Mike O’brien from Melankolia was putting together a Tribute to Burzum called “Forsvunnet Filosofem”. I decided that I would attempt to do a song from his later catalog, as they were already ambient pieces, and I could try to keep a similar mood in the Soufferance fashion. I was getting an operation the next morning, so I was edgy and couldn’t sleep anyway. Laura was already getting ready for bed, so I had to hurry a little, at least to record the material, so that I could produce it quietly and not bother her. I did it bass only, as it would be unexpected, like other pieces of the Soufferance catalog. I considered doing “War”, but there is a solo at the end, I didn’t feel like learning, and we had already ripped it off in an early Throne of Mortality song, “July 8th 1947”. So I chose my favorite song from his two prison albums, “Hermoðr á Helferð”. After recording and producing the song in a couple hours that night, I sent it off to Mike. Well it turned out that the song was already being covered by someone else on the tribute, so Mike didn’t even bother to listen to it. Not only that, it was supposed to be released, digitally, by the label of the guy in the band who was doing that cover. So I had no chance in it at all. I also later learned that O’brien didn’t like Soufferance, and was conspiring with his friend Bruno Duarte to have me kicked off Quartier23.
Original artwork for Mike O’Brien’s version. Artwork by Marc Hoyland
Marc Hoyland suggested later that month that I cover another song, because he wanted my participation on the compilation. I looked at the catalog of Burzum songs, and found what should have been my first choice. “Rundtgåing Av Den Transcendentale Egenhetens Støtte” is a twenty-five minute song, and is a straight forward ambient track. I could have easily covered it in the first place, though it would have taken me quite a bit more time. I started recording a few bits on January 5th 2011, but I stopped before even reaching the three minute mark. Maybe it will be something I will accomplish some time later.
The compilation ended up never coming out because Mike was too lazy to work on it. It was in mid-2011 that Marc Hoyland decided to take charge of it and set himself on releasing it. But it was a few months before anything actually happened. It was finally in February of 2012 that he created a facebook page for the tribute and started announcing the bands that were going to be part of it. My original cover was selected, as the other band was dropped, and even more new bands were announced to be featured. Marc had started his own label in November 2011 for his music called Mirkwood Productions, and he was going to release the tribute for free on on it. I was so happy about it that I suggest to two of my close collaborators to also send in songs for the compilation. I had just worked with Alexander Fawcett on a Vision Eternel song that February 2012 and told him he should do a cover with his solo project Arboretus. I was also in contact with Andrew Fritts of Dungeons Deep Records discussing the release of a Soufferance album, and told him to send in a cover with his project Forgotten Land. Marc completely redesigned the artwork, which I believe he had created for the original version as well. Mirkwood finally released the tribute on June 2nd 2012. During the months of waiting for people to send in the songs, another label came on board, Wodfreca Records, and offered to release a 3xCD version of it, which came out in August 2012, but with different artwork. The CD version was supposed to include quotes from each band in the booklet, but for some reason they were (all, or mostly?) left out and that’s why there’s huge blocks of empty space on the pages.
The Mirkwood Productions album cover
The Mirkwood Productions front album cover
The Mirkwood Productions back album cover
The Mirkwood Productions flyer
The Wodfreca Records album cover
- Symbiosis – Dauði Baldrs
- Æþelruna – Ðæt þe Hwilum Wæs; Wearges Leoþe (Det Som Engang Var)
- Uruk-Hai – The Crying Ork
- Waldschrat – Black Spell of Destruction
- Tamerlan – Die Liebe Nerþus
- Hrafnblóð – War
- Hoyland – Jesus Tod
- Vørgum – I Heimr Heljar
- Forgotten Land – Moti Ragnorokum
- Melankolia – Det Tod Wuotans
- Frostwork – Dunkelheit
- Almófar – Han Som Reiste
- Werther – Erblicket Die Töchter Des Firmaments
- Soufferance – Hermoðr á Helferð
- Garden of Grief – Glemselens Elv
- Walden – Hvis Lyset Tar Oss
- Nordfolc – Stemmen Fra Taarnet
- Gorthorn – Illa Tithandi
- Winternight – Balferd Baldrs
- Alvheim – Et Hvitt Lys Over Skogen
- Arboretus – A Lost Forgotten Sad Spirit
- Skygge – Lost Wisdom
- Dysonsphere – Channelling The Power Of Soul Into A New God
- Antecantamentum – My Journey to the Stars
- Kzag Bhat – Feeble Screams From Forests Unknown
- Wrapped in a Sheet – Ea, Lord of the Depths
- Plaguewielder – Tomhet
compiled by Marc Hoyland
artwork by Marc Hoyland (Mirkwood) and Richard Smythe (Wodfreca)
layout by Black Raven Design (Wodfreca)
recorded November 8th 2010 at Mortified Studios (MTL4)
released by Mirkwood Productions (MP-002) and Wodfreca Records (WOD004)
released on June 2nd 2012 (Mirkwood) and August 3rd 2012 (Wodfreca)