Reviews
The cohabitation of the folksy art aesthetic and the almost mocking, drab raze of the composition were both impressive and unique, and there is no other Burzum album I would turn towards for a guaranteed audio mecca into agony. This is the tops for me, just narrowly edging out its predecessor. Once again, in a short framework, Vikernes offered something fascinating that you were unable to discover elsewhere, and Filosofem stands at the nexus of being not only his final black metal recording for over a decade, but also the last that was recorded before he would begin to serve out the murder sentence. It's breathtaking, but not the breathtaking of sunny vistas and dandelions; the breathtaking of having a knife stabbed inside you and turned about, the death of a culture and a history draining through your wounds. Let it be a poignant and ghastly reminder.From the Dust Returned
...one of the most captivating and influential black metal albums ever committed to tape. Unlike much of the black metal that was being created at the time, Burzum's fourth full-length and fifth overall release wasn't so much a feral outcropping of youthful rebellion as it was an ultra-hypnotic meditation on what Vikernes says was his own inner despair.Decibel Magazine
What he achieved was unique, alright, and historic to boot, as Filosofem continues to figure among the most seminal works in black metal history.All Music