Marduk
World Funeral
[Regain]
2 years after their disappointing 'La Grande Danse Macabre' release , the swedish panzer tank known as Marduk rolls into battle once again. But with thirteen years under their belt, one has to wonder whether the troops are battle hardened or merely battle weary ? It seems that over the last few years , long time fans of the Swedish institution are abandoning them in droves. A major complaint is that their material is starting to sound all the same; Although 'Panzer Division Marduk' was an interesting album, one only has to listen to a few tracks before realising how similar each tracks sounds. Perhaps this was cause for the Swedes to take on a different path , with their song writing arsenal now bearing –much- slower songs and even a bit of melody sprinkled here and there.
But those fearing Marduk have slowed to a snails pace take heart- The blistering speed of yesteryear is still prevalent through out the album. In fact the album opener, appropriately titled ‘With Satan And Victorious Weapons’ introduces the album like a sledgehammer to the face bringing forth the crushing blast beats which make Marduk what they are. The tradition is continued on songs such as the first single ‘Hearse’, which starts off in typical marduk fashion but manages to slow down as the track progresses, breathing new life into a song writing style that is starting to suffocate Marduk. Title track World Funeral, shows us that Marduk haven’t lost any of their energy , with a livid track that would not be out of place on any of their older releases.
But as mentioned before, they have managed to vary the pace of the album by including songs of a slower/mid paced nature. Track 2, Bleached Bones, demonstrates that they can still put together a fucking killer song with out the need to resort to blast beats. The bass lines are audible something which is lacking in many bm releases. Always recognizable , legions vocals , are well … legions vocals and if you havnt heard them by now you shouldn’t even bother with this review. In my opinion , his vocals are something to behold and are among the best in black metal. Full of bile, hate and rage he is like a commander leading the troops to battle as he screams his orders. Track 9, Bloodletting is held up by a very ‘chug-chug’ like riff grinding on through the song. With out a doubt this track is the highlight of the album, making me want to grab a beer and headbang as soon as its riffs permeate my inner ear. Like glancing over the range of a battle field the album is capped off the by the slow, haunting and somewhat epic instrumental ‘blackcrowned’ .
Undoubtedly this album is a huge step up from their previous outing which was absolutely terrible, save for the occasional track or two. Although the clear production is nice at times, enabling all instruments to shine through clearly , it also detracts from the experience as it sounds far too polished and clean especially for something which can be so very brutal . This is a release id probably recommend only to big Marduk fans or those who have yet to venture very far into the realm of black metal. Everything here has either been done before by the band in the past or been written a million times over by others.Its still a solid album, but one that dulls rather quickly. Perhaps if they took a step back from the speed and tried to actually construct songs that didn’t consist of a blast beat and repetitive riffing, Marduk would still be a force to be reckoned with.
7/10
© 2003 hassan
But those fearing Marduk have slowed to a snails pace take heart- The blistering speed of yesteryear is still prevalent through out the album. In fact the album opener, appropriately titled ‘With Satan And Victorious Weapons’ introduces the album like a sledgehammer to the face bringing forth the crushing blast beats which make Marduk what they are. The tradition is continued on songs such as the first single ‘Hearse’, which starts off in typical marduk fashion but manages to slow down as the track progresses, breathing new life into a song writing style that is starting to suffocate Marduk. Title track World Funeral, shows us that Marduk haven’t lost any of their energy , with a livid track that would not be out of place on any of their older releases.
But as mentioned before, they have managed to vary the pace of the album by including songs of a slower/mid paced nature. Track 2, Bleached Bones, demonstrates that they can still put together a fucking killer song with out the need to resort to blast beats. The bass lines are audible something which is lacking in many bm releases. Always recognizable , legions vocals , are well … legions vocals and if you havnt heard them by now you shouldn’t even bother with this review. In my opinion , his vocals are something to behold and are among the best in black metal. Full of bile, hate and rage he is like a commander leading the troops to battle as he screams his orders. Track 9, Bloodletting is held up by a very ‘chug-chug’ like riff grinding on through the song. With out a doubt this track is the highlight of the album, making me want to grab a beer and headbang as soon as its riffs permeate my inner ear. Like glancing over the range of a battle field the album is capped off the by the slow, haunting and somewhat epic instrumental ‘blackcrowned’ .
Undoubtedly this album is a huge step up from their previous outing which was absolutely terrible, save for the occasional track or two. Although the clear production is nice at times, enabling all instruments to shine through clearly , it also detracts from the experience as it sounds far too polished and clean especially for something which can be so very brutal . This is a release id probably recommend only to big Marduk fans or those who have yet to venture very far into the realm of black metal. Everything here has either been done before by the band in the past or been written a million times over by others.Its still a solid album, but one that dulls rather quickly. Perhaps if they took a step back from the speed and tried to actually construct songs that didn’t consist of a blast beat and repetitive riffing, Marduk would still be a force to be reckoned with.
7/10
© 2003 hassan