![draugen burzum draugen burzum](https://img.cdandlp.com/2013/02/imgL/115850403.jpg)
Why on earth anyone thought to include it on the original bootleg version of Draugen – Rarities is beyond me, but the fact it remained for the Back on Black version is astounding. Seven Harmonies of the Unknown Truth is not a Burzum track at all and is in fact taken from a demo by fellow Norwegian black metal band Ildjarn. Even this early version has an immensely despondent feel, and the low production values add to the menace, but the re-recorded one is unquestionably superior. Second track Once Emperor may not be recognisable by name, but on listening it becomes obvious that it’s an early version of Gebrechlichkeit I, later found on Filosofem. You can hear the superior re-recorded version of the track on the 2002 Anthology compilation, which is pretty much the only reason to get it. Interestingly, it was later re-recorded as part of the Hvis Lyset Tar Oss session, with every intention of it being part of the final product but was replaced by the all-electronic Tomhet at the last minute. Et Hvitt Lys Over Skogen is a pretty good track, albeit with simplistic riffs and drumming, and one that you won’t find on any Burzum album. The first two tracks of the bootleg were originally recorded in 1993 as a planned EP that never eventuated. Tracks eight through to ten are lifted from the Svarte dauen bootleg released in 1998. I’m pretty sure the outro to the demo is the intro (Den onde Kysten) to Det Som Engang Var, but the sound is so bad I’m just guessing. It’s very difficult to hear the guitars at all as they are just a muddy blur and while it’s clear that Varg already had these tracks close to their finished compositional state, I see no reason to listen to them with this sort of quality. However, the main issue is not the lack of vocals and instead the recording quality which is terrible to say the least. The tracks will be easily recognisable to any Burzum fan, including Lost Wisdom off Det Som Engang Var and Spell of Destruction and Channeling the Power of Souls Into a New God off the debut album, yet these are clearly rehearsal versions with no vocals. Tracks four through to seven are the entirety of the first Burzum demo, creatively titled Demo I, which was created in 1991. Most fans would already own these tracks though and so the intrigue only starts once they’ve run their course. The two tracks from Aske are slightly less impressive although Stemmen Fra Tårnet is worth checking out for sure.
![draugen burzum draugen burzum](https://rockmetalshop.pl/pol_pm_koszulka-BURZUM-DRAUGEN-122197_2.jpg)
It’s a fantastic track that I never get tired of hearing, so a welcome beginning to the compilation. Closer inspection reveals that opener Lost Forgotten Sad Spirit is not the re-recorded version found on Aske at all, and instead the original recording from the Burzum debut, which explains why it appears out of order. The first three tracks appear to be the entirety of the Aske EP (recorded in 1992) yet with an altered track order. Surely Varg wouldn’t authorise such a thing, would he? I think I’ll just have to move on and concentrate on deciding whether Draugen – Rarities has anything worthwhile for the multitudes of dedicated Burzum fans out there to sink their teeth into. Yet just when it seems that’s all cleared up, there’s the little problem that Draugen – Rarities includes a track that is not even by Burzum (it’s a fake, but more on that later). None of this sounds all that official of course, but when you consider that it contains artwork that was apparently authorised by Varg himself, and that it appears in the official discography on the official Burzum site, it’s difficult not to consider it legitimate. I haven’t yet tracked down what year the original bootleg made its way onto the scene, but it’s no secret that UK label Back on Black re-released it in 2005 in remastered form, which is the version I own and therefore the one I’m reviewing right now. It appears to me that Draugen – Rarities is, like 2002’s Anthology compilation, merely a bootleg that has somewhere along the line been given official status. Figuring out when exactly each album was recorded and when it was eventually released is tricky enough, but the mystery surrounding which of the several compilations released while Varg was in prison should be considered official or not is probably even more confounding. My journey through the Burzum discography has been riddled with puzzles to solve. All these "rare" tracks can be heard in far better form elsewhere, and the one that can't, is a fake.