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Umskiptar (Old Norse for Metamorphosis) is the ninth studio album by the Norwegian one-man band Burzum, released on 21 May 2012 through Byelobog Productions.[1][2][3] It has been described by Varg Vikernes as a "return to the roots", with a priority on atmosphere. The album's lyrics are taken from an Old Norse poem entitled Völuspá.[3] The album was leaked two months before its release date, due, according to Vikernes, to a former PR agent of his having "sent promotional copies of the entire album to left wing extremist magazines" without his knowledge or consent.[4]

Umskiptar
Studio album by Burzum
Released	21 May 2012 (2012-05-21)
Recorded	September 2011 at Grieg Hall in Bergen, Norway
Genre	Black metal viking metal
Length	66:16
Label	Byelobog Productions
Producer	Varg Vikernes Pytten Davide Bertolini
Burzum chronology
From the Depths of Darkness (2011) Umskiptar (2012) Sôl austan, Mâni vestan (2013)

The cover art is taken from the painting Nótt by Norwegian painter Peter Nicolai Arbo.[3] It is Vikernes' final heavy metal album.

Music

Despite featuring "a stripped-down" viking metal sound that "pays homage" to the likes of Bathory and early Enslaved,[5] Umskiptar retains "the fuzzy riffing and low production values" of Burzum's previous black metal releases. SputnikMusic's Kyle Ward described the album's style as "an odd bastardization of the usual black metal sound".[6] The album also rarely features harsh vocals.[6]

The track "Alfadanz" features a "submerged" piano intro and repeating simple riffs.[6][7] "Gullaldr" is a ten-minute-long spoken word track, overlaid with guitar plucking.[6] "Níðhöggr" finds Vikernes whispering over field recordings, a bass drum and a "distant, wobbly tone".[7] The vocals are buried "between sheets of black-metal guitar screech" on the track "Heiðr", while "Valgaldr" is described as "an eight-minute bog in which he wraps ghoulish harmonies around distorted riffs", with a sound compared to "Iron Maiden on Thorazine".[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Metal Storm	3.0/10[5]
Pitchfork	3.3/10[8]

The album generally received negative reviews from music critics. Metal Storm's staff critic Troy Killjoy wrote: "Rather than beautifully composed epic melodious black metal anthems, encouraging atmospheric tales of fantasy and historical wars, or even the traditional grim and frostbitten stylings of the second wave (of which Burzum was a significant part), Varg presents the world with his least imaginative work to date – even taking Dauði Baldrs into consideration".[5]

Track listing

Personnel

Album personnel as adapted from official Burzum website.[3]

• Varg Vikernes – vocals, all instruments, production, design, layout
• Pytten – production, mixing
• Davide Bertolini – production
• Naweed – mastering
• Dan Capp – design, layout

References

External links

• Umskiptar at Discogs (list of releases)

На других языках

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[de] Umskiptar

Umskiptar (altnordisch ‚Verwandlung‘) ist das neunte Studioalbum des Extreme-Metal-Projekts Burzum, veröffentlicht am 21. Mai 2012 bei Byelobog Productions.

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- [en] Umskiptar

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[es] Umskiptar

Umskiptar es el décimo álbum de estudio de la banda noruega de black metal, Burzum. Fue lanzado el 21 de mayo de 2012 por Byelobog Productions. Las letras de las canciones están inspiradas en un poema nórdico llamado Völuspá, que está dirigido a Odín y relata la creación del mundo y su inminente final. Se le indica como la principal fuente para estudio de la mitología nórdica.[1]

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[ru] Umskiptar

Umskiptar (с др-сканд. — Метаморфо́зы) — девятый студийный альбом норвежского музыкального проекта Burzum, выход которого состоялся 21 мая 2012 года[4].

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