Kristoffer "Garm" Rygg and his friends in Ulver crafted quite the masterpiece in their full-length debut album 'Bergtatt - Et Eeventyr I 5 Capitler'. With the Norwegian black metal scene already booming by the time of this album's release; one could imagine that it was another Gorgoroth; as in, another new black metal act sounding eerily familiar to Burzum.
Varg Vikernes, the man behind Burzum, was indeed innovative with his experimentation with black metal and ambient music at the time, but Ulver were probably the first full-fledged black metal act incorporating strong neofolk elements to the raw and aggressive black metal; thus creating something rather special.
'Bergtatt' can be seen as a concept album, with lyrics in something that appears to be old Danish, or some kind of Danish/Norwegian hybrid, and is written in a poetic fashion. The album showcases Ulver's ability to go from harsh, primitive black metal to calm, sophisticated folk music effortlessly. Naturally, there are the somewhat repetitive electric guitars and drums; creating a hypnotizing atmosphere. A good example of this is the opening track "I Troldskogen faren vild", which contains a melodic, and very memorable, main riff. Garm's vocals are clean and overdubbed; increasing the dreamlike atmosphere furthermore.
The more interesting aspects of the album become more evident in the next track called "Soelen gaaer bag aase need", which opens in a pure neofolk fashion with gentle plucking on an acoustic guitar and flutes before the song breaks into a berserking black metal song. Here, Garm uses both the throaty black metal growls and the clean singing. This song really shows what 'Bergtatt' is all about. The album continues in a similar fashion until the last second; going from raw, intense fury to soothing tranquillity, but always remaining engaging and progressive.
There are no real stand-out tracks or moments; apart from the extremely creepy, yet soothing bit of "Graablick blev hun vaer", where you hear the footsteps of the female character the lyrics are about running in the woods. Cracking branches, brushing grass and a flamboyant and somewhat unnerving piano playing in way you feel as if you're standing outside a creepy mansion in the woods and listening to the bizarre owner playing. 'Bergtatt' is an album that is best, if you listen to it from start to finish, because all the tracks are great. Incredibly atmospheric and hauntingly beautiful.
Ulver would go on to release 'Kveldssanger'; an album where the music was neofolk entirely, and then 'Nattens Madrigal - Aatte Hymne til Ulven i Manden'; a truly grim and raw black metal album in its entirety. Both of these albums are excellent, but 'Bergtatt' is the strongest of the trio, since it incorporates the best of both worlds. It stood the test of time and still sounds as fresh and innovative as it undoubtedly did in the mid 90s.
Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=XVcjf_p5pDY
