Marduk - World Funeral
2003 - Regain Records
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Regain Records website.
You have to feel a little sorry for Marduk. Twelve long years of hard work, umpteen well-received studio albums, a legion of dedicated fans, and yet they still can't seem to quite drag themselves that last step up the ladder to become A-grade, first-tier contenders in the black metal stakes. They constantly remain behind the Darkthrones, Mayhems and Immortals of this world, seemingly condemned to the runners-up spot.
During the first few listens to their latest sonic assault, 'World Funeral', such a state of affairs is near-impossible to understand. The band rages forth from the speakers from the opening seconds of the album with the hyper-speed drumming and flesh-searing riffage of 'With Satan And Victorious Weapons', sounding as furious and vital as debut artists with something to prove, not seasoned veterans with an established and loyal, if not extensive fanbase. The album opens up to reveal a greater variety than on previous platters, too - 'To The Death's Head True' and 'Castrum Doloris' sound like sludge metal when compared to the 'if it's not a blastbeat, it's not getting in' paeans to machine-gun double-bass drumming found in 'Panzer Division Marduk', for instance.
The production, too, works in Marduk's favour - Peter Tagtren's Abyss Studios having once again worked their magic to give the songs on World Funeral a powerful, squeaky-clean but still punchy sound. The familiar elements of Marduk's sound - technical but catchy riffage, harsh vocals, willfully blasphemous lyrics (witness the ode to necrophilia that is 'Bleached Bones'), etcetera. So, what is it that keeps Marduk struggling behind the leaders of the pack?
As I said before - for the first few listens, nothing at all. But later on in the album's time in your CD player, sadly, Marduk's typical faults come to the fore too. For the most part, the vocals are more than adequate, but occasionally - particularly during the chorus of 'Bleached Bones' - they grate, massively. The Abyss production, too, can begin to cause your teeth to grind at times - the constancy of the volume and the digital, scrapy sound becoming less and less palatable. The lyrics, too, leave a little to be desired. And, as always, there's the feeling that there's nothing truly exceptional here, nothing to stand on a rooftop and shout about to the world. It's just competently written, competently played black metal made by people who are very good at what they do, but not quite good enough to be the best.
So, in essence, if you're a fan of Marduk, then you'll love this - it's their best release to date, and if you've been willing to settle for less than the best black metal has to offer in the past, there's nothing to stop you from opening your wallet for runners-up again. However, if you've never heard Marduk and you're looking for something truly exciting in black metal-land, may I suggest the new releases by Wehrwolfe, Anaal Nathrakh, Immortal and Aborym instead?
6.5/10
2003 - Regain Records
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Regain Records website.
You have to feel a little sorry for Marduk. Twelve long years of hard work, umpteen well-received studio albums, a legion of dedicated fans, and yet they still can't seem to quite drag themselves that last step up the ladder to become A-grade, first-tier contenders in the black metal stakes. They constantly remain behind the Darkthrones, Mayhems and Immortals of this world, seemingly condemned to the runners-up spot.
During the first few listens to their latest sonic assault, 'World Funeral', such a state of affairs is near-impossible to understand. The band rages forth from the speakers from the opening seconds of the album with the hyper-speed drumming and flesh-searing riffage of 'With Satan And Victorious Weapons', sounding as furious and vital as debut artists with something to prove, not seasoned veterans with an established and loyal, if not extensive fanbase. The album opens up to reveal a greater variety than on previous platters, too - 'To The Death's Head True' and 'Castrum Doloris' sound like sludge metal when compared to the 'if it's not a blastbeat, it's not getting in' paeans to machine-gun double-bass drumming found in 'Panzer Division Marduk', for instance.
The production, too, works in Marduk's favour - Peter Tagtren's Abyss Studios having once again worked their magic to give the songs on World Funeral a powerful, squeaky-clean but still punchy sound. The familiar elements of Marduk's sound - technical but catchy riffage, harsh vocals, willfully blasphemous lyrics (witness the ode to necrophilia that is 'Bleached Bones'), etcetera. So, what is it that keeps Marduk struggling behind the leaders of the pack?
As I said before - for the first few listens, nothing at all. But later on in the album's time in your CD player, sadly, Marduk's typical faults come to the fore too. For the most part, the vocals are more than adequate, but occasionally - particularly during the chorus of 'Bleached Bones' - they grate, massively. The Abyss production, too, can begin to cause your teeth to grind at times - the constancy of the volume and the digital, scrapy sound becoming less and less palatable. The lyrics, too, leave a little to be desired. And, as always, there's the feeling that there's nothing truly exceptional here, nothing to stand on a rooftop and shout about to the world. It's just competently written, competently played black metal made by people who are very good at what they do, but not quite good enough to be the best.
So, in essence, if you're a fan of Marduk, then you'll love this - it's their best release to date, and if you've been willing to settle for less than the best black metal has to offer in the past, there's nothing to stop you from opening your wallet for runners-up again. However, if you've never heard Marduk and you're looking for something truly exciting in black metal-land, may I suggest the new releases by Wehrwolfe, Anaal Nathrakh, Immortal and Aborym instead?
6.5/10
