has anyone heard of the band ulver? what kinda shit do they play and are they worth checking out?

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well the first album was BM. The second was Norwegian folk music. As far as the third goes it is the rawest black metal I have ever heard not to mention the only album I own. It is called Nattens Madrigal (Madrigal of the Night) and is reported to have been recorded in the woods. Later they went all techno and industrial.

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Nattens Madrigal
Century Media
1997
Production: For intensity of appearance as raw black metal, Ulver's lead player used a Bathory-style cheap digital distortion and small amplifier overdriven into a high mix, washing all other sound to behind it. Difference is, Ulver did it in the studio, where Bathory did it in his basement.

Review: In an effort to create the best black metal product ever, Ulver have wrought "Nattens Madrigal" from the elements in black metal most likely to be accepted into mainstream culture: the heartpulse techno-influenced primal black metal ambient beat over simple tremelo melodies atmospheric with production distorting itself with overdriven guitar chaos in a classic Darkthrone ripoff, but with more of the Satyricon consonance to every phrase and more abrupt but consistent structural changes. The problem with this release centers upon that troubling essence - the consistency of this music and really, its similarity to many other styles of popular music within the last thirty-five years.
With a blowdriver of atmospheric blasting chaos a lone guitar repeats simple melodic patterns in a folk style while periodic light percussion - brush on snare and light high-hat touches - enforces the importance of key passages. Vocals shift tones easily, in support of melody, and rarely deviate from major rhythms. All elements are assembled competently and well composed by musical standards, but have very little in terms of originality of composition or fabrication of aesthetic despite an enticingly slick take on a black metal favorite sonic texture.

http://www.anus.com/metal/ulver.html

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They are a damn good band, Nattens Madrigal was surely a masterpiece of folkish raw/primal black metal. The guitar distortion on this album is very unique aswell the vocals and drumming goes in same harsh style.

Also Ulver's debut, Bergtatt which is though very different style when you're comparing it to Nattens Madrigal is truely a masterpiece, the songs are built into a scale of ancient norwegian folk songs, and using same time many folk music instruments, but also added some metal elements into it, and this works very fine.

Ulver's techno-career is though different, they have lost the inspiration and the feeling into old norse mythology, and 'grown-upped' into that techno-career, musically their techno/industrial metal is actually OK, but definitely can't beat their first three full-lenghts.

I liked the Acoustic songs they wrote.

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This band never got anywhere near as much discussion as it should.

If your requirement for a good band is that they're always trying something, going somewhere or generally progressing, you should have a jizz-stained poster of these guys hung up somewhere.

The best way I can think of to describe it is a perpetual sonic experiment - they've ran the gamut of black metal, folk metal and now electronica, all mixed up in a bucket. Blood Inside (this year's) is no exception. If you demand things from your music, you'll might like it. However... if you're a cross-eyed teenaged headbanger, you'll probably hate it.

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Good stuff. I've only heard Bood Inside and Kveldssanger which are both great. Great musicians and, as stated above by the guy suffering from lycanthropy, (your not a cheeta! Your a Jim!) they're damn innovated!

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It's a jaguar, dillpickle.

(Also, you need to get Perdition City if you liked those two.)

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Nattens Madrigal has been my avatar since I joined this site

I really like Bergtatt and Kveldssanger. Nattens took me a while to appreciate, but I still think Bergtatt is their "Early era" masterpiece.

Perdition City is A-FUCKIN'-MAZING, very atmospheric. The commonly dubbed "Silence EPs" are kinda rare, but they're among my favorites of the newer stuff. Cool to say the least.

Svidd Neger is very smooth and easy listening. Its a very relaxing album. Lyk. is also pretty smooth, but a bit "darker" if you will. Metamorphosis isn't their best, I don't listen that often. "A Quick Fix..." is awesome, but too short

I still haven't heard "Themes..." or all of Blood Inside (mainly because there are like 8 billion different editions of BI and I'm afraid when I buy one, I'll feel the need to get them all).

its all good, the acoustic album is great! the electronica stuff is ok. perdition city is the best

by the way , demon loves ulver now. ooooold post

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Perdition City is one of my favourite albums ever... obviously It's one of those CD's you can put on anytime, and you always enjoy it, full of melancholy and it's great to listen to at night. There new one Blood Inside is pretty awesome too, It was just released on Vinyl by Profound Lore records in blood splatter coloured vinyl and such, I want it but I can't really afford it. I've never heard anything by Ulver that didn't appeal to me to be honest... but if you're gonna' buy something by ulver for the first time, don't get 'Ulver - 1993-2003 1st Decade In The Machines' don't get me wrong it's an awesome release of remixes, but might give some first time listeners the wrong impression

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Another band I have to get on buying work from.

I have the complete discography - anybody interested in getting the Vargnatt demo gimme a pm. Fantastic band.

Well said. Much less necessary than the other stuff.

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yup

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"halling " is one of the most peaceful songs ever

edit

and that freaking gun shot after the tinkling piano on track 3 of vergtatt makes me jump every time

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Nattens rules. If anyone else in the world can play the solo from the second track I will give you a thumbs up.

it seems i have to track down this band and buy one of their album. which one is the best to get a feel of what this band is aout?

None, they changed completely with every album. But to me Nattens was the best, Nattens Madrigal. It is BRUTAL.

cool, thanks. i don't really like black metal but any bands that records in the woods deserves my respect.

I havn't heard much ulver but they seemed ok but they appear to have changed and been silly.

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This has to be the most unique band that I've ever heard. At first I thought it would be bogus. The album Perdition City is the first of their albums that I heard. Listened with headphones and was immediately ingulfed with an amazing and euphoirc atmoshphere. Does anyone else get that feeling? Yes, I was sober.

Ulver has changed my life. They are releasing a new album in October. I don't think I've ever been more excited for an album.

Ulver's progression has been nothing short of flawless. I love everthing they've done. Garm is a diety in my eyes.

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As an ulver fan, you should not have forgotten "that men forgot that all deities reside in the human breast"

/corny ulver reference

anyone ever listened to 'lycantrophen themes'?

Its mostly an un-official rip from a movie they did the soundtrack for, but it's quite amazing.

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Ah, 2 years later and they've become one of my favorites.

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I am currently listening to Bergtatt for the first time and I like it. Its not what I was expecting, but it's a pleasent suprise.

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Bump for awesomeness.

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new album is awesome.

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New album is one of my least favorite releases by Ulver, but that isn't to say that it is bad. I just prefer albums like "Themes....," "Perdition City," "Svidd Neger," and "Lyckantropen Themes."

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I like that one song that goes "oink oink oioioink OINK"

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i prefer the first three when they were you know...good

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Pfff, the new album is fucking incredible. Amazingly beautiful, too - especially the Sabbath cover.

I just got the great package they put together to re-release those two ultra rare Silence albums. Good stuff. I'm 2 CDs short of owning their entire catalog!

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a man of taste.

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Nattens Madrigal is so amazingly good. This album is underrated and is almost never mentioned among the classics.

completely agree, that album is brilliant

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It's too grim for some.

i hope this is a joke. nattens madrigal is regarded as one of the best black metal albums ever recorded.


shadows of the sun has grown on me since my last post. it was definitely a grower.

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Ironically if it had the production that they were alloted a budget for by Century Black, I think it would be more appreciated of an album. "Breeding The Spawn" syndrome. Killer songs, crap production, not enough recognition.

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Nattens, if I'm not mixing up albums, was literally recorded in a forest. I like the album, its got some killer riffs, but the quality does get a bit annoying after awhile. Although for me, the same goes for amazing quality when it comes to black metal. Theres a happy medium between the DIY 4-track feel and a million dollar studio. I hold Emperor's Anthems as the perfect example.

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hah yea nattens madrigal is good, but i was thinking you said kveldsanger for some reason

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Everytime I see someone discussing the classics, Ulver does not come up. It's always Burzum, Mayhem, Emperor, Satyricon, Immortal, Gorgoroth, Darkthrone, with Ulver nowhere to be found. Ulver deserves to be up there.

I imagine the word "Ulver" to be taboo among the fagtastic elitists because of how they left BM far, far behind.

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Because elitism only exists in Black Metal.

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Uhh... I think you meant to say death metal.

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He meant metal in general.

actually, he was using sarcasm to say that BM isnt the only genre to contain elitism.

Well seeing that most of those bands aren't anything spectacular, you coùld consider it a good thing. Personally, I'm quite fond of everything Ulver has done, great "attitude" they have. Not that big a fan of their later works, but it would be quite arrogant to demand them to do anything but their own will now wouldn't it.

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Listen to Juno Reactor's later work.