Marduk. Good old Marduk. If ever there was a perennial ‘old horse’ of the black metal scene, it would have to be this collective of uncompromising Swedes. They have been at it for twenty years now – through myriad trends, the comings and goings of band members, numerous paradigm shifts within the genre – yet they have utterly refused to tone down their approach over the two decades of their existence. Their fixation with Satan and warfare ever-present, this latest EP finds them resolutely sticking to their guns (pun intended) with the monochromatic imagery of heavy artillery brooding starkly on the cover. Three tracks over 12 minutes isn’t a lot but this release is intended purely as a tribute to their most die-hard fans whilst the world awaits a follow-up to 2009’s (rather water-treading in this humble scribe’s opinion) ‘Wormwood’ album.
And its business as usual, basically. ‘Warschau 2: Headhunter Halfmoon’ unleashes immediately with a characteristic salvo of blastbeats and vocal vitriol. Vocalist Mortuus (also of Funeral Mist) continues to demonstrate why he is one of the more highly-regarded proponents of the larynx-shredding art, his intimidating croak/growl/shriek lashing the senses with palpable fury. It sounds as if the band have taken heed of some of the accusations of ‘riffing by numbers’ that were levelled at Wormwood – certainly, the guitar attack here seems more thought-through, more developed. Jagged, spiralling lead riffs explode like shrapnel from the dense smog of aggression lending the song a labyrinthine, almost (whisper it) progressive quality.
‘Wacht am Rhein: Drumbeats of Death’ continues in much the same vein, albeit perhaps even more direct in it’s delivery of spite. It’s only when the final track, ‘Prochorovka: Blood and Sunflowers’ lands that the band change atmospheric tack, this closing piece being a simmering, marching number with Mortuus’s filtered vocals spitting eerie telegram-esque poetry. Then it’s done, 12 minutes of violence concluded. As a swift blast of ‘don’t forget about us!’ sonic mayhem, it does the job and suggests that some lessons have been learned from the previous record. Nevertheless, the next full-length will be the acid test as to whether these rejuvenated stalwarts can maintain some semblance of relevance.
http://www.myspace.com/truemarduk
Frank Allain
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