Following the 1993 demo releases the demos Rehearsal 1993 and Vargnatt, which have a similar (albeit somewhat rawer) style, the band's first album, 1994's Bergtatt - Et eeventyr i 5 capitler, is a folk-themed black metal album. The title Bergtatt literally translates as “mountain-taken”, but is more commonly used to describe someone who is stricken with awe. In Norwegian folk tales the word refers to people who wander off into mountains, lured by trolls or other mythical beings. The narrative of the album’s lyrics follows a woman as she becomes so mountain-taken. The subtitle means “An Adventure in 5 Chapters”. Bergtatt features a melancholic, fully acoustical song “Een Stemme Locker” (“A Voice Beckons”).
1995's Kveldssanger, Ulver’s second album, contrasts with Bergtatt as it uses classical guitars, cello and chamber chants, and completely eschews the black-metal elements of Bergtatt, while still having a folk theme. Garm has since remarked that Kveldssanger was an “immature attempt at making a classical album.” He later clarified this by saying that the performance was immature, yet the content is strong when their youth is taken into account.
The third album, 1997's Nattens madrigal - Aatte hymne til ulven i manden, was a return to black metal, more ferocious than Bergtatt was, with only one mellow acoustic interlude in the first track. The album is intentionally under-produced, akin to Darkthrone's Transilvanian Hunger, with buzzing guitars and rather muffled drums. There are rumours surrounding this album and its recording, the most famous being that the band recorded this album in a forest. The band has dismissed this as impossible, although When Bitter Spring Sleeps later would record their albums in a forest. Another and less-known rumor is that the band purposely recorded the album on a four-track cassette recorder and used the money that Century Media gave them for other things, for example Armani suits, haircuts, cocaine, beer, and/or a new car. When questioned about this, Garm said the band did have rather expensive tastes, though he has denied buying a new car, saying there wasn't enough money.
Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, released in 1998, was different from what Ulver, or even any other band, had made before. Tore Ylwizaker, a new composer and sound architect, paired up with Garm's expanding artistic visions and together they stepped over the boundaries of black metal aesthetics, creating a genre-defying work. In this album, the musicians blended electronics, industrial music elements, progressive metal and avant-garde rock, adding ambient passages. Lyrically, the album incorporates the entire text of the William Blake's poem The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, and features guest vocals. Despite confounding and perhaps alienating many fans of the band's first three albums, the album received widespread acclaim from critics within both the rock/metal and alternative music press. For instance, it was reviewed as 'album of the month' in several high-profile magazines such as Terrorizer, Metal Hammer, and Rock Hard. It also ranked very high at many year's best polls that same year.
Ulver's next two releases, the EP Metamorphosis and full-length album Perdition City: Music to an Interior Film, were even more experimental than the “Blake Album”, and a lot more pensive. The Metamorphosis disclaimer reads: “We are as unknown to you as we always were”. The band had moved further away from rock and metal and into a more ethereal style, much like that of Coil. The use of programmed sound and atmospheric style is dominant here, unlike the previous albums. Neo-classical composer and film scorer Craig Armstrong may have been an influence on Ulver as his use of electronics and hip-hop beats over strings and pianos is somewhat reminiscent of Ulver's later works.
The band followed up these two releases with two minimalist/ambient/glitch works, Silence Teaches You How to Sing and Silencing the Singing. These works featured minimal melodies and often had subtle weird and unnatural noises throughout the song structures; the band also stretched out at length, with "Silence Teaches You How to Sing" being the band's longest composition to date at over twenty-four minutes in length. Due to their individual rarity, they were later released together as Teachings in Silence.
Having proved their proficiency at making atmospheric electronic music, Ulver were hired to make music for cinema films Lyckantropen (whose soundtrack was released as Lyckantropen Themes), Svidd neger, and Uno.
In 2003, Ulver began making more symphonic music. They released A Quick Fix of Melancholy, which kept the minimalist, sparse stylings of their previous albums, while adding a much more expressive, dramatic, symphonic element, with various string sounds (most likely sampled) and various operatic singing styles.
In July 2004, the band finished recording their next album, Blood Inside, which was released on June 6th, 2005. With Blood Inside, the band stepped away from the more minimal styles they had been experimenting with previously. Bringing back more traditional rock instruments like guitar and acoustic drums (since 1998 the band had used primarily digital drums and/or sampled beats), and combining them with real and synthetic classical instruments, brass horns and sound samples, the band created something they had never done before. Managing to fuse genres ranging from rock, classical, minimalism, electronica and vintage progressive rock music with Garm's broad vocal range, Ulver created an album that was far beyond anything anyone has heard in the avant-garde scene.
Ulver have recently collaborated with drone band Sunn O))) on a 15-minute track which appears on Sunn O)))'s WHITEbox box set, released in July of 2006. Additionally, Ulver had announced back in 2002 that they had been working on a string remake of Nattens madrigal, but Garm has stated on the message board of his alternative rock band, Head Control System, that the project "is in a state of total dormancy".
The band's seventh album, Shadows of the Sun, was released on October 1, 2007. Garm called it “our most personal record to date. Low key, dark, and tragic”. The album mostly consists of dark ambient music, with lush symphonic orchestrations backing up the band's mellow material.
The band's eighth album, Wars of the Roses, appeared after nearly four years of silence in April 2011. This time around the band was highly influenced by progressive rock music, also incorporating elements of ambient, post-rock, and spoken word. The same year, the band also released the live album The Norwegian National Opera, a nearly career-spanning performance with the opera cited in the title that featured renditions of material dating from the Blake album to Wars of the Roses.
The band's ninth album, Childhood's End: Lost & Found from the Age of Aquarius, followed in 2012. A long-delayed cover album of material from the '60s psychedelic rock era, the material Ulver chose to cover was mostly quite obscure (with Jefferson Airplane's "Today" being easily the best known track), but further revealed the band's diverse range of influences.
In 2013, Messe I.X-VI.X appeared. A companion piece of sorts to Shadows of the Sun, the music on Messe continues in the same reflective, brooding vein as that album, but contains more influence from post-rock and modern classical music. Most of the tracks were instrumental this time around, and the band stretched out in length, with the longest song exceeding eleven minutes. The same year also saw the release of the live album Live at Roadburn, consisting mainly of live renditions of Childhood's End material (one improvised piece, inspired by and dedicated to the German krautrock band Can, was included as an encore).
2014 found the band's second collaboration with Sunn O))) released, the full-length album Terrestrials. Despite the metal background of the two bands, the material here was mostly subdued drone/dark ambient with little metal influence. The same year also saw the release of the box set Trolsk sortmetall 1993-1997, serving as the definitive retrospective on the band's black metal phase by collecting their 1993 demo Vargnatt, their first three albums, and previously unreleased rehearsal versions of four songs from Nattens madrigal. All material was remastered for this set, with Nattens madrigal seeing substantially more dynamic range and its bass line being clearly audible for the first time.
2016 saw the release of the band's double album ATGCLVLSSCAP, its title an acronym consisting of the signs of the Zodiac. Ulver constructed the material on this album around a series of improvised soundscapes recorded live at twelve different shows, but the studio overdubs create a tightly structured set of compositions, some of which are rearrangements of earlier Ulver songs such as Nowhere/Catastrophe. The material here, which consists of twelve tracks spanning eighty minutes, covers a wide range of genres, including psychedelic rock, progressive rock, dark ambient, avant-garde, and post-rock. The end of 2016 also saw the release of the film soundtrack Riverhead.
2017 saw the release of the band's synth pop album The Assassination of Julius Caesar, which marked the band's first album in since 2011 that wasn't: partially recorded live (ATGCLVLSSCAP, Messe I.X-VI.X); a cover album (Childhood's End); a collaboration (Terrestrials and, to a lesser extent, Messe again); or a film soundtrack (Riverhead). Hailed as a return to form (as much as a band like Ulver can have), it received some of the band's most positive reviews in years. The end of the year saw the release of a companion EP, Sic transit gloria mundi (Thus Passes the Glory of the World).
Ulver have established themselves as some of the most remarkable musical chameleons of the twenty-first century, and continue to evolve with each new release.
1993 - Rehearsal 1993 (demo)
1993 - Vargnatt (demo) (Wolf Night)
1994 - Bergtatt - Et eeventyr i 5 capitler (Spellbound - A Fairy Tale in 5 Chapters)
1995 - Kveldssanger (Twilight Hymns)
1997 - Nattens madrigal - Aatte hymne til ulven i manden (The Madrigal of the Night - Eight Hymns to the Wolf in Man)
1997 - The Trilogie: Three Journeyes Through the Norwegian Netherworlde (box set)
1998 - Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
1999 - Metamorphosis (EP)
2000 - Perdition City: Music to an Interior FIlm
2001 - Silence Teaches You How to Sing (EP)
2001 - Silencing the Singing (EP)
2002 - Teachings in Silence (compilation of the above two EPs)
2002 - Lyckantropen Themes (soundtrack)
2003 - 1993-2003: 1st Decade in the Machines (anthology)
2003 - Svidd neger (soundtrack)
2003 - A Quick Fix of Melancholy (EP)
2005 - Blood Inside
2007 - Shadows of the Sun
2011 - Wars of the Roses
2012 - The Norwegian National Opera (live album/video)
2012 - Childhood's End: Lost and Found from the Age of Aquarius
2013 - Oddities and Rarities #1 (anthology)
2013 - Live at Roadburn (live album)
2013 - Messe I.X-VI.X
2014 - Terrestrials (collaboration with Sunn O))))
2014 - Trolsk sortmetall 1993-1997 (Trollish Black Metal 1993-1997 or Bewitching Black Metal 1993-1997; box set)
2016 - ATGCLVLSSCAP
2016 - Riverhead (soundtrack)
2017 - The Assassination of Julius Caesar
2017 - Sic transit gloria mundi (Thus Passes the Glory of the World; EP)
2019 - Drone Activity
2020 - Flowers of Evil
February MMX
Ulver Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the face of fear
The circular mantra
Why are we here
The audience is blind
To what takes place
In the pillory
Life is a stage
The vertical lights of death
In codes of red and blue
Birds in black and white
And the drums of WWII
Tattooed in numbers
Genocide is suicide
We are our own enemy
And the last judgement
Our children are hurting
In the final performance
The newborn is still
The rest is silence
The lyrics to Ulver’s song February MMX are quite profound and thought-provoking. The old man’s singing in the face of fear is a symbol of bravery in the midst of uncertainty. His circular mantra of “why are we here” indicates that he is grappling with his purpose in life, something that many of us can relate to.
The audience’s blindness to what takes place is a commentary on how we often turn a blind eye to the issues that affect us all. The pillory is a symbol of punishment and serves as a metaphor for the harsh realities of life. The idea that life is a stage speaks to the transient nature of our existence and how we must make the most of the time we have.
The vertical lights of death, coded in red and blue, could represent the flashing lights of an ambulance or police car, an ominous reminder of our mortality. The birds in black and white and the drums of WWII could symbolize the horrors of war and how it continues to impact us long after its conclusion.
The line “tattooed in numbers, genocide is suicide” speaks to the atrocities committed in the name of religion, race, and other causes, and how they ultimately lead to the destruction of entire communities. The idea that we are our own enemy and will be judged for our actions in the end is a powerful reminder to be mindful of how we treat others.
The final lines, “our children are hurting in the final performance, the newborn is still, the rest is silence” are a poignant reminder that our actions have consequences that ripple through generations. The newborn who is still represents the loss and tragedy that occurs in life, and the silence that follows is a nod to the inevitability of death.
Line by Line Meaning
The old man sings
Despite his age, the elderly man is still able to create music with his voice.
In the face of fear
He does not let the feeling of being scared affect his performance.
The circular mantra
The words of his song loop, repeating itself over and over again.
Why are we here
The question of why humans exist is asked but not explicitly answered.
The audience is blind
Those who are watching the performance are unaware of what is truly happening.
To what takes place
They cannot understand the deeper meaning behind the music.
In the pillory
Life is a punishment for existing, and is made up of daily hardships and suffering.
Life is a stage
Everything is a performance and everyone is an actor, playing a role in society.
The vertical lights of death
These lights are used in situations of extreme danger, signalling potential death.
In codes of red and blue
The colors red and blue are commonly associated with danger and authority, respectively.
Birds in black and white
Birds are often representative of freedom but in this context, they are now prisoners in the world that has been created.
And the drums of WWII
The sounds of war can still be heard, even after it is over. It serves as a reminder of the horrors of war.
Tattooed in numbers
The tradition of tattooing numbers on individuals is a common practice in prisons and concentration camps, where people are treated like objects.
Genocide is suicide
The act of killing one's own kind eventually leads to their own destruction as well.
We are our own enemy
Humans are self-destructive and the source of their own problems.
And the last judgement
There will come a time when everything is judged and consequences will be given.
Our children are hurting
The younger generation is suffering from the mistakes of their predecessors.
In the final performance
The end is near, and the last act is about to begin.
The newborn is still
Even the arrival of new life doesn't change the fact that everything is still and unchanging.
The rest is silence
After everything is said and done, there is only silence and nothingness.
Contributed by Lincoln P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
somepostrockfan
Can't wait for the new album!!!
tiki2188
@Greensmurf Yes! Always glad to see a band mix it up and change. Sometimes not always good (I'll admit I'm not a bag fan of some Ulver) but they DO always change, so great to see. Also I think I may dig this album
TheBetterGuy999
very versatile musicians , btw the drummers pretty sick
MrHeavymetalmania
ulver is ever changing and they'll always be good!
TheBetterGuy999
this could go huge, too huge because its actually very fucking amazing ;from I troldskog faren vild to this, best band ever
tiki2188
Most eclectic band ever!
Greensmurf
@Szaam That's what I like about Ulver. They have never repeated themselves. As much as I like Bergtatt, we've already got that album, and they've given us so much more since. They're no longer just a metal band. They're musicians
seasmusic
Holy F&%k this so amazing, im so excited for the new record. Did i change along with Ulver or did Ulver change me?
Cristian Nomelin
Esta banda la llevo escuchando mucho tiempo, desde su album Kveldsjanger y esta canción es del putas... muy buena... tiene algo muy envolvente. Impresionante después de It's not sound.
Rui Manuel Cruz
Ulver, new beat and knew face, voice, rithym, alive and powerfully progressive! NICE, MORE THAN NICE!Life! Dead or not......who cares?