Regardless of your opinion of Varg Vikernes’s philosophies, his influence is undeniable. That includes just his dark ambient/dungeon synth side perhaps most known from the two albums he recorded while in prison – Daudi Baldrs and Hlidskjalf.

The Sunday Dungeon is a bit of a new ritual here at noisebeneaththesnow.com. But we often toss the snowball slightly to the left or right of the pre-defined target. Such is the case here.

A Chill Rises; An Ambient Tribute To Burzum isn’t entirely dungeon synth. However, it does explore the dungeon synth/dark ambient sides of Burzum. MATIVS is a very mysterious project whose location, Poland is the only information known to us.

Instead of choosing tracks from one or two releases, MATIVS selects some from five different Burzum albums exploring different moments in Burzum’s history. Being partial to the prison-era material, I favor the tracks MATIVS honors from those two albums. Granted, they might perhaps be a bit more repetitive. But they are absolutely more akin to the dungeon synth vibe. Appropriately so, MATIVS uses slightly different instrumentation for the tracks that are not originally found on Daudi Baldrs or Hlidskjalf. For example, “Tomhet” is constructed as was the original with mostly string, choral and synth sounds whereas “Der Winende Hadnur” from Hlidskjalf maintains the original’s whimsical feel.



There are a number of reasons why this release is worth checking out. First, it explores a side of Burzum that perhaps is too often overlooked or ignored. It also honors the integrity of the original tracks but does so with its own voice. Lastly, MATIVS offers this release as a Name Your Own Price album. So, you have nothing to lose. As always, however… we encourage you to toss even a little support toward the artist.

If you are a dungeon synth fan or a fan of this side of Burzum’s career, you’ll find something to enjoy.

Tracklist:

Det Som Engang Var (intro) Han Som Reiste (from Det som engang var) The Portal (from The Ways Of Yore) Die Liebe Nerpus (from Hlidskjalf) Illa Tidandi (from Daudi Baldrs) Der Weinende Hadnur (from Hldskjalf) Tomhet (from Hvis lyset tar oss)

A Chill Rises is available as a Name Your Own Price digital download album via Bandcamp.

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