A Farewell to a Black Metal Legend - 95%

Well, it's about time somebody covered this split, so I'm gonna be the one to review it. Like all the other splits I've reviewed, I'll be reviewing each artist separately (or one artist in this case...)

Uruk-Hai
According to Varg, Uruk-Hai was one of the first bands he formed, and he recorded four songs in the years 1988 - 1990 on a demo titled "The Fighting Uruk-Hai". In this demo, we see the young Varg flesh out some ideas that would later be utilized in future Burzum works. The first track in particular is a simple ambient piece that has a basic composition, but the vintage sound gives it more of a desolate atmosphere, and the calming keyboards further enhances the lonely feeling. As for the rest of the three tracks, it's just some electric guitar playing some fast and thrash-like riffs. However, in some portions of "Blood-Red Scimitars" and especially "Mace Attack", we hear some similar tunes that would later be used in "Móti Ragnarǫkum", which I think is pretty cool. In fact, I actually kinda prefer this version of Móti Ragnarǫkum than in Dauði Baldrs, since the faster riffs gives it more of an energized tone, and it executes a better atmosphere than in the final version. "The Fighting Uruk-Hai" may not compare to the later works of Burzum, but as it stands, it is a pretty good demo.

Burzum
For this side, these are some tracks that Varg recorded in prison before said prison took away his guitar. The production of the "Wotans Verhängnis" is more weaker than in Uruk-Hai's side, since the guitars sound more fuzzy and quieter. However, like Uruk-Hai, we do get some pieces that would foreshadow those in his next album Dauði Baldrs, especially in the track "Odinns Daudr". And also like Uruk-Hai, I do prefer this version over the 1997 album, since the guitars have a more menacing sound in them that gives the tone of the track an eerie feeling. As for the ambient pieces like "Hoddmimisholt" and "Epilogue", they are also just as strong as with Uruk-Hai's ambient pieces, if not better. The poor production of "Hoddmimisholt" gives the synths a more creepy tone, and the howls in the background only adds to the disturbing atmosphere. In contrast, the Epilouge has a more melancholy tone in it, and the softer synths gives the tone of the tune a more optimistic feel. While the production is inferior to that of other Burzum projects, it still does provide some strong composition and ambient tracks.

Conclusion
This split is most likely gonna be the very last official release from Burzum, and I'd say that it ended in a good note. Uruk-Hai's side has a simple tone in its songs that gives it its own special charm, while Burzum's side is stronger in terms of technicality and has some strong ambient pieces. If you're looking to check out what Varg's music was like before Burzum or if you wanna see Varg's guitar tracks before the prison took away his guitar, then this is a split I highly recommend.