After a surprise Danish win in the first leg, Villarreal knew that defeat at home was not an option. A single Hans Henrik Andreasen goal from a shocking Cristian Zapata defensive blunder in the 84th minute gifted the Danes with a win that shocked the footballing world, giving them the perfect advantage heading into tonight’s second leg contest at Camp El Madrigal. But the question was could they hold on to it for long enough to produce a truly incredible footballing upset?

Straight from the kick off, the full force of Villarreal’s attacking power was on show, both Nilmar and Giuseppe Rossi seeing their attempts from outside the box blocked just minutes into the game. Cani was brought down on the edge of the box only moments later, Senna’s subsequent free kick attempting to find the top of the goal, only to find the palm of Stefan Wessels’ hand.

The home side’s desperation was apparent throughout the half, the sheer speed of their play impressive in itself, the ball barely ever leaving Odense’s half of the pitch. The Danes’ defensive tactics to suppress the Spanish onslaught seemed at first to rely purely on harsh, take-no-prisoners tackles, Kalilou Traoré finding himself picking up the first yellow card of the game after only fifteen minutes, Bashkim Kadrii adding to that list just two minutes later. But upon further investigation as the half drew on, Odense’s defence were actually incredibly well-organised and strong, and no matter how hard they tried the Villarreal attack just couldn’t find the back of the net, Norwegian Espen Ruud keeping his side in the game almost singlehandedly, superbly tracking Villarreal midfielder Cani down the left hand side of the box on countless occasions.

Villarreal’s main problem seemed to be pushing men forward, very few of the midfielders seeming willing to commit forward despite the Spaniards only playing three at the back, seemingly so that the midfield could do exactly that.

The best chance of the half came after 37 minutes, Wessels saving well from a low Camuñas strike, Rossi picking the ball up from the rebound, skipping around a falling Christensen and attempting to chip it over the German keeper only to find his shot being brilliantly parried away for a corner. If he had decided to bury it beneath Wessels instead of trying to be clever, he easily would have made it 1-0…

The first half ended goalless, and despite the constant Villarreal attack the praise certainly belonged to their Danish visitors, a vast amount of incredibly strong defending on display, not to mention an already man of the match winning performance from Stefan Wessels between the posts.

The second half saw a similar start to the first, Wessels immediately having to deal with two attempts from outside of the box in only half a minute, Camuñas skimming the top of the bar from the edge of the box three minutes later. And just a minute later, Villarreal finally found what they were looking for; a fantastic Nilmar cross finding Rossi in the centre of the six-yard box, the Italian volleying the ball towards Wessels who at first looked like he had managed to make an incredible save, but the German was seemingly unable to deal with the near-distance strike, the ball finding its way out of his arms and into the bottom right hand corner of the Odense goal.

An already impressive Odense side sprung into full life after the goal, the Danes pushing harder in attack and holding stronger in defence, Andreasen and Kadrii in particular finding themselves penetrating the Villarreal defence down the wings.

But, it wasn’t to last long, Rossi grabbing his second of the night after 66 minutes, a world-class lofted pass that David Beckham himself would be proud of coming from Cani near to the halfway line and finding its way over the heads of the Odense defence to connect beautifully with the Italian striker inside the box, the Odense keeper standing no chance of saving such a fantastically timed and placed effort. 

Odense’s frustration from conceding a second goal showed straight from the restart, Bashkim Kadrii picking up his second yellow of the night after a clumsy challenge on Zapata, reducing Odense to ten men at a time when all was still to play for. The challenge was risky and unnecessary, the Dane clearly letting his anger get the better of him and as a result letting his team down considerably. But only four minutes later, Villarreal too were reduced to ten men, Borja Valero getting a straight red for a bizarre retaliation against Johansson which saw a Zinedine Zidane-esque headbutt from the Spaniard against his Swedish opponent. A replay showed that Johansson had accidentally clipped the top of Valero’s head with the tip of his boot after a tackle near the touchline, the Villarreal midfielder clearly seeing the accident as anything but and deciding to repay the Swede with a diving header into the chest.

The win was wrapped up by substitute Marchena after 82 minutes, a low strike from outside the box being fumbled by an otherwise brilliant Wessels into the right hand corner of the net. It was not the fairest way to end Wessels’ game, the young German performing brilliantly throughout only to let himself down at the last minute when top concentration was an absolute must.

Villarreal go into the group stage of the Champions League with an overall comfortable play-off win against a hard-working Odense side under their belts. The Spaniards will be confident of their chances of progressing further through the tournament, but their defence requires some serious work if they are going to do so. Against a weaker side like Odense they just about managed to deal with the minimal attacking force thrown their way, but against stronger and harder pushing sides they will certainly feel the pressure and will have to step up their game if they want any hope of competing seriously against the big boys. But, judging from their desperation and drive throughout, Juan Garrido and his men certainly aren’t going to let this opportunity go to waste and I have a strong suspicion that we will be seeing a lot of Villarreal throughout the course of this tournament.

This piece was featured on The Elastico.

A team that is ridden with injuries, surrounded by vocally unhappy fans, and has just lost their captain is not a team that will fill many with confidence, but despite all of this, Arsenal’s prospects of advancing from their Champions League qualifier against Italy’s Udinese looked quite promising. It was always going to be close, but just how close would it prove to be?

After only four minutes of play, Theo Walcott put Arsenal fans’ minds at ease when he neatly connected with a fantastic Aaron Ramsey cross to put the hosts ahead. But despite countless Gervinho runs and a great attacking partnership between the Ivorian and Walcott, the Gunners just couldn’t seem to convert their chances and go further ahead. As the first half wore on, Arsenal’s initial fire and speed seemed to die down, replaced with a sort of unsure tiredness that their visitors took advantage of, Armero forcing his way through the weak Arsenal defence on countless occasions, last minute tackles and forced Szczęsny stops being the only thing to keep the Colombian from making it level once again. Star striker, and Serie A’s top goalscorer for the last two seasons, Di Natale also looked incredibly dangerous when given the chance to attack. If anyone was going to score, it was certainly going to be this guy.

But, Arsenal managed to hold on and went into the break with their 1-0 lead intact, only to find themselves emerging the other side with another injured player for Wenger to add to his ever-increasing list, this time Gibbs being forced to retire due to a hamstring problem, Johan Djourou replacing the youngster with Vermaelen moving to left-back to fill the gap. And if things weren’t already worrying enough for Wenger, Djourou only managed to last nine minutes of play before a hamstring injury also saw him being forced off for newcomer and former Charlton Atheletic youngster Carl Jenkinson. At a time when Arsenal’s defence desperately needed to be strong, the gods seemed to be against them.

The entire second half was dominated by Udinese, a clearly tired and disorientated Arsenal side trying their hardest to keep them at bay, hoping that they could run the clock down before the Italians had the opportunity to grab and equaliser, or worse. Di Natale looked hungry, firing shots in from all angles, forcing the vulnerable Arsenal defence into overdrive and at one point, from a free-kick, causing Szczęsny to stretch to turn behind a well-placed free-kick.

It was an evening of pure endurance and patience, and it paid off as the match entered stoppage time, Gervinho embarking on a fantastic run through the heart of the Udinese defence to set up Walcott to seal the victory for the home side, only to be denied by a top-class save by Handanovič. The Slovenian had been kept so quiet during the second half but managed to rise to the challenge perfectly when most needed. Moments later Armero replied with a majestic shot from outside the box that flew just wide of the right post, but it was just too late for the visitors.

Wenger will be pleased that his men managed to keep an obviously strong Udinese side at bay despite their injuries and losses, and they will go into the second leg next Wednesday evening with a very important one goal lead. But their main worry will be the two injuries sustained tonight, adding to their previous pile of casualties. The Gunners face an important test at Liverpool on Saturday in the Premiership, but the possible addition of both Gibbs and Djourou to their list of  unusable players for that tie and the missing of a strong and suitable left-back will cause alarm bells to ring throughout the Arsenal camp. After a poor start to the season with a lacklustre 0-0 draw against Newcastle, the need for a win at Liverpool is massive, but with the team looking as shaky and vulnerable as they do at the moment, is there any chance of them pulling it off?

This piece was featured on The Elastico.

Last night, I got my first guest article for The Elastico published on their site, entitled “My Tippeligaen Love Affair”, centred around why, in my opinion, the big football leagues are not the best and why, in my eyes, the Tippeligaen is. I should have at least another two articles appearing on The Elastico over the next month or so, so keep an eye out for those. They’re a great group of people covering some great stuff, so please head on over to their website and check out what they’ve got on offer! You can read “My Tippeligaen Love Affair” here on their website, or simply read a copy of it below:

Admit it, you know nothing about the Norwegian football league situation, right? It’s ok, I don’t blame you at all. Norway’s top division – the Tippeligaen, as it’s officially known as – has never been viewed as one of Europe’s top leagues. In UEFA’s league coefficient, Norway are currently placed 26th, sandwiched between the Slovakian and Serbian leagues, respectively. Now, tell me what you know about those two leagues… Nothing? Exactly. Of course, I’m speaking hyperbolically and generalising horrendously, but please understand the point that I am making: in the eyes of UEFA and the football fans of Europe, and the world, it ain’t no La Liga. But it is to me.

Maybe it’s to do with my lifelong admiration for the underdog, or maybe it’s due to my love of distant, different and relatively-unknown places, but I’ve always been somewhat indifferent to the major footballing leagues. Of course, as a great football fan, all of the leagues interest me in one way or the other, but I have never felt particularly drawn to the major leagues of Europe, such as La Liga, the Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Serie A. Even the Premiership has eluded my attention from time to time. But, give me the Segunda División, the 2. Bundesliga, Ligue 2 or Serie B and I’m a very happy man indeed.

Through both my love for music and my love for nature, I fell in love with Norway as a whole several years ago. To me, it is one of the most beautiful places on the planet, home to some of the most beautiful people, and one of the most beautiful football leagues.

New Beginnings For Norwegian Football

Under its current name, the Tippeligaen has been active since 1991, and the league has been professional since 1992. Viking FK won the first season, followed by Rosenborg, claiming thirteen consecutive titles between 1992 and 2004 (their domestic title streak is second in the world only to the 14-year streak of Skonto Riga of Latvia). During the first years of Rosenborg’s success, they won by a substantial margin, minimal pressure presenting itself in the form of such teams as Bodø/Glimt, Molde, Lillestrøm and Brann. Yet, despite this dominance, Rosenborg’s margin of success began to steadily narrow as the years went on, finishing dramatically at the end of the 2004 season when Rosenborg ended up tying on points with Vålerenga, but finished ahead on goals scored.

In 2005, after thirteen years, Rosenborg’s winning streak finally came to an end when Vålerenga clinched the title, just one point ahead of second placed Start. And where were the thirteen consecutive league title winners? 7th. Rosenborg went from completely dominating the league between the years of ’92 to ’04, to never being in contention at all in ’05. And that leads me on to my first major point as to why I love the Tippeligaen so much…

Unpredictable Nature

It’s unpredictable. Norsk Tipping, the Norwegian state betting company, are the league’s main sponsors, thus causing the league to be unofficially referred to as “The Betting League”, which is the most ironic and laughable thing in football! As I’ve mentioned briefly above with the case of Rosenborg’s fall from unbeatable league champions to mid-table mediocracy, it is notoriously difficult to predict anything that is going to happen. A new day brings a new set of surprises, setbacks and, for many, sadness. Take the start of the current season, for example: 2007 runners-up and 2008 winners Stabæk were thrashed 7-0 by Lillestrøm, despite having Norwegian international Jon Knutsen between the posts, not to mention fellow Norwegian international Henning Hauger in midfield and Icelandic international Veigar Páll Gunnarsson upfront, amongst others. Yet, in round two, Lillestrøm went from delivering a thrashing to receiving a thrashing, losing 4-1 at home to Brann, and then, further surprising everyone, Stabæk went from losing 7-0 at home, to winning 2-1 away at reigning champions Rosenborg. Do you see what I’m getting at?

This unpredictability and utter madness is what makes the Norwegian league so compelling. Anything could happen at any given moment, not to mention the league’s notoriety for rewarding fans with huge score lines. We’re almost half way through the season and reigning champions Rosenborg currently sit in 11th; Viking FK, who once beat Chelsea 5-4 on aggregate in the first round of the 2002-03 UEFA Cup and who finished third in the league in 2007, find themselves in the relegation zone with a measly three wins from thirteen matches; and newly-promoted Fredrikstad have managed to bag themselves six wins from fourteen matches, find themselves in fifth place. Where else do you get this level of excitement, action and pure bewilderment? In my eyes, nowhere but the Tippeligaen!

Bored? Follow A New League

Now, I appreciate that it might be quite difficult for some to be able to fully devote the time needed to fully follow a foreign league; being bombarded with news, highlights and results, it is extremely easy to know everything that you need to know about your own national league. But, I don’t see this difficulty as a reason not to immerse yourself in a foreign league, I see it as a challenge to meet head-on and overcome. And we all like a challenge, right?

My advice to you is simple: give it a go. If you’re someone who knows little about the workings of any other leagues but your own, give one of the smaller, lesser-known European leagues a looking at. I promise that you’ll love it and find it far more interesting than your own. And for me, there is no better, more interesting, more exciting, and more entertaining league than the Tippeligaen.

Lenge leve fotball!

Yesterday evening, I stumbled across a collection of old movie and music reviews that I wrote a good year or two ago, and I found this, a review I wrote after my first listen to Wolves In The Throne Room’s incredible release “Malevolent Grain”. I think it was published somewhere, but I can’t remember. Anyway, I didn’t hate it, so I thought I’d repost it here:

If I am ever driven to suicide it will be due to this record. This record will be playing around me before I die, while I die and after I die, and you are all witnesses here when I say that I want my family and friends to listen to all 23 glorious minutes of this masterpiece at my funeral. It is stunning. Wolves In The Throne Room’s latest vinyl release “Malevolent Grain” brings their idea of “atmospheric eco-spiritual black drone metal” to life in such a grand and exquisite way. The two-song vinyl only release (and digital… God bless you piracy!) really does expand on the atmosphere of their previous material and that that is inherent in the black metal genre. This is particularly obvious on the opening track, “A Looming Resonance”, a simply superb way to start a breathtaking release.

The song opens with the simple but beautiful strum of a guitar and the crackling, droney grain of the vinyl. That is all. It is a single moment of peace. The “calm before the storm”, so to speak. But this slowly but surely builds up into the percussion; slow and effortless, giving a dark and macabre atmosphere to the piece. As the calm strumming of the guitar continues and the droney grain of the vinyl crackles in the background, the drums slowly gain in volume, joined now by the haunting guest-vocals of Jamie Myers (from Hammers of Misfortune), until they stop and fade away… the single strumming has returned. The slow build-up of the piece and then the continual and abrupt fading away and peaceful strumming is what makes this piece so chilling. You really do feel as if you are “staring onward, as time stands still.” Listening to the piece, you feel a sense of distance and effortlessness, as if you are trapped, forced to watch the cycle of life tediously repeat itself, growing and forming and then dying right before your eyes. “A Looming Resonance” makes you imagine what it is truly like to be a tree; to be part of a forest, living this cycle which it is forced to live and watching your surroundings grow strong and then die weak before your eyes. The song speeds onward until it fades away into a mass haze of life and death, slowly getting quieter and quieter until it disappears into the vinyl crackle and leaves, just as we all do when our cycle has ended…

The second track on the EP, “Hate Crystal”, is closer to what you expect of a typical black metal song, yet it is also very untypical in it’s delivery and appearance. You can hear the traditional influences within it’s dark and destructive chord sequences. Elements of early Emperor and even the suicidal black metal pieces of Make A Change… Kill Yourself creep in from time to time, weaving in and out of the mayhem that is this almighty onslaught of eco-spirituality. But despite it’s very typical, traditional influences, the song is set apart by it’s unusually repetitive droning and screeching guitar riffs that pierce deep into you, blackening your heart and soul. Comparisons can be made to Nathan Weaver - the band’s vocalist - as a majestic wolf, howling in pain and sorrow in the dark after the life cycle of his surroundings has finally ended. Through Weaver’s vocals and lyrical content you feel a sense of loneliness and desperation, each word cutting through the air like the chop of an axe. In my opinion, this piece is the perfect way to end a perfect EP; a final desperate cry for hope and change.

The first time I listened to WITTR I got chills. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life, and I remember the exact feelings I encountered when I was hit with the first notes of “Queen of the Borrowed Night”. “Malevolent Grain” is still stuck on repeat and is still giving me chills that equal those first chills I received all those many moons ago, an extremely rare feat in the modern metal scene. I recommend this album to anyone and everyone out there who knows anything about music, because you will become hypnotised by the sheer power and beauty that this EP holds. Heck, I’m even tempted to crack open my savings and buy you all a copy!

4.4/5

I’ve had a few articles published on a few different places over the last few weeks, and I’ll be posting them up on here over the coming days. The first article that was published was a short review I did of Inquisition’s latest record Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm for a Greek website called Orthodox Black Metal, which - yep, you guessed it - centres around underground black metal, both old and new. There’s some really good stuff on there, so it’s well worth checking out. You can read my review over on their site here (it’s the bottom of the two reviews) or in Greek, if you prefer, here (again, it’s at the bottom). I’ve also provided a copy of it below, for your ease:

Inquisition are a cosmic American duo based in Seattle, Washington, originating from Colombia where the band’s founder, Dagon, was living at the time. Their latest album, Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm, was released earlier this year, and my word is it their best!

I must admit that Ominous Doctrines… is a slightly odd release for a typical black metal band, but do not let that put you off, and do not think, even for a second, that Inquisition are merely a typical black metal band, because they are so much more than that. Dagon’s vocals (which have garnered criticism from black metal fans over the years) are otherworldly, chant-like and totally unique for a black metal vocalist; he himself has expressed that he sees that his vocal style represents that of an unseen entity in demonic form, not that of a human. Upon first listen, these can be off-putting, but as time goes on and the album progresses, Dagon’s reasoning behind his choice of style becomes apparent; they fit in perfectly with the album’s dark and cosmic feel.

One of the main things that both shocked and impressed me was the band’s ability to write such catchy and melodic riffs, whilst still managing to keep that sense of darkness and brutality. Dagon seems unafraid to approach the often-monotonous style of black metal composition with a degree of old-school rock ‘n’ roll songwriting, and thus achieving the accessibility that it is well-known and well-loved for. But, like the vocals, do not let this put you off. When I describe Inquisition’s riffs as “catchy”, by no means do I mean that they are at all devoid of evil and heaviness! In no way have the duo softened their tone or “gone mainstream”, but instead they have perfected the sound that they have always been aiming for. Elements of thrash pop up from time to time, perfectly placed between segments of pure black metal chaos, classic minor progressions aplenty!

In summary, Ominous Doctrines… is a very solid release, definitely the duo’s strongest so far. Clever, catchy and cosmic. What more could you want?

I’ve got another two or three reviews that are waiting to go up on the Orthodox Black Metal site, so please keep an eye out for those over the next week or two.

I feel pretty bad for this blog. Since January 2010, I haven’t paid any attention to it at all. I must admit, this is mainly due to laziness, but I guess I have also been somewhat busy. Kinda…

Anyway, I’ve decided to breath life into it once again, and from now on it will act as my main blog and home on the internet, a place where I can showcase my writing, both that which is personal and that which has been published elsewhere. You will mainly find pieces based around football, music, politics and philosophy, but I cannot say for certain what might find its way onto here in the future.

I have also got a few different ideas for a few different blogs based around their own particular subjects, but all shall be revealed in good time.

Many thanks,

Ben

Starting from now I have decided to blog every Monday with my top five favourite/most-played releases of the previous week, to give y’all an idea of what has been rockin’ my world and what you should be listening to. Kinda. These aren’t new releases (although, one or two may be, at some point), just releases that have been getting a lot of listens.

This week has been a great week as I feel as if I have discovered a lot of really cool bands that I hadn’t got round to hearing before, as well as rediscovered some old, forgotten gems. Lovely. Here are my five favourite releases, in no particular order:

1. WASHED OUT // High Times

Washed Out are easily my favourite artist of the week, High Times absolutely blowing my mind. Think all of the catchiness and loveliness of 80s synthpop mixed with the laid-back atmosphere found in ambient electronic music, except recorded in a lo-fi fashion, giving it that underground/bedroom fuzziness. I can’t stop listening. Washed Out are also great to napping to, if you’re into that.

Listen to “Belong”

2. JAPANDROIDS // Post-Nothing

I’ve known about Japandroids for a while now and have listened to them quite a bit, but, for some reason, it’s taken me until now to fully get into them, Post-Nothing being the release of theirs that has achieved this. I’ve been pretty into noise rock recently as well, so I was definitely in the right mood for Post-Nothing when giving it an extensive listen. If you’re into your upbeat and noisy garage rock with catchy lyrics, give Japandroids a listen.

Listen to “Young Hearts Spark Fire”

3. STUDIO // West Coast

I’ve owned West Coast for a long time and keep seeing it pop up in my iTunes library, yet I’ve been far too lazy to sit down and give it a good listen. Typical me. I can’t even remember where I first heard about it, but I have a feeling that Yannis from Foals was saying something positive about it, so that was enough for me to go and check it out. I’m so glad I had time to listen to it this week, as it’s rapidly becoming a favourite release of mine, out of everything I’ve ever heard. Studio describe themselves as “an afrobeat-dub-disco-indie-pop adventure”, which is as near to a valid description as you’ll ever get. Basically, think a more progressive The Cure if they wrote 16+ minute dub and electronic inspired masterpieces, with occasional world music influences popping up from time to time. Too good.

Listen to “West Side”

4. GEOFF FARINA // Usonian Dream Sequence

Like Studio, I can’t remember where I came across Geoff Farina, but I’m glad I did, and like Washed Out, I’ve been using Mr. Farina to nap to, which has been lovely. Usonian Dream Sequence is a great album, full of sad-yet-beautiful lo-fi acoustic songs with a breathtaking slowcore feel. Unfortunately, Youtube sucks and I can’t find an example song, so you’re just going to have to go and buy the album and discover him for yourselves.

5. BEAR IN HEAVEN // Beast Rest Forth Mouth

Technically, Beast Rest Forth Mouth has been a favourite release of mine for many weeks, but it still continues to be this week, so it counts and is able to be included in this list. Think somewhat noisy experimental/arty indie rock with an electronic cherry on top, although, like most good bands should, Bear In Heaven’s style is very difficult to pinpoint exactly. The more I listen, the more influences I hear. Despite discovering it’s full brilliance right at the end of 2009, Beast Rest Forth Mouth is easily one of my favourite 2009 releases, definitely very underrated. I encourage you all to get your hands on it. Magical.

Listen to “You Do You”

I love Varg Vikernes. I’ve blogged about him and, especially, his views before, explaining that despite not agreeing with almost anything that he says, I find myself oddly respecting and understanding his somewhat crazy point-of-view. Yes, he’s a church-burning racist murderer, but he’s badass enough to get away with it. Despite this, my love for Burzum fails to match my love for him as an individual, which saddens me greatly. Believe me, I’ve tried to love Burzum, I really have, but I can’t help but see them as poor in comparison to many other quality black metal acts. Of course, I understand their importance within the early Norwegian black metal scene and by no means am I bashing their significance, I just don’t get the same feeling from a Burzum record as I do from, say, an early Mayhem record. There are a few cracking songs on pretty much every release, but I’ve never been able to love the entirity of any one release. Still, this didn’t stop me from becoming terribly excited when I heard the news of a new Burzum record being released, the first in nearly eleven years.

I can’t quite make my mind up when it comes to whether or not “Belus” is as good as some people are saying, and I don’t seem to be the only one. People seem to either think that it’s the greatest black metal album ever released or extremely mediocre, especially seeing as it’s released by one of the ultimate legends of the scene. For me, there are definitely parts of the album which are pure gold, perfectly showing that Varg still has that old magic that made early Burzum material so unforgettable and influential, but there seems to be something missing; it seems to drag on for too long, the longer tracks such as “Glemselens Elv” being a perfect example, standing at 11:54 minutes long. In my opinion, this song is 11:54 minutes too long. Slightly cruel, maybe, but it’s a poor song compared to many of the others on the album and it clocking in at nearly 12 minutes does not help whatsoever. I have no problem with long songs (many of my favourite bands are bands that write 20+ minute tracks) but it seems to me that Varg has chosen the poorest tracks to be the long ones on the album.

There are positives though, of course. One thing I am very pleased about is Varg’s new and improved vocal style. One of the main reasons why many people I know dislike Burzum is due to his infamous “shrieks”, although labeling them even that is debatable; they definitely are an acquired taste. But, a new record has brought about a new Varg and a new vocal sound, much improved from the Burzum releases of the early 90s and sounding oh so crisp and clear, yet still as perfectly evil and raw as they always have been. The much lower-sounding screams and grunts perfectly suit the more thrash-orientated songs whilst the interesting use of haunting clean vocals work fantastically with the more doom-esque tracks on the album. The split between the two styles throughout is great, although, personally, I would’ve preferred more doom and gloom than thrash, but I guess that’s just me being my nihilistic, sorrowful self. That grievance aside, Varg has done well to balance out the two.

Overall, “Belus” can be seen as both a good and bad album, which makes it difficult for me to come to even a personal conclusion on what I think of it. Yes, there are one or two poor songs and some riffs feel recycled from earlier releases, but there is plenty of brilliance to make up for it. In all fairness, is Varg even capable of writing anything that is terrible? The man is brilliant and an influence to so many, and I’m very interested to hear Varg’s next release and whatever news about the band’s future may be coming soon.

Long live Burzum!

6/10