BURZUM, featuring mastermind Varg Vikernes (aka Count Grishnackh) - who will release his new album, entitled Belus, on March 8th via Byelobog Productions - have recently made available short samples of each song at Amazon.com.

As previously reported, the album's tracklisting has been revealed. Check it out in German, Norwegian and French at this location. Also available are song lyrics.

Further album details, including comments from Vikernes, follows:

It's been 11 long years and now the world will see the return of Burzum. The highly anticipated new album is entitled Belus after the name of the ancient European solar deity of light and innocence. Belus is not a religious album or an anti-religious album, nor is it a political one, but an attempt to explore the myths about Belus and unveil the oldest roots of our cultural heritage. The album deals with the death of Belus, his sombre journey through the realm of death and his magnificent return. In essence the album and the story of Belus is meant to be an entertaining story about something that once upon a time played a major role in the forming and shaping of Europe.

"The album has been made according to my heart and spirit, and not to fit into any particular genre or category, or to live up to anyone's obvious expectations".

The music can best be compared to the music of some of the old Burzum albums; in particular the ground breaking Hvis Lyset Tar Oss and the atmospheric brilliances of Filosofem, only the ambient parts present on these albums has been almost completely left out on Belus.

"There is no special reason for this, other than coincidence and the fact that I have for some time made more and better music on the guitar rather than on the keyboard".

"Inspiration for the album has come from a variety of sources, and I find my inspiration from fairy tales and myths, from classical music from memories of what once was, from traditional music, from fantasy, from the wind and weather, from deep forests and running water, from the sky and the sunset, from misty mountains and from yellow leaves falling from age old trees".

"My ambition with Belus is to create something I - and hopefully others too - can listen to for years and years to come without ever growing tired of it, and at the same time to share with my audience the experience of getting to know Belus, as he might have been perceived by the ancient Europeans."

The combination of lyrics and music makes this a fairy tale different from most others, and should appeal to all those who like transcendental music and love to see different things from a different perspective.

"If I can make you dream when listening to this album, I believe I have done a good job."
"I am aware of the black metal association with the name Burzum, and I have no real and serious problem with that, but I personally see no reason to place Belus in any category. I think Belus musically transcends all existing categories, but if I have to choose one - and for the sake of simplicity - I will simply place it in the metal category."