MARDUK „“Wormwood””

Style: Black Metal
Country: Sweden
Web site: www.marduk.nu
Cool Songs: Funeral Dawn, Nowhere, No-One, Nothing, Into Utter Madness

MARDUK was once a band one could point to for having the typical Scandinavian BM sound, which was fine because they played a major factor in creating that style. “Wormwood,” the group’s latest album goes against that logic. Here, the group appears atypical in many ways, yet still sounds familiar.

One aspect of the band that remains, and has remained throughout the band’s career, is the pure evilness of the album. It might not bear the heathen barbarity of the band’s roots, but is infinitely more creepy and morbid. With Daniel “Mortuus” Rosten leading the helm for the third straight record, Marduk expands its morbidity, moving further into macabre pastures with an emphasis on atmosphere.

MARDUK’s use of atmosphere by way of keyboards and synth is a revelation for the band. No longer is the group a traditional black metal band—guitars, drums, bass, shrieking voice—now the group has another angle, actually many angles. Sure, some diehard fans of MARDUK’s earlier period may find it hard to stomach, but a few listens reveal the same MARDUK in many ways, but with a greater experimentation.

On the experimental side, MARDUK incorporates some of darker avant-garde aspects from other Scandinavian black metal chieftans such as ULVER and ARCTURUS, or the harsh electronics of MYSTICUM or HELHEIM. “Funeral Dawn” familiar, stalking funeral marches (and awesome bass lines) presented on albums such as “World Funeral” and “La Grande Danse Macabre,” but adds hypnotic, spacey synths and harshly processed vocals.

A constantly pounding bass and bell add a dead man’s pulse to “Unclosing the Curse,” which borders on the type of cruel noise created by the MARDUK-related project, ABRUPTUM.

The experimental aspects of “Wormwood” cast MARDUK in a much different light; one could argue a much darker light, but that doesn’t mean the album is absent of the knife-curving rhythms and infernal blasts that define the band. Tracks such as “Into Utter Madness” and “Phosphorous Redeemer” show the group at its fastest, but the group doesn’t maintain the speed for the entire duration of the track. A non-stop blast beat can get boring, so adding more parts and greater experimentation actually makes these fast parts seem even faster.

Early Norse BM groups such as MARDUK were so inviting because the style they played was raw and fresh, and extremely dark. Now that a million bands from all over the world have harped this style to death, it longer contains that initial magic. “Wormwood” is an album BM needs to help re-invent itself and introduce a new (black) magic.

Because MARDUK bridges so many of the styles that have defined and redefined Scandinavia, and do it with such adeptness, one could argue “Wormwood” is the ultimate Scandinavian black metal album.

note: 9/10

Tracklist

1. Nowhere, No-One, Nothing
2. Funeral Dawn
3. This Fleshly Void
4. Unclosing The Curse
5. Into Utter Madness
6. Phosphorous Redeemer
7. To Redirect Perdition
8. Whorecrown
9. Chorus Of Cracking Necks
10. As A Garment
Total Playing Time: 44:42

Line-up

Daniel “Mortuus” Rosten – Vocals
Morgan “Evil” Steinmeyer Hĺkansson – Guitars
Magnus “Devo” Andersson – Bass
Lars Broddesson – Drums