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Something in My Eye
- Jan 12, 2009
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Burzum - Belus (aka "Den Hvite Guden") (2010)
- Thread starter ArneZ
- Start date
Koude Haat
Member
Hubster
...
Astrum
Psion
mutantllama
Active Member
Stormwatch
Cock.
Hlidskjalf is a fucking awesome album. I'm looking forward to hearing this new one.
The rest of this thread is ridiculous.Who cares if the cover looks gay? Who cares if people laugh at the cover for looking gay?
Who fucking cares.
Listen to the album or don't. Don't get your panties in a twist for any of the other shit.
"Katalyrics" was a really, really gay thing to say though.
The rest of this thread is ridiculous.Who cares if the cover looks gay? Who cares if people laugh at the cover for looking gay?
Who fucking cares.
Listen to the album or don't. Don't get your panties in a twist for any of the other shit.
"Katalyrics" was a really, really gay thing to say though.
Einherjar86
Active Member
Varg's lyrics are pretty esoteric, and another problem with interpretation lies in the fact that more than a little is lost in translation.
I think that Varg is impressive, but on a superficial level. As far as poetic value goes, I believe his lyrics are too personal to be successfully and completely understood by others. That said, I do feel there is some philosophical, spiritual, and literary depth to them. However, most of lyrics expound upon a philosophy that is inherently flawed and harmful, so this raises another question of whether or not they're valuable.
I think that Varg is impressive, but on a superficial level. As far as poetic value goes, I believe his lyrics are too personal to be successfully and completely understood by others. That said, I do feel there is some philosophical, spiritual, and literary depth to them. However, most of lyrics expound upon a philosophy that is inherently flawed and harmful, so this raises another question of whether or not they're valuable.
V.V.V.V.V.
Houses Ov Mercury
Einherjar86
Active Member
Well, his lyrics are derived from his personal views which are considerably flawed and harmful. I should have specified that. I don't suppose thay many of his lyrics explicitly support or condone his views, but you have to consider his perspective when interpreting his lyrics.
V.V.V.V.V.
Houses Ov Mercury
When judging art, you must divorce it from the artist as much as possible to obtain the most objective critical perspective that you can, in my opinion. Consider these lyrics, from "Feeble Screams from Forests Unknown":
Where's the hateful philosophy here anyway? I went back and read some of his lyrics last night and didn't get too much in the way of his racism, etc. and weirdo ideologies being presented.
Where's the hateful philosophy here anyway? I went back and read some of his lyrics last night and didn't get too much in the way of his racism, etc. and weirdo ideologies being presented.
Einherjar86
Active Member
This might result in another debate
I feel that observing art separately can only bring us so far, and usually not much deeper than a superficial interpretation of the text. I feel that this is fine for its own purposes; but in order to develop a truly complete knowledge of a work of art we have to also take into account the artist and his or her reasons for creating the work.Of course, if you believe that art stems from a deeper source and that the artist is merely a conduit through which the essence of art comes into a material existence, then an artist and his or her surroundings mean little. As an artist, I disagree with this idea because I feel that I'm constantly influenced by my experiences.
Actually, I find several references to Varg's personal philosophy in that song. Take the line: "...a soul from an early better age." I think it's safe to say that Varg is referring to a mythical age without Christian influence, and the "soul" referred to in the song is a noble savage-type figure (such as he likely envisions himself). The soul is "grasping for a mystic thought in vain" because he's living in the contemporary world, which is a world highly removed from Varg's ideal conception of a pre-Christian, pagan cosmology. The conclusion of the song is especially telling:
"As Years Pass by
The Aura Drops
As Less and Less
Feelings Touch
Stupidity
Has Won too Much
The Hopeless Soul Keeps Mating"
The noble savage loses faith and conviction as the years pass and he is subjected to the contemporary "stupidity" of Judeo-Christian belief, and the more he reproduces the more influenced his progeny are by the growing pervasion of Christianity.
unknown
fuck ftagn
Einherjar86
Active Member
So was T.S. Eliot, to an extent. I don't believe that this is a reason to avoid an artist's work. I'm merely trying to argue that an artist's personal beliefs have some impact on what they create, even if it's a minimal degree.
My statement in which I first mentioned Varg's beliefs and suggested that his work has no value was directed at the people who dismiss him immediately because they think he's an idiot. That's no reason to avoid his art, in my opinion.
V.V.V.V.V.
Houses Ov Mercury
Of course their personal beliefs have an influence on how they write...Poe's background as a person definitely affected the way in which he wrote, as well, for instance. Someone's beliefs and whether you agree or disagree with them shouldn't have anything to do with value, though. If you're letting someone's mindset affect your appreciation of the art, you're probably not cut out for judging art. I think that it may be partially true that understanding art from a detached perspective only goes so far, but certainly it is also folly to believe that, because you're allowing your ideas of the artist's work to be affected by preconceived notions of the artist's intentional OR unintentional harm, offense or other things like that, you are judging work fairly.
unknown
fuck ftagn
so do we consider the works by artists like Lovecraft and T.S. Eliot valuable?
this argument gets brought up everytime an artist is linked with questionable views. Arghoslent, NSBM...the debate never ends. The war between the formalists and new historicists rages on
V.V.V.V.V.
Houses Ov Mercury
Since Lovecraft revolutionized fiction and brought it into an entire new, incredibly developed, unthought-of-theretofore realm, I would say I consider his works extremely valuable, despite how many times he references his racism in his stories. I think in this case a sliding scale is useful in terms of judging the art.
unknown
fuck ftagn
as do I...but most people on here who know me know I'm an ardent lovecraft fanboy, so I'm biased 
Einherjar86
Active Member
I wrote that really hastily. In my last post I tried to clarify: that statement is directed at people who dismiss Varg immediately because they think he's an idiot and worthless because of his personal views.
Furthermore, I shouldn't have used the word "expound." I should have said his lyrics are derived from his philosophy.
And I agree with the revolutionary status of Lovecraft (not to the extent of Eliot, but it's tough to beat one of the godfathers of Modernism). I do not feel that their personal views detract from their art.
Furthermore, I shouldn't have used the word "expound." I should have said his lyrics are derived from his philosophy.
And I agree with the revolutionary status of Lovecraft (not to the extent of Eliot, but it's tough to beat one of the godfathers of Modernism). I do not feel that their personal views detract from their art.
V.V.V.V.V.
Houses Ov Mercury
as do I...but most people on here who know me know I'm an ardent lovecraft fanboy, so I'm biased
Haha, same, I'm a big fan.
Blind Guardian
Member
I think an artist's official persona can be seen as part of his art, if he has created one. Just look at what Darkthrone did in the early 90's, surely the mystique surrounding Darkthrone enchanced the listening experience for many people. Varg is probably different though, he means everything he says.
