Burzum

Burzum is the musical project of Varg Vikernes. Vikernes began making music in 1988, but it was not until 1991 that he recorded his first demos as Burzum. The word "burzum" means "darkness" in the Black Speech, an artificial language crafted by J. R. R. Tolkien. The project quickly became prominent within the early Norwegian black metal scene. Vikernes recorded the first four Burzum albums between January 1992 and March 1993. However, the releases were spread out, with many months between the recording and the release of each album. In May 1994, Vikernes was sentenced to 21 years in prison for the murder of Mayhem guitarist Øystein 'Euronymous' Aarseth and the arson of three churches. While imprisoned, Vikernes recorded two dark ambient albums using only synthesizers, as he did not have access to drums, guitar or bass. Since his release from prison in 2009, he has recorded a further three black metal albums. Burzum is one of the most influential acts in black metal; in Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, director Sam Dunn described Vikernes as "the most notorious metal musician of all time".