Various - _My Own Wolf: A New Approach to Ulver_
(Cold Dimensions, 2008)
by: Pedro Azevedo (7.5 out of 10)
First of all, kudos to Aspherical Asphyxia Productions for putting together this near three hour Ulver tribute featuring twenty six bands from all over the place (obscure though they may generally be) and making it available as a free download. If you are interested, go to http://panacea.msk.su/ulver/ -- but be warned that at the time of writing, they are only able to provide file sharing rather than direct download links due to bandwidth limitations.

Some time after this digital version became available, _My Own Wolf_ is now being commercially released on a rather nicely presented double digipak by Cold Dimensions. Assuming Ulver themselves are OK with it, this seems like a perfectly justifiable alternative for those who are more inclined to keeping nice physical copies in their collection, as the packaging is indeed quite good.

The line-up of bands on this tribute is eclectic, to say the least. Styles range from black metal to folk, ambient and electronica; some acts have been around for barely a year, others more than a decade; and while most bands are European (predominantly from Russia or nearby, Scandinavia and France), you will also find Australia, Brazil, Canada, Israel and the USA represented. Given how Ulver's own extreme shapeshifting nature has been evident throughout their career, this diversity seems only logical and appropriate for the task at hand: assembling a tribute worthy of bearing the adventurous subtitle of "A New Approach to Ulver".

The vast majority of songs on _My Own Wolf_ are completely new versions, several of them virtually unrecognisable from the original material, rather than standard covers. The "New Approach to Ulver" subtitle is therefore justified, although it is certainly best to expect "new" to just be different and hopefully interesting, rather than necessarily better -- which would not exactly have been easy to achieve, and is unlikely to have been the aim of these acts anyway.

The resulting concoction will require a rather eccentric taste to fully enjoy; you need only imagine the entire spectrum of Ulver's discography being reinterpreted through such diverse artists to recognise that. You don't necessarily have to enjoy all of it though, and as such you will probably find enough to keep you interested according to your taste. Likewise, there isn't much point in dissecting each of the twenty six tracks individually, since so much of the success of this compilation as a whole hinges on each listener's musical preferences. Even tracks you may find yourself skipping after a while will often provide an interesting first listen for the sake of discovering new angles, if nothing else. On the other hand however, the compilation would have benefited greatly from some stand-out tracks to make you want to go back to it some more. Overall, _My Own Wolf_ well worth a try if you like more than one phase of Ulver's career so far.

Contact: http://www.cold-dimensions.de

(article published 17/9/2008)


ALBUMS
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1/8/2009 C Drishner Various - Anthrosphere Volume 1
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6/17/2008 Q Kalis 5.5 Various - Extreme Metal Inside
6/13/2008 Q Kalis 8 Various - Might Is Right: Nordic Warchants II
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10/7/2007 Q Kalis 7 Various - Rise of the Eastern Blood
7/24/2007 Q Kalis 8 Various - Might Is Right - Nordic Warchants Pt. I
7/4/2007 Q Kalis 7 Various - Aural Holograms Vol. I
4/20/2007 Q Kalis 8.5 Various - Noise.IL
4/15/2007 Q Kalis Various - Fine-Tuned Disasters
4/5/2007 Q Kalis Various - Defaced and Split
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2/24/2007 K Sarampalis 7 Various - Metal Message Vol III
1/28/2007 Q Kalis 8.5 Various - A Reassuring Voice on the Television
1/9/2007 Q Kalis 7.5 Various - Hauautagused Karjed Vol. II: Estonian Extreme Metal Compilation
12/26/2006 Q Kalis 8 Various - All My Dead Friends
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1/10/2005 T DePalma 7.5 Various - Listen Without Distraction - A Tribute to Kyuss
10/19/2004 P Azevedo 7 Various - Fenriz Presents... The Best of Old-School Black Metal
1/17/2004 A McKay 3.5 Various - Defenders of Metal Volume 1 - The Seduction
11/16/2003 X Hoose 7 Various - Japanese Assault
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3/31/2003 P Azevedo 7.5 Various - Svartmetall Compilation 2001
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4/12/2002 B Meloon 6 Various - Czech Assault
4/12/2002 Q Kalis 7.5 Various - The Bells of the Mystical Empire
1/14/2002 A Wee 6 Various - Hellion Promo Vol II
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10/19/2001 Q Kalis 7.5 Various - Beauty in Darkness 5
8/12/2001 A McKay 2 Various - Brazilian Assault
8/12/2001 V Eldefors 7 Various - Triarchy of Vasconia
8/12/2001 A Wee 9 Various - Black Metal Blitzkrieg
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1/10/2001 A McKay 6.5 Various - Scream Forth Blasphemy: A Tribute to Morbid Angel
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8/12/2000 A McKay 5 Various - Raise the Flag of Hate: A Tribute to Kreator
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1/15/2000 M Noll 2 Various - A Tribute to Accept
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6/15/1999 A McKay 8.5 Various - Smells Like Team Spirit III
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5/19/1999 G Sanchez 7.5 Various - Freak Animal Zine #11 CD
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1/16/1999 P Schwarz 7 Various - Feuersturm Vol. II: The Ultimate Storm
1/16/1999 P Schwarz 8 Various - Wardance
1/16/1999 A Cantwell 8 Various - From Kaamos to Midnight Sun -- Finnish Metal Compilation
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10/1/1998 P Schwarz 7 Various - Cry Now, Cry Later -- Vols. 3 & 4
10/1/1998 A Cantwell 7 Various - Songs From the Penalty Box: Volume 2
10/1/1998 P Schwarz 8 Various - Amduscias
9/1/1998 P Azevedo 6 Various - High Radiation 4
9/1/1998 A Bromley 7 Various - Call on the Dark II
9/1/1998 B Meloon 7 Various - Bestial Sampler: 1997-1998
9/1/1998 A Wasylyk 8 Various - Fiesta Comes Alive!
9/1/1998 P Schwarz 9 Various - Statements of Intent
7/8/1998 A Wasylyk 6 Various - Blackened III
7/8/1998 A Wasylyk 7 Various - Statements of Intent
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6/7/1998 P Azevedo Various - Peaceville X
6/7/1998 A Bromley 7 Various - Call To Irons: A Tribute to Iron Maiden
6/7/1998 A Wasylyk 7 Various - Voyager: 10 Years Nuclear Blast
6/7/1998 B Meloon 8 Various - Until the End of Time
1/1/1998 A Wasylyk 5 Various - A Declaration of Independence
1/1/1998 A Gaudrault 7 Various - Masters of Misery - Black Sabbath: The Earache Tribute
1/1/1998 A Bromley 7 Various - Untitled (ten)
11/17/1997 A Bromley 8 Various - Earache Unplugged 2
7/14/1997 A Wasylyk 3 Various - The Kanada Compilation
7/14/1997 Z Tsarfin 7 Various - Awakenings: Females in Extreme Music
7/14/1997 A Bromley 9 Various - A Black Mark Tribute
6/7/1997 A Bromley 8 Various - The Ozz-Fest: Live
5/13/1997 P Azevedo 8 Various - Out of the Dark Live Compilation
5/13/1997 S Hoeltzel 9 Various - World Domination II
2/5/1997 A Bromley 5 Various - Frozen Dawn III
2/5/1997 A Bromley 8 Various - The Absolute Supper
1/2/1997 A Wasylyk 9 Various - Beneath the Icy Floe: A Projekt Sampler V.4
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4/18/1996 N Bassett 7 Various - In Memory of Celtic Frost
3/14/1996 A Bromley 7 Various - Identity II
3/14/1996 N Bassett 8 Various - With Us Or Against Us
1/17/1996 G Filicetti 9 Various - Four Ways To Misery
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