Live-Metal.Net - Features: Marduk

By JEFF MAKI

If you are a frequent visitor to metal web sites, you've no doubt seen or heard the name of the Swedish black metal band Marduk, even if you are unfamiliar with the band's brutal discography. To celebrate the band's 15-year existence, their first four releases have been re-released in 2007 with bonus material via Regain Records, along with a live album, Warschau, featuring 17 tracks from a show in Warsaw, Poland on Sept. 17, 2005. This burns a brand on their long and blasphemous musical career, satisfies their cult following and reintroduces Marduk to the ever growing populace of black metal fans. Marduk has now released 10 studio albums with 2007's Rom: 5:12, toured in support of satanic American death metallers Deicide and black metal legends Immortal, and have even been denied entry into the United States after heightened post-9/11 security.

Guitarist Morgan Håkansson formed Marduk in 1990 with the vision to create the most satanic and blasphemous band, not only from the hallowed metal grounds of Sweden, but anywhere on the globe. In fact, he has said that death and violence are most inspirational to Marduk, with a particular focus on the violence in the Bible for lyrics. The demo Fuck Me Jesus and its controversial artwork of religious masturbation converted a cult following that often carried and waved inverted crosses at live shows. Marduk's first four releases, 1992's Dark Endless, 1993's Those of the Unlight, 1994's Opus Nocturne and 1996's Heaven Shall Burn ... When We Are Gathered featured raw production, now made famous by the black metal scene. Marduk gained a strong reputation in the underground, mostly because their style of blast beats, high-pitched vocals and satanic approach were something new at the time. It also could be argued that Marduk's Dark Endless was one of the first blackened death metal albums, melding the two subgenres into one ferocious beast.

After their debut, the band became known as one of the most notorious and influential black metal bands. Over the course of their career, lyrics have dealt with world war and blood. The story of Vlad the Impaler was even told over the course of two albums. Other lyrical themes and songs have been composed from historic writings, poems and the Bible. In addition to their satanic and Biblical themes, Marduk's lyrics more recently have dealt with Nazi Germany, starting with 1999's Panzer Division Marduk, often considered the band's strongest album.

Like most metal bands emerging from Sweden, Marduk has cycled through numerous band members, the most notable being longtime lead vocalist Legion, who began his tenure with Marduk on Heaven Shall Burn ... When We Are Gathered and departed in 2003. His replacement, Mortuus, came from another Swedish black metal band, Funeral Mist, with whom he was known as Arioch. Mortuss remains the band's voice today.

After receiving the re-releases and listening back in chronological order, it's clear to me why Marduk has been hailed as a great influence in not just black metal, but metal in general. Of course, everyone won't agree with their lyrical nature; in fact, some may argue that it's just imagery used to sell records. Whatever the case, Håkansson and Mortuss both have claimed to be experts on the Bible, so maybe they hold a certain amount of merit. Truthfully, it's the music that matters, and for me it's hard to believe that in the early '90s when Nirvana and the grunge movement were taking over America, that music of this nature was being released overseas. Certainly there was metal here in America, but nothing like Marduk and evidently this was also the case in Sweden.

Their cult following will want to purchase the re-releases due to bonus material such as live tracks, videos and studio rehearsals. Until now, these releases have been available in the United States only as imports.

I am a regular listener but not a devout follower of the black metal scene, so I'm not going to claim to be an expert on Marduk. What I've written here is simply from information that I've gathered and from listening to these albums. But it is clearly evident why Marduk has had a long, influential and brutally heavy career in satanic black metal.

Regain Records re-issue track listings:
* Bonus material

Dark Endless

The Eye of the Funeral
Still Fucking Dead (Here's No Peace)
The Sun Turns Black as Night
Within the Abyss
The Funeral Seemed to Be Endless
Departure from the Mortals
The Black...
Dark Endless
Holy Inquisition
Departure From The Mortals (Live)*
Within The Abyss (Live)*
Still Fucking Dead (Live)*
The Black Goat (Live)*
Evil Dead (Live)*

Those of the Unlight

Darkness Breeds Immortality
Those of the Unlight
Wolves
On Darkened Wings
Burn My Coffin
A Sculpture of the Night
Echoes from the Past
Stone Stands It's Silent Vigil
Darkness Breeds Immortality (Live video)*
A Sculpture of the Night (Live video)*
The Funeral Seemed to be Endless (Live video)*

Opus Nocturne

The Appearance of Spirits of Darkness
Sulphur Souls
From Subterranean Throne Profound
Autumnal Reaper
Materialized in Stone
Untrodden Paths (Wolves Part II)
Opus Nocturne
Deme Quaden Thyrane
The Sun Has Failed
Sulpher Souls (Studio rehearsal)*
Materialized in Stone (Studio rehearsal)*
Opus Nocturne (Studio rehearsal)*
Autumnal Reaper (Studio rehearsal)*

Heaven Shall Burn ... When We Are Gathered

Summon the Darkness
Beyond the Grace of God
Infernal Eternal
Glorification of the Black God
Darkness it Shall Be
The Black Tormentor of Satan
Dracul va Domni Din Nou in Transilvania
Legion
Beyond the Grace of God*
Glorification*
Black Tormentor/Shadow of Our Infernal King*
Infernal Eternal/Towards the Land of the Damned*

Warschau: Live

Hangman Of Prague
Seven Angels Seven Trumpets
Slay The Nazarene
Azrael
Burn My Coffin
Panzer Division Marduk
Blutrache
Bleached Bones
The Black...
Steel Inferno
On Darkened Wings
With Satan And Victorious Weapons
Throne Of Rats
To The Death's Head True
Sulphur Souls
Warschau
Wolves