a few months due to his limited access to synthesizers, which was also the case with the following album, Hliðskjálf.
Concept
The album is about the legacy of Baldr, the second son of OdinOdin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
in Norse mythology
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
. Most likely a concept album, as the whole album leads up to Ragnarok
Ragnarök
In Norse mythology, Ragnarök is a series of future events, including a great battle foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major figures , the occurrence of various natural disasters, and the subsequent submersion of the world in water...
, the battle at the end of the world in Norse mythology.
Music
Stylistically, the album is a mix of medieval musicMedieval music
Medieval music is Western music written during the Middle Ages. This era begins with the fall of the Roman Empire and ends sometime in the early fifteenth century...
, ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
, neoclassical and minimalism, a huge stray away from the raw black metal that characterized Burzum's earlier work. Some songs are very folk-driven and medieval, while some are sparse, hypnotic ambient minimalist songs, particularly "Illa tiðandi". The songs contrast each other quite a lot, with the title track, "Bálferð Baldrs" and "Í heimr heljar" being the most medieval-like. "Móti Ragnargkum" contains monophonic
Monophony
In music, monophony is the simplest of textures, consisting of melody without accompanying harmony. This may be realized as just one note at a time, or with the same note duplicated at the octave . If the entire melody is sung by two voices or a choir with an interval between the notes or in...
sections mixed with other thicker sections. "Illa tiðandi" is easily the most minimalist track, with only two sections being repeated over the 10:29 duration, which are both simple piano melodies, which are eventually accompanied by a choral chant.
"Illa tiðandi" is an alternative version of the song "Decrepitude I" while "Bálferð Baldrs" is an ambient version of the main riff from the song "Jesu Død". Both of these songs appeared on Burzum's previous album Filosofem
Filosofem
Filosofem is the fifth release by the Norwegian black metal artist Burzum. It was recorded in March 1993 and was the last recording before Varg Vikernes' imprisonment. However, the album was not released until January 1996....
.
"The song "Dauði Baldrs" later got remade as the song "Belus Død"."