MetalReview.com has issued an interview with BURZUM founder Varg Vikernes, in which he discusses the new Burzum album, Fallen. The following is an excerpt:

Q: The music of both Belus and Fallen has a personal and transcendental feel to it, sounding exactly as it was conceived and created—by one man. Is there a way that you get yourself into a “zone” in order to get the creative forces flowing? Or do riffs and melodies just hit your head and cause you to go running for your guitar?

A: "It's pretty straight forward really. The riffs come when I pick up the guitar and start to play. Some days I make nothing, some days I make something not good enough to use, and some days I make something I can use. Riffs and melodies have always come whilst playing the guitar or listening to what I just played (on loop on the PC, or in the past after being recorded on a cassette tape)."

Q: Did Fallen in particular come from any one point of inspiration?

A: "Not really. I was inspired a lot by the debut album and Det som engang var, because I had been working with these albums for some time, and I guess we can say [William-Adolphe Bouguereau's 1899 painting] Elegy was an inspiration, but..."

Q: There was a very quick turnaround from Belus to Fallen and both albums were very well received by Burzum fans. Do you attribute this combination of quantity and quality to your current creativity, an urgency you’ve felt since being released or a combination of both?

A: "No. This is how I work. Perhaps I need to remind you about the fact that the first four full-length albums and the Aske mini-album were all made and recorded in around 18 months? As I see it I really took my time this time, and only made one new album in 2010. Oh, and I re-recorded some old tracks for a compilation as well, so technically speaking I only made two new albums in 2010. Not all Scandinavians are zombified by the Socialist societies they live in, you know... good old fashioned Scandinavians like me still work well."

Read the full interview at this location.

Burzum's Fallen will be released in North America tomorrow, April 5th. The album is the second to be released via Varg Vikernes’ imprint Byelobog Productions (via Candlelight for North America). The song 'Vanvidd' is currently streaming at this location.

Fallen features seven new compositions by the controversial Norwegian musician, each adding another storied journey to the celebrated Burzum legacy.

Tracklisting:

'Fra Verdenstreet'

'Jeg Faller'

'Valen'

'Vanvidd'

'Enhver Til Sitt'

'Budstikken'

'Til Hel og Tilbake Igjen'

Vikernes says of the new album, “Musically, Fallen is a cross between Belus and something new, inspired more by the debut album and Det Som Engang Var than by Hvis Lyset Tar Oss or Filosofem. The sound is more dynamic. We mastered the album as if it was classical music and I was more experimental than I was on Belus in all respects. Lyrically it is similar to the debut album, in the way that it is more personal and focuses on existential issues. But the mythological undertone known from Belus is still there. I have also included some ambient tracks, a short introduction and a longer conclusion.”

Many credit Burzum with influencing much of modern-day black metal. While his music has traveled roads often far removed from what many consider black metal to be (with parts ambient, electronic, and more), his compositions have immediately been taken to heart by countless legions of fans the world over. It is a “no fear” mentality that has made Varg Vikernes both an idol and a bastard.

Fallen is the second album from the controversial recording artist since his release from the chains that bound him for nearly two decades. It is the first album from the musician to benefit from a proper North American release.

Burzum was founded in 1991 by Vikernes. Under the pen name Count Grishnackh, the youthful musician quickly recorded four albums. During his lengthy incarceration, Vikernes recorded two additional albums, thus completing his initial series of compositions. Released from captivity in 2009, Vikernes immediately set out on a new path of creativity and quickly recorded/released Belus on his own label imprint, Byelobog Productions. Both CD and vinyl pressings of Belus quickly sold out with repressings of the album not coming quick enough to keep up with demand.