Their battering ram attack has pretty much remained the same over the years, but it’s a formula that has worked for them and they don’t appear to be stopping anytime soon. Their sound shifted a bit around the time of La Grande Danse Macabre and it wasn’t until World Funeral that they found their footing again. “With Satan and Victorious Weapons” was all I listened to for weeks when that album came out. Wormwood was dominated by tracks such as “A Chorus of Cracking Necks” bringing back the funeral dirge of the 90s albums and a bit of a welcome change. I’ve skipped a few albums but ultimately this is a band that has stood strong in the Black Metal realm for over 30 years.

“Those of the Unlight” on Blackend: The Black Metal Compilation Volume 1 (Death Records, 1995) was my first initiation into their music, that compilation contained some of the most extreme music I had ever heard and went on to define my musical tastes. Forever.

So, it’s been a couple of years since 2018’s blasterpiece, Viktoria, an album that bristled with Satanic ordnance through tracks like, “Werwolf” and the blazing “The Last Fallen”. The years in between were full of live album releases and some singles (that are probably impossible to find in physical copies). 2023 is finally seeing a new Marduk Album in the form of Memento Mori, and guess who got their mitts on it? Yes, yes, yes… So how is it? Excellent.

The first and title track comes in on a gradual rise, it perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the album; bouncing through riffs that come slightly reminiscent of World Funeral and the aforementioned “With Satan and Victorious Weapons” and it segues flawlessly into “Heart of the Funeral” which is followed by first single “Blood of the Funeral” which blasts its way through the boundaries of Hell, prior to colliding with “Shovel Beats Scepter”.

“Charlatan” is a fucking furious track, and it seems like Mortuus has done something to make his vocals more understandable because it’s easier to understand the lyrics. They slow down on the pummeling “Marching Bones” and closing track “As We Are”. There are points in this album where they shift seamlessly from savage blast beats to roaring Thrash territory, this shows up on “Red Tree of Blood” and “Year of the Maggot”.

One thing I did notice about Memento Mori is that there are no WW2 references. While Viktoria was a very WW2-oriented record, Memento Mori has none of those moments, and it’s a nice change because even though I’m a huge military history buff, you can only sing about the Third Reich before you run out of atrocities. Production is booming and precise; this is normal for new Marduk albums and allows the contained brutality to flourish.

Marduk sounds like one band: Marduk. There are bands that want to sound like them: Infernal War, I’m looking at you… but Marduk is on deadly footing with this one; so If you love Marduk… Get it, got it, good.

Enter Swedish veterans Marduk with album number 14, to sandblast my palette clean, reset my brain and remind us all what black metal is.

Again flirting with  controversy again using Teutonic/World War II imagery and themes  that graced 2015s underwhelming Frontschwein, Marduk continue to test boundaries that will likely see them protested or banned in the US, (and I’m sure in a purposeful, move the June 22nd release date is historically significant  as coincides with the  date The Axis Powers invaded The Soviet Union).  But the fact of the matter is Viktoria is a relentless, scathing, Marduk album that personifies black metal.

The 32 minute run time will upset some, but the 9 songs , with the slicing,  razor sharp, (if treble heavy) production feels longer. The pace is largely, expectedly , relentlessly Marduk-ian with the likes of “Werewolf” (with some disturbing hysterical screeches), “June 44”, “Equestrian Bloodlust”, standout  “Narva”,  “Viktoria” and particularly seething “The Devil’s Song” delivering pure, stabs of blackened furor.  No experimentation, no interludes, no keyboards, no clean vocals, (only air raid sirens, marching and other warlike samples). But Marduk also know when to deliver a more stoic, militant pace befitting a 1939 Third Reich parade: “Tiger I”, parts of “The Last Fallen” and closer “Silent Night”,

The big discussion among black metal fans will be Viktoria vs Immortal’s Northern Chaos Gods, as two of the genres oldest and most revered acts return to the fray in 2018. Personally, I’m going with Viktoria due to its refreshingly simple, ravaging effectiveness, but either way, the real winner is black metal.

With music as unapologetic as their name, Black Fucking Cancer has no shortcomings in the realm of stage presence. As one would expect from a band with a name that can’t be repeated over mainstream radio stations, Black Fucking Cancer peppered their set with subcultural catchphrases such as “HAIL SATAN!” and “GRRRAAAAHHHH”

Completely mosh pit friendly, Black Fucking Cancer’s setlist was fast, technical, and diverse in tempo. As a bonus, their drummer and guitarist looked like fucking zombies.

“This one is for the ladies in the crowd… it’s called… BLOOD STAINED WHORE!”

Weapon

After concluding Black Fucking Cancer’s celebration of all that is unholy, the crowd was greeted with a positive and upbeat “We are Weapon! From Canada,” upon which, they began to rock.

Halfway through the set, Weapon either had technical difficulties that prevented the vocalist from participating, or performed a stage stunt that involved the vocalist storming off the stage in what appeared to be frustration.

However, the remaining musicians appeared to stall with a instrumental jam session. After receiving a healthy amount of praise from the crowd for their impromptu demonstration of skill, the singer returned and announced that “he was back, and hopefully it will actually fucking work this time.”

>Withered

Withered’s bassist, who only plays bass and does not sing, acts as the physical frontman for the band. This nonconventional approach seems strange at first, because it is actually strange, very strange, in person. While there is nothing inherently jolting about the presence of a bass player at the front of the stage, this particular musician happened to portray one of the most “lost in music” personas I have ever witnessed. Sweating profusely, he would regularly contort his face, allowing his eyes to roll to the back of his soul, such that one would easily be convinced that he was either possessed by a demon, or under the influence of powerful hallucinogens.

While the band’s configuration was a bit heavy on the out-of-control distortion side, it did the trick, and I had a wondrous time headbanging in between the times where I was attempting to hold the camera still.

1349

With a pure-metal vocalist of infinite endurance, 1349 was by far my favorite performance, and they played for a long time. Not only was their music awesome, but their outfits held a theme that made them not only look metal, but like magic-wielding badasses, too.

By the time 1349 started playing, I felt a sense of relaxation knowing that this was the type of metal I was looking for. The experiences were 100% demonic, and no moment went by that I didn’t feel that I was in an environment of worship. I looked forward to buying the CD, and listening to it in a dark room lit only by a small wax candle. Even at this very moment, I’m having trouble writing this article, because I keep going back to YouTube to watch 1349’s latest video, Sculptor of Flesh.

Marduk

Marduk was simply awesome, so awesome that the crowd was compressed to the point that I couldn’t get close enough for photos. So, I put my camera away, and resumed the process of destroying as many brain cells as I could in as little time as possible through the process of violent drinking, headbanging, and moshing.

Overall

If you don’t already know that skipping a Swedish Metal Concert is a terrible mistake, please take note that any time you see a metal show that features multiple bands from a country other than your own, consider how this tour might have come to be. In most cases, these bands on an international tour for a reason. If a band sucks, it isn’t likely that a professional business would pay for them (and their equipment) to be shipped all over the world over a span of 30 days.

One could argue that terrible bands are sent places all the time, but would eventually need to realize that this isn’t the kind of thing that Sweden would allow.

…nor the fans of the most pure, raw, and genuine forms of satanic worship that would slit their own throats before headbanging to a concert that didn’t fully evoke the divine, death-worshipping darkness that filled their blood-hungry souls.

Serpent Sermon‘s track-listing and other additional information about the album will be unveiled shortly, so stay tuned for more news about this upcoming release coming soon!

Then there is the copying past glories for the sheer joy of it. Look to the past to build the future. Marduk is not out of ideas when they revisit the war style of Panzer Division, they just love playing those songs live so why not put their considerable energy into crafting a new modern Marduk classic to go along with “Scorched Earth” and “Baptism by Fire”?

The music is at once fast and slow, intricate and repetitive, yet there is no place in the music for you to rest. Intensity is the Marduk way. Marduk could do a faithful Trouble or Candlemass cover and crush you with the intensity of the delivery.

“Warschau 2: Headhunter Halfmoon” kicks the skulls off the skeletons left on the scorched battlefield, left smoldering in the morass of churned and trampled earth that has known no reemergence in life since Marduk last marched through in lockstep. Kick them when they are down, then pepper them with a few score more bombs. A worthy successor to part one. Part two is proof positive melodic lines are overrated.

Once “Wacht am Rhein: Drumbeats of Death” is through, archeologists will have to sift the dirt through strainers to find any traces of civilization.

Marduk uses the EP format to give us great cover songs, re-imagined classic songs or slightly off beat takes on the Marduk original. “Prochorovka: Blood and Sunflowers” is the one track I hope to hear live well into the future. The first two songs I would be amazed if they didn’t play them live, this one would be killer live. Slow punishing drum beat, sharp riffs that strike like lightning, and a simple guitar line anchoring the Voice, mesmerizing to the end. “Tod und Vernichtung” part two, with a twist, or would that be a snap, of your neck. The sun is rising higher after the funeral dawn, the deathmarch continues.

Iron Dawn is so devastating it has a half life. I’d say go hide under your desk if you need respite but better head straight to the bomb shelter instead. You’ll get plenty of rest there when it becomes your tomb.

Clocking in at thirteen minutes you have room on a CD-R to have six complete copies of this tryptic for a full presentation. That is what I did with my promo mp3-files for review purposes, and as far as I am concerned that qualifies it as a full-length recording and therefore eligible for the year end’s  ‘best of’ consideration.

Having recently returned from a successful stint on the coveted Blackest Of The Black tour through North America playing alongside Danzig and Possessed (among many others), Swedish black metal squadron MARDUK recently set out to destroy Asia. The tour kicked off this weekend in China and will pummel its way through Singapore and several locations in Indonesia before drawing to a close on December 12th.
In related news, the MARDUK collective is celebrating 20 wrathful years of blood and iron since forming in 1990. Stronger than ever before, Regain will commemorate the band’s 20th anniversary with a limited edition box set to be released in early 2011. The box will document the first two decades of MARDUK. Further details to be unveiled soon.
MARDUK: Asian Black Death Redemption 2010
12/07/2010 Substation Theatre – Singapore, Singapore
12/08/2010 Lap Basket Karebosi – Makassar, Indonesia
12/09/2010 Akasaka Music Club – Bali, Indonesia
12/10/2010 Graha Pemuda – Surabaya, Indonesia
12/11/2010 Gor Tri Lomba Juang – Semarang, Indonesia
12/12/2010 Bulungan Outdoor – Jakarta, Indonesia 

http://www.marduk.nu
http://www.regainrecords.com

In addition to Glenn, Danzig’s band for Blackest of the Black will consist of Tommy Victor (Prong, Ministry) on guitar, Steve Zing (Samhain) on bass and Bevan Davies (Danzig) on drums. Danzig is scheduled to perform at the free Red Bull Metallicross event at Pala Casino in Pala, CA on Oct. 23, on the eve of the Blackest of the Black kickoff.

“I’m excited about taking out both Possessed & Marduk as fans will get a chance to see these two bands who rarely tour the US,” said Glenn. It should also be noted that Danzig hasn’t played most of these markets in the past two years.

An exclusive internet presale will launch on Tuesday, September 7th at http://tixx1.artistarena.com/danzig/. Fans simply enter the user name: danzig and password: tickets. Sales to the general public start on Friday, September 10th.

Blackest of the Black Tour dates are as follows:

10/25 — Sunshine Theater, Albuquerque, NM
10/27 — The Village, Little Rock, AR
10/29 — San Antonio Live, San Antonio, TX
10/30 — Warehouse Live, Houston, TX
10/31 — The Palladium, Dallas, TX
11/02 — The Valarium, Knoxville, TN
11/03 — Expo Five, Louisville, KY
11/04 — Town Ballroom, Buffalo, NY
11/06 — Royal Oak Theater, Detroit, MI
11/07 — Congress Theater, Chicago, IL
11/09 — Cabooze, Minneapolis, MN
11/10 — The Venue, Fargo, ND
11/12 — Ogden Theater, Denver, CO
11/14 — Knitting Factory, Spokane, WA
11/15 — SODO, Seattle, WA
11/16 — Roseland Theater, Portland, OR

More dates might be announced soon…

MARDUK
11/19/2009 The Sterling Hotel w/ Blank Anvil
11/20/2009 The Palladium – Worcester, MA w/ Black Anvil
11/21/2009 Les Foufounes Electriques – Montreal, QC w/ Black Anvil
11/22/2009 Wreck Room – Toronto, ON w/ Black Anvil
11/23/2009 Sonar – Baltimore, MD
11/24/2009 The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
11/25/2009 Brass Mug – Tampa, FL
11/27/2009 The Bar – New Orleans, LA
11/28/2009 Red 7 – Austin, TX
11/29/2009 Ridglea Theater – Ft Worth, TX
11/30/2009 The Marquee – Tulsa, OK
12/02/2009 Launchpad – Albuquerque, NM
12/03/2009 The Clubhouse – Tempe, AZ
12/04/2009 The Key Club – Hollywood, CA w/ Black Anvil
12/05/2009 Ramona Mainstage – Ramona, CA w/ Black Anvil
12/06/2009 DNA Lounge – San Francisco, CA w/ Black Anvil
12/07/2009 Satyricon – Portland, OR
12/08/2009 Studio Seven – Seattle, WA
12/09/2009 Clug Vegas – Salt Lake City, UT
12/10/2009 Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom – Denver, CO
12/11/2009 Riot Room – Kansas City, MO
12/12/2009 Reggie’s Rock Club – Chicago, IL
12/13/2009 Station 4 – St Paul, MN
12/14/2009 Blondie’s – Detroit, MI
12/15/2009 Peabody’s – Cleveland, OH
12/16/2009 Gramercy Theater – New York, NY w/ Black Anvil

MARDUK’s eleventh studio album, Wormwood, was released on October 13th. It was recorded at Endarker Studio by bassist Magnus “Devo” Andersson.

In related news, MARDUK was recently interviewed by lovely Ann from Breakfast At Sulimay’s [http://www.woodshopfilms.com/index.php/breakfast-at-sulimays]. Breakfast At Sulimay’s is one of many shows by Woodshop Films, an independently owned multimedia company housed in a working woodshop in Philadelphia, PA. Founded by artist Marc Brodzik, the company serves as a think tank for the creation and production of cutting edge documentary films and multimedia work pieces. Check out Ann’s interview with Morgan Håkansson here:

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=451309518&blogId=515457154

Relentless is a word long associated with Marduk, so is atmosphere, but now we are introduced to virtuosity. This is easily the most dynamic Marduk release to date, with hair raising twists and turns at full blastbeat driven speed as well as sharply dissected leads and dark slow doomy passages all laced together with killer bass lines that are more clean and louder in the mix. About time bass guitar got reintroduced to black metal, thanks Devo. The songs are layered with guitars and vocals that lend an edge of your seat insanity that bears little connection to the warp speed segments and more to the dark complexity of the vertigo inducing seething maelstrom  that is Mortuus and Morgan. The drums get overshadowed a bit, which is cool, yet they shine in the plentiful slower and slow passages, atmospheric fireworks abound.

The production values are excellent, thanks go to Devo. This is easily the most powerful Mortuus has sounded yet. The arrival of Mortuus and Devo a few years back has caused a feeding frenzy resulting in new levels of inspiration and devotion to songwriting. Former Excessum drummer Lars Broddesson is fitting right in, lets hope he stays longer than Emil. If the goal from a studio album for a major touring band is to get some new songs to add to the set list, Marduk has added six or seven serious contenders to still be on that set list ten years from now, and considering the strength and length of their back catalog that would be quite the achievement.

Many of Marduk’s shining moments, especially live, were with Legion at the microphone, but now with Mortuus, he shows off just how decidedly one dimensional Legion was, Hail Legion I salute you with a horn overflowing with christian blood for all your years of dedication and countless killer live performances, you will not be forgotten, but damn, Mortuus is awesome, the true Marduk voice has arrived, hell the voice of black metal. Imagine me getting this far into the review and not mentioning the lyrics. Trust me, they are just as visceral and blasphemous as ever, no worries.

Any fan of real metal out there that has never given Marduk a try before this is your chance, bandwagon jumpers better be quick about it, any hesitation will result in that run down feeling. Killer songs include, but are not limited to, “Nowhere, No-One, Nothing”, “Funeral Dawn”, “Into Utter Madness”, “Phosphorous Redeemer”, “To Redirect Perdition”, “Chorus Of Cracking Necks”, “As A Garment.”

More news and song titles TBA.

Check some photos from the recording at the Endarker Studio here: http://www.marduk.nu/gallery.html

In related news, MARDUK will land on US soil later this summer for three very special dates with Withered and Black Anvil. Said guitarist Morgan Håkansson, “We are excited to finally be over in the states and do these shows after all the problems with the visas. The three shows in August are just the start. We are preparing for a full tour in the winter that will cover all the areas we missed on Blackenedfest. Please join us as we raise the Banner Of The Wolf!”

MARDUK Confirmed Dates:
8/12/2009 Sonar – Baltimore, MD
8/13/2009 Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, PA
8/15/2009 Gramercy Threatre – New York, NY also w/Tombs

http://www.marduk.nu
http://www.myspace.com/truemarduk
http://www.regainrecords.com

How much of a Marduk rookie am I? I had no idea Dark Endless was the band’s first album. And even listening to it, if I had not known, I would never had guessed this 1992 album was from Marduk. Rough and ready, scrawling, mid range, at times doomy death metal that sounds like it was from the Stockholm death metal scene of the 90’s. With the exception of the higher register screams of one album member Andreas Axelsson Dark Endless could be a Nihilist or Gorement demo as tracks like “Within the Abyss”, “Still Fucking Dead”, “Departure From the Mortals” and the title track rumble and crumble with archaic, yet nostalgic girth. However, strains of the bands blacker direction can be heard in tracks like “The Sun Turns Black as Night” and “The Funeral Seems to be Endless” and “The Black”.

The band’s development from Dark Endless to 1993’s similar sounding Those of the Unlight and 1994’ Opus Nocturne is arguably the bands largest shift and thing seems to have cleaned up in the production department and song writing as well as switching to Jocke Göthberg for vocals and the addition of long time bassist B War. Though still arguably not yet a full fledged black metal act due to a surprising variety of pace (i.e. “Those of the Unlight”, “Wolves”) but in tracks like the blistering “The Sun has Failed” (Opus Nocturne) you can really hear the seething undercurrent of the band’s eventual black metal peak that would be Panzer Division Marduk. I can see why these two albums are highly regarded, as to me as a first time listener, I was surprised how developed and varied they were.

Now, I’ve read various conflicting opinions as to which is Marduk’s ‘best’ album, however it seemed that 1996’s Heaven Shall Burn… is a candidate as Marduk’s crowning achievement and where the band, with the addition of Legion on vocals started their more famed direction of relentless, wall of noise black metal. Now, I have not heard Nightwing, but have heard all the other Marduk albums (spurned by these 4 re-issues), so I can’t vouch for its quality, but I’m going to have to say Heaven Shall Burn… is the best Marduk album I personally have heard. It seems to subtly mix the band’s earlier tones with the all out assault that would be Panzer Division. I’m blown away by the ravenous yet intelligent intensity of tracks like “Beyond The Grace of God”, the classical reworking (Holst or Wagner?) of “Glorification”, “Infernal Eternal” “Darkness It Shall Be” and “Legion” which seem to be the very benchmark, epitome and apex of classic black metal.

Unfortunately there’s little in the way of bonus material if you already own these albums. All four have essentially the original artwork, inlays and production, and there are no linear notes or detailed comments or interviews. Dark Endless has for really rough live tracks, Opus Nocturne has 4 really raw rehearsal tracks and Heaven Shall Burn… has 4 demo tracks. Nothing to get to exited about for collectors, however if like me, you are rediscovering black metal and its origins, these four re-issues are keys in the pantheon of the genre.

Rom 5:12 is the latest release from Marduk. Sweden’s longest running black metal band is back with their tenth full length studio album. For those out there that think Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson jumped the shark with Nightwing back in 1998, take Arioch into account. He has had a few years to settle in and make solid contributions. Emil will be missed but Morgan’s machine marches on. One other thing to always bear in mind, Marduk at their worst is still better than some 12000 other black metal bands in existence. Rom 5:12 is not their worst.

Some highlights include “Accuser/Opposer”, which surprised me the first time I listened and heard, at about the three minute mark, what sounded like Morgan had found Krille Andrén wandering the halls and asked him to sing some lines. Shocking juxtaposed to Arioch’s twisted growls. After listening to the whole song I recognized the distinctive voice of Ireland’s primordial wilderness. Nemtheanga is one of my favorite vocalists and hearing him on this album was quite the surprise. “1651” is a moody, dramatic piece that expands an interlude into a full-blown song.

The drums sound great and Arioch whispers his way through it in total anguish. “Imago Mortis” starts off with a lively beat interrupted by a vicious voice underscored by a simple and effective guitar line. This is really a great vocal performance supported by music instead of screaming over the cacophony and demonstrates once again the power of Marduk in the writing of slow songs. “Through The Belly Of Damnation” and “Voices From Avignon” deserve praise as well but I’ll leave those gems for you to discover on your own. Happy days are here again.

For these heavyweights the bar is higher and my personal Best of Marduk cd is full, mostly with pre Panzer stuff, but the closing song, “Blutrache” has forced its way on there. It is a bit of a throwback song with a slower pace and Emil competes well with the vocals. This song is nearly eight minutes and is preceded by 25 seconds of bomb bursts, which erupt full force from the previous song, “Everything Bleeds”, a nice short, chaotic, abrupt, disharmonious brush with speed and more speed. These two combine for a very powerful ending to a great album.

Only Marduk can produce an album that ranks sixth of seventh on their career list and still blow away nearly everyone else on the planet. Now I’m even more eager for a return to American soil.

They made their point with Panzer Division, it is now safe for them to write some more killer slower material without fear of being labeled a trend jumper. The very first line of the opening song, after the movie sample, is “fist in the face for the time smothered angel.” Obviously they are not developing a subtle persona. While it is hard for them to outdo themselves lyrically and symbolically, they set the bar so high at the beginning, they are still trying. Their fans don’t need them to. People that would be offended/ revolted are not the target audience and are already amassed against extreme metal anyway. Me, as a fan, I am not more or less likely to enjoy a song because it is called “Slay The Nazarene” instead of say perpetual torture, so long as they don’t go all the way to Jesus Christ Superstar instead of “Jesus Christ Sodomized.” But as long as they are trying this hard I’ll continue to enjoy it.

Marduk remains one of the few bands that I automatically pick up each new release without hearing it first. Obviously this means I have been defending them for the last decade since the consensus seems to be that they are the actual definition of boring black metal. For some reason I have always enjoyed their music more than the average fan so my dilemma is how do I convince you that this disc is worth your perusal with you now knowing I am an unreasoningly faithful Marduk fan. (Yes, I bought Blackcrowned.) Maybe telling you that the extreme slow passages in “Bloodletting” and “Blessed Unholy”  especially the throwback ultra slow guitars, recall favorably their early releases. What’s that you say? The only disc you ever heard was Panzer Division and you hated it? Not only did you miss the point, you missed the back catalog. Well, we get the Panzer-speed as well as the Nightwing heaviness and power. The speed changes characteristic of their early work is in evidence on “Blessed Unholy.” In actuality, World Funeral is Marduk’s 13 year history not just a continuation of their most recent work. La Grande Danse Macabre finished the trilogy as the ‘death’ album and lyrically World Funeral could be the ‘murder’ album. “Bleached Bones” says “when their bodies get too rotten their skeletons do great.” “Cloven Hoof” suggests you “rip the priests head off – don’t need that leech” and “Bloodletting” announces that the “bodycount is rising for the dirge.” Legion growls  “I believe in you”  as the final line on the album. then we get the nice funeral processional horn concerto music of  “Blackcrowned” to end a very well presented album.

My favorite songs, “Bloodletting” (this version sounds better than the one on Blackcrowned) with it’s mesmerizingly rhythmic guitars, reminds me of Immortal’s “Frostdemonstorm.”  The most imaginative and memorable riffs on the disc, as well as lightning fast drumming, appear on “Night of the Long Knives.” One of the few truly discernible bass rhythms, not overpowered by the guitar, is on “To The Death’s Head True,” which features more sedate drumming. This is the disc to get if you want to give Marduk a second chance. The only thing missing is a nice ballad to show off Legion’s versatility. Check out “Paint it Black” on the Blackcrowned disc for an example. I’d call it mandatory Marduk, but as you know I’m biased. Give it a try anyway, you will be glad you did.

And, for good reason. Take for instance, Opus Nocturne. The Dan Swanö produced effort literally leveled every speed benchmark while, at the same time, remained mercilessly memorable. Tracks like “Sulfur Souls” and “Materialized in Stone” were a ferocious beating of the senses, where savage riffing collided cunningly with subtle melodic and tempo variations. Like Dissection’s The Somberlain and Emperor’s self-titled mini album, Opus Nocturne was a battle cry of the most hellish degree. Yet, for whatever reason, Marduk decided writing something as unforgiving as “From Subterranean Throne Profound” proved to be too close to their death metal brethren (ie., Entombed, Dismember, et al), for whom Marduk touted in the press as ‘life metal.’ Truth be told, Marduk has been spiraling – albeit slowly – southward when it comes to quality songwriting since their milestone second effort. Each release from there on lacks the magic of diversity, forthright execution and production of said album.

Sadly, Marduk’s seventh full-length album continues the trend of careless songwriting and half-baked melodic ideas. One would think this far into the game, mainman Morgan Håkansson would recognize what works and what doesn’t when it comes to delivering an album the public at large could use as a vehicle to travel to the lowest rings of hell. Speed, lyrical subject matter and suffocating riffing are all part of the process, but to what end? When does the musical and lyrical message Marduk so effectively delivered in the past become muted, and, to some extent, a self-parody? La Grande Danse Macabre, for the most part, is the answer to that question. Penned almost exclusively by Håkansson, La Grande Danse Macabre is ultimately an album that sounds rushed and uncared for. The soul-carving riffs of old – even Panzer Division Marduk possessed some fiery resolve – are replaced by an uninteresting black metal expression of chorded boredom. “Pompa Funebris 1600” and “Obedience unto Death” are perfect examples of such humdrum riffery and lackadaisical showmanship. There’s a beauty to harmonic simplicity, but only if it’s created and performed perfectly, and flows with spontaneity. There are times on the record when the quartet find their footing and let the sinister quality of the movement resonate into greatness. The end of “Bonds of Unholy Matrimony” is, in fact, superb as are the bass work on “Azrael” and Bolt Thrower-esque quality of the title track.

Yet, for an album that marks of independence (La Grande Danse Macabre is the band’s first full-length off Osmose) and longevity, the album’s music is just far too calculated for its own benefit. “Death Sex Ejaculation” and “Jesus Chris…Sodomized,” despite offensive titles, feature a tamed black metal beast, one that’s programmed to deliver what’s expected. “Funeral Bitch,” on the other hand, does border on harrowing. Its slow, caravan-of-hades gait resounds of something Gehenna might engineer – say, “Devil’s Work” – only to discard later when it fails to appropriately summon the correct atmosphere. “Summers End” features a similarly languorous tempo with the main riff reminiscent of something off Ophthlamia’s “Via Doloroso,” for it travels to near-prog like meandering but never reaches anything virtuosic. Realistically, this far into La Grande Danse Macabre there shouldn’t be reference to other bands. Marduk’s music should be its own physical power, flowing effortlessly like a serrated bastard sword through soft, Christian flesh. But that simile seems to apply to album seven years old while La Grande Danse Macabre feels more like a patchwork of armor barely holding itself together. Like Edge Of Sanity’s Infernal and Carcass’ Swansong the sum of Marduk’s parts on its latest outing unfortunately doesn’t equate to the whole the world was expecting. While the dance here is, of course, macabre, there’s nothing too fantastic about it.