CD: World Funeral
Reviewer: Fenrir from Metalwhore.com
Review:
Lowdown: Marduk's latest album. Just released. Anyone familiar with brutal black metal has(hopefully) heard of these guys, as for over a decade now they have assaulted us with pure, uncompromising, brutal, blaspheming music. Their latest album is no exception. Now, first, a bit of background. They have had numerous line up changes, most earlier on in their career. Morgan Hakansson, the guitarist and founder, has been the mainstay in the band since the start. They had a stable lineup from 96 to 2002, then got a new drummer. Each time, however, the band seemed to get tighter and tighter. At any rate, going into this review, you all should know that Marduk are my favorite band. Black metal or otherwise, if someone asks me my favorite band, without hemming and hawing, I can say "Marduk."I collect anything I can get my mitts on, be it CDs, vinyl, or whatever. Musically I love their sound and creativity, and even though I have never met them, I respect them talent-wise and as people, as I have heard nothing but good things from fans that have met them. And I can tell they are truly appreciative of their fans. When a reviewer reviews their favorite band's albums, a bit of bias can sometimes creep in. I will try to keep this as unbiased as possible, as I do with all of my reviews. I can clearly say that there has never been a Marduk album I did not like. Do I like some more than others? Of course. But each an every one has something that I really like. As with all reviews, this is all my opinion. They have tried new things with many albums, from the thick, evil sounds of Nightwing, to the full blown assault of Panzer Division Marduk, to the experimental sounds of La Grande Danse Macabre, to remaking a classical recording, black metal style, on Heaven Shall Burn. On World Funeral, the guys seem to take what they are known for, put some twists on it, thickened the sound, experimented with some new things, and put together yet another completely evil sounding and fantastic black metal recording. If Nightwing was "Blood", Panzer Division "Fire" and Danse Macabre "Death", this one, if you HAD to give it a "theme", would be violence, murder, and brutality. Just check out the lyrics and you will know what I am talking about. The opening song, "With Satan and Victorious Weapons", tears from the speakers with a guitar driven, blast beating fury, after a very cool sample. A fine opener for an album overall. Now, rather than keep with the speed assault, "Bleached Bones" slows it down, but doesn't compromise heaviness...and lyrically, along with the music, makes this one disturbing, yet awesome, song, for those with that dark side that needs feeding every so often. Track 3, "Cloven Hoof", is another journey into the speed driven realm of Marduk that most of us know and love. Some awesome fucking riffing in this one, too. This one got a few repeated plays right off the bat. Most fans eager for some of the new album have heard a clip of the song "World Funeral", which is up next. The entire song is just as brutal as the clip, if not more, since you get a whole song to listen to, of course. After these two breakneck assaults, comes "To the Death's Head True." Another slow, evil sounding song. Now, for some reason, this one does not do as much for me as "Bleached Bones" on this album. It's definitely not a bad song, but after the first 4 it didn't stick to me like glue like the others. But, maybe I need to listen to it a few more times. I don't know. I will say that the riff that goes on in this one is pretty sweet, however. After this, is another slower, more driving type of song, "Castrum Doloris." This one I think has a bit more atmosphere than "Death's Head", IMO. It's very different than what you would hear Marduk do, I will tell you that right now, but you know what? It works. It's definitely cool to hear them branch off. And the lyrics here are very eerie...
Next up, is "Hearse", the first single. Most die-hard fans have probably heard this one, and I am sure many other fans have by now, too. Definitely a cool song, with a great little sample at the beginning. It speeds things up again, too. Not breakneck like "World Funeral", but a nice change up from the two slower tracks that preceded it. I think it was a good choice for first single, myself, to give folks a taste of some of the things they tried out on this one. I can't think of anything to compare it to at the moment, but I want to try to not compare it to other albums, if I can. After Hearse, comes the boot to the skull again, "Night of the Long Knives", probably one of my favorites off this album, lyrically and musically. Content wise, it's every disgruntled person's dream. One listen to this and you can imagine yourself giving any stupid customers or people this treatment...errh, anyway, it's just pure evil. And the breakdown in the middle of the song is one of the fucking coolest parts, IMO...from the assault, to the awesome fucking mid part (with an incredible riff) back to the assault again, to the end. Perfect.
Track number 9 is called "Bloodletting". Another slow down, but still incredibly heavy, and with a great lead at the beginning of the song. Just a nice, driving song overall. Not the highest point but still good. Track 10, "Blessed Unholy", is the final full song on the album, and it blasts full force again. I like how they mix up the curb-stomping brutal tracks with the slower, more atmospheric tracks overall. That being said, this is a nice one. It has a breakdown in the middle, before blasting away again, and ending on an evil, slow, grinding, note. With...a clean guitar part mixed in there! A very nice touch I have to say. And ending the album, is the great, 2 minute instrumental, "Blackcrowned." The only way I can describe this is the "Funeral Procession from Hell". Seriously. A great ending for this album overall. I can just picture in my head the black robed evil monks following a group of black candle bearing pagans carrying the body of some unholy leader down a hill, through a bunch of ritual tattooed drumming sunken eyed people before putting it at rest on a desecrated altar. It just gives me Goosebumps. Well, that is the lowdown of the album overall.
Highs: Atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere. This album, musically and the way it's put together, just oozes it. The whole theme of death, violence, brutality, and murder that flows through this mixes perfectly with the musical that accompanies it. The musicianship on this one only proves that the guys are talented as fuck, and keep getting better, and I hope can shut up the people who say they just "chug out a bunch of chords and hit drums really fast." They try new things, and they work, and they aren't afraid to try new things, but at the same time, they manage to keep where their roots are, which is playing brutal, evil black metal.
Lows: Honestly, and I am trying to be as unbiased as possible, not many. While like I said, a couple of tracks didn't punch me as hard as others, I can probably name 100 albums that are like that. However, those "Panzer Division" devotees might take awhile to get used to the fact that this one slows down a bit more than the other albums. I personally think it sounds cool, but it's something to point out.
Standout Tracks: Bleached Bones, Cloven Hoof, World Funeral, Night of the Long Knives, Castrum Doloris, Blackcrowned. Now, I shall review the instruments, one by one. Keep in mind, one reason why Marduk is my favorite band is that to me, they have some of the best musicians in the genre. So I shall tell how I think they did on this one...
Vocals: When Legion took over on vocals, I must say, the band got that much better. While a lot of black metal singers have a "typical black metal voice", Legion's vocals are nothing short of pure rage and hatred. When he sings, you take notice. This album is no different. They sound a bit better produced this time around, to me, the way he snarls the twisted lines of "Bleached Bones", is chilling, and the way he screams about cutting your throat and kicking your face in in "Night of the Long Knives", you really think this guy is gonna smash your head open. To me, a vocalist that can project that kind of power works well, especially for a brutal band like this.
Bass: Most of the time, in black metal, bass is sort of overshadowed. Many times it's hidden waaay in the back (yes, due to production many times) but it's just not prominent. B War, to me, is one of the top black metal bassists, listen to his work on any Marduk album and you will see what I mean. He actually plays it well, mixes it up, and keeps a great low end. On this one, his basslines are still thick(even more so, again, the production is great), and keep the songs going. Bass is always an underrated instrument, but when you listen to a black metal album with thin or almost nonexistent bass and then to a Marduk album, you really hear the difference. He definitely did a great job on this one. He's a very creative bassist overall.
Guitar: Yeah, I know I chalk the guys up a lot. I am sorry, I warned you all beforehand. It's no secret that Morgan is one of my favorite black metal guitarists, what can I say, the man can write some fucking incredibly evil, powerful riffs. And boy, does he this time around. Each of the songs features some sort of blasphemous sound, and the leads that I hear him pull out on this are fucking awesome. The riff in the middle of "Long Knives" is a great buildup for the final part of the song, the primary riff in "Cloven Hoff", like I said, is both evil, brutal, and even a bit....dare I say this word...catchy? But not in a bad way at all....more like "it drills its way into your head" kind of catchy. Not a "sing along in a happy way" catchy. Errh, yeah. I fucking love the guitar on this album. And it's so fucking thick you need a freshly sharpened machete to even put a mark in it.
Drums: Now, I am a drummer, primarily(guitarist second). Thus, drums catch my attention very easily, and I always listen closely for them. When I found out they replaced Fredrik, of course I was worried for a bit...as I always am when a favorite band replaces a member. Emil Dragutinovic is one of the best fucking drummers in the black metal scene, IMO, however, and hardly anyone knows his name. Also in the band Legion(who is also incredible), when I heard his work there, I could only wonder how he would sound with Marduk. Emil is a fucking animal. I seriously have not heard anyone who can compare to him, he plays with such speed and precision it's scary. He can blast with the best of them, his fills are great, he can play straight speed, technical, technical speed and double bass so fast you'd swear he was a machine. I hope that more people take notice of this guy now that he has some coverage, he fits this band like a big icicle in an eye socket. He adds a different sound to the band, but it's even better. I personally don't think they could have gotten anyone better. Not a beat missed. Full, heavy sound, too.
Overall: Well, after breaking everything down, what's my overall view on this album? After listening to it many times, relistening to some, and giving it some thought, this is one fucking awesome album. Is it my favorite? I don't know. Is it up there with "Nightwing" and 'Heaven Shall Burn...?" Yes. I can say that safely I think (and yes, those two were favorites of mine). The atmosphere, lyrics, riffs, drums, everything, just blew me away. I knew upon listening to the clips that I would not be disappointed by this one. And when I heard it all the way through for the first time I had a huge smile on my face. And it still gives me a big, evil, "I'm hiding a big knife behind my back" grin when I listen to it more. Ok, it's only been out a day, but reviews pop up pretty quick. I have a solid feeling this one will stand the test of time. It's not often, new or not, that I can listen to an album 4 times in a row and still want more. I like my black metal to sound evil. And Marduk, as always, sound fucking EVIL.
So Marduk fans, go buy this. Now. Be prepared for some new things in it, but know that the band is not afraid to grow and expand, all the time sticking with their underlying roots. Most blasphemous band? Hehehe...seems it to me. ;) Go out, buy it, put it on, loud, and let your head bleed for awhile. Those unfamiliar with Marduk, go listen to them to see what real, evil, brutal black metal sounds like. Thanks again for yet another incredible album, guys. Stay fucking evil. -|-
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