Background:
Part three of what has become known as Ulver’s “Black Metal Trilogie,” Nattens madrigal - marked the band’s international debut and showcases a black metal style similar to Bergtatt, abandoning the acoustic and atmospheric elements, with an intentionally underproduced sound. The album has been described as “raw and grim black metal at its blackest.”
A common myth about the album is that band spent the recording budget on Armani suits, cocaine, and a Corvette; and recorded the album outdoors in a Norwegian forest on an 8-track recorder. Kristoffer Rygg, however, has stated that this is not true; and possibly a rumor started by Century Media.
Metal Injection concluded "Kveldssanger had no electric instruments, Nattens madrigal had no acoustic instruments, but Bergtatt, has both acoustic and electric instruments; it’s like they spliced the elements from Bergtatt into two separate albums. If that’s the case, then Nattens madrigal really showcases the black metl prowess of the band. The album answers exactly why people were so angered by Ulver’s transition away from black metal, and why people are still bitter at their direction today.”
Commenting on the rumors surrounding Nattens madrigal, Rygg said, "Do you really think that Century Media advanced us so much that we could buy a black Corvette? Maybe some suits and drugs; I won't deny that. Or deny that we recorded it cheap. I'll let the myth carry on.” Continuing, "We didn't have anything to do with those rumors. The moment the big labels picked up black metal, that was the beginning of the end of black metal as far as I see it. They started to exploit the genre by stuff like that dumb sales pitches that took the heart out of a lot of it. It became very banal. I'm not blaming Century Media, but I definitely think that that marked the beginning of the end of black metal for me. Putting out Nattens madrigal via a big label was kind of an antagonistic move. They probably expected a prettied-up Bergtatt, you know? We didn't want to conform to any business model. We still don't. It got into the mainstream and people became very adept at playing and producing professional records, and as a result of that, it lost a lot of the magic that it held to me when I was a teenager listening to old Celtic Frost rehearsals or old Mayhem demos. I'm still very much like that. I'd rather listen to old lo-fi recordings than the perfect retro-band, you know. So I was part of a different scene, a different vibe." Adding, "We composed Nattens madrigall quite quickly after Bergtatt. And while we were rehearsing the Madrigal we recorded Kveldssanger, the second one. So I think that we spent a year on that record. It was written in '95, recorded in '96, and was finally released early '97."
Critical Reception:
Writing for AllMusic, Steve Huey said “It's so fast and ferocious and the vocals so garbled that it's best just to take the sheer sonic force as reflecting the band's concept, rather than trying to piece it all together.”
Nattens madrigal thus has to be taken on two levels: the actual immediate aesthetics of the production and then the compositional department. Based on songwriting alone (which takes a bit of effort to discern), Nattens madrigal is a tour de force that would have redefined the most extreme of black metal had it been more palatable. Played at warp speed with hidden melodies, sublime guitar leads and a sense of apocalyptic devastation, Nattens madrigal is one of the most impressive albums of its kind. That is, of course, assuming one has put aside the way it sounds. It's a bit like ignoring the quills of a porcupine and telling others what a cuddly house pet it makes.”
In 2009, IGN included Nattens madrigal in their "10 Great Black Metal Albums" list.
Wolf & Fear
Ulver Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Om Fuldmaanens Vee & Grue
Naar det klagede op mod hendes Skiaer
Fra Vintrens kolde Eensomhed
Da frycktede de at Vargen vaer n¦r
Vakt vaer dends gamle Mayestet
Der vaer Dègn da nogen meenede at hafve seet
I hendes Lius, som han splidder med dend
Skygge som han spreer,
Skyggen aff een ukiend Mackt
Der dend hylede mod sin Gud i infernaldsk Prackt
Dende Diefvels Herold, han herjede
Fra Kandt til Kandt, & mange aff Mande¦t forsvandt
Paa dend hun lyser, han binder; oc Helveds Ulv,
Han dr¦ber, medens Afgrunden brager
Forbandelsen er her visseligen
Aff Diefvlen han bleff ski¦nked een Gave
Der ved Troldom favned han til Ulv
Ey vaer han l¦nger een Guds Slave
Der ved Midnat vandred ofver hule Grave
Amongst men words went
Of the Full Moone's woe.
When a dirge did rise to Her skylit eye
From the lone winter's colde
They fear'd that the wolf was nigh
Awakened its Majestie of olde
Nights did pass when men claim'd the saw
In Her light that he splits
with the shadow he casts
The shadow of a force unknown
Howling at its God in splendoure infernall
This Devil's Herolde, he hunted the land
And many a man disappear'd
Where She shines, he binds; the Wolf of Hell
He kills o'ver the rumbling Abyss
The Curse is certayne
The Beast below bestowed on him a gift
And by Magick he to wolf was bound
No more was he a slave to God
At midnight treading on hollow grave
The lyrics of Ulver's song "Wolf & Fear" tells the tale of a community that fears the coming of a wolf. The lyrics describe the people talking about the full moon's woe and the anxiety that comes with it. When they hear a lament rising to the sky, they assume it's a sign that the wolf is close. They reference the awakened majesty of the wolf, which could be interpreted as a nod to the power and strength of wild animals. They describe a shadow that splits and casts an unknown force, presumably the wolf. They mention the howling of the wolf, which is directed toward its god in splendor infernal. They personify the wolf as a devil's herald that hunts the land, binding humans and killing over the abyss. In the end, the lyrics suggest that the wolf bestows a gift on a human, which turns them into a wolf and frees them from being a slave to God.
Line by Line Meaning
Amongst men words went
People were talking amongst each other
Of the Full Moone's woe.
They were discussing the challenges of the full moon
When a dirge did rise to Her skylit eye
When a mournful song was heard under the moonlit sky
From the lone winter's colde
From the cold and desolate winter
They fear'd that the wolf was nigh
They were afraid that the wolf was near
Awakened its Majestie of olde
The majesty of the wolf of old was revived
Nights did pass when men claim'd the saw
Nights passed when people claimed they saw
In Her light that he splits
A figure was seen splitting in Her light
with the shadow he casts
The figure casted a shadow
The shadow of a force unknown
The shadow belonged to an unknown force
Howling at its God in splendoure infernall
The force was howling at its god in infernal splendor
This Devil's Herolde, he hunted the land
The devil's herald hunted the land
And many a man disappear'd
Many men disappeared
Where She shines, he binds; the Wolf of Hell
The wolf of Hell binds where the moon shines
He kills o'ver the rumbling Abyss
He kills over the rumbling abyss
The Curse is certayne
The curse is certainly present
The Beast below bestowed on him a gift
The beast below gave him a gift
And by Magick he to wolf was bound
He was bound to a wolf by magic
No more was he a slave to God
He was no longer a slave to God
At midnight treading on hollow grave
He walked over hollow graves at midnight
Contributed by Allison O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.