ITP REVIEW: MARDUK: WORMWOOD

*BAND: MARDUK (SWEDEN) ** GENRE-BLACK METAL*** LABEL-REGAIN RECORDS **** RELEASE DATE(S): 9/24/09 (EUROPE), 10/13/09 (NORTH AMERICA)
*****PREVIOUS RELEASES (CATALOG):

• Dark Endless - 1992 (No Fashion)
• Those Of The Unlight - 1993 (Osmose)
• Opus Nocturne - 1994 (Osmose)
• Heaven Shall Burn When We Are Gathered - 1996 (Osmose)
• Live In Germania - 1997 (Osmose)
• Nightwing - 1998 (Osmose)
• Panzer Division Marduk - 1999 (Osmose)
• Infernal Eternal - 2000 (Blooddawn)
• La Grande Danse Macabre - 2001 (Blooddawn/Century Media)
• World Funeral - 2003 (Blooddawn/Regain)
• Rom 5:12 - 2007 (Regain)
• WORMWOOD- 2009 (Regain)

******BEST RELEASE (S): PANZER DIVISION MARDUK (1999), LE GRANDE DANSE MACARBE (2001)

*******TRACKLISTING: MARDUK: WORMWOOD:
01. Nowhere, No-One, Nothing
02. Funeral Dawn
03. This Fleshly Void
04. Unclosing The Curse
05. Into Utter Madness
06. Phosphorous Redeemer
07. To Redirect Perdition
08. Whorecrown
09. Chorus Of Cracking Necks
10. As A Garment

ITP RATING: ***
PRODUCTION: ****
SONGWRITING: ***
PERFORMANCE: *** 1/2

MARDUK are Sweden's sons of blasphemous black metal. Formed in 1991 by guitarist Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson, MARDUK invoke fast, brutal black metal with anti-christian and WW 2 lyrical themes and concepts. Gone are the days of MARDUK's hyperblast (PANZER DIVISION MARDUK) as vocalist LEGION was replaced by MORTUUS in 2004. MARDUK offer up a more varied release with WORMWOOD integrating doomier, sludgy tempos.
We at ITP are curious about MARDUK's musical progression since the exit of LEGION as we have have MARDUK's latest release WORMWOOD.
MARDUK's WORMWOOD opens with the track "Nowhere, No One, Nothing" with an ambient almost industrial intro as the track progressively blasts into brutal HELL. Blasting, does not begin to describe "Nowhere, No One, Nothing", as MARDUK have always been fast and brutal with great drumming.
"Funeral Dawn" invokes a more post/black rock feel with MORTUUS's blasphemous almost spoken word vocal. "Funeral Dawn" invokes the same damn repetitive riff in an almost industrial rock feel to the track, ala RAMMSTEIN, MARILN MANSON. That was boring..
"This Fleshly Void" invokes dark, blasting black metal, swirling riffs, with good drumming via Lars Broddesson and a choking scream via MORTUUS to end the track.
"Unclosing The Curse" is the shortest track on WORMWOOD, perhaps an industrial black/rock/doom experimental excursion as MARDUK vocalist MORTUUS tries too hard to imitate SHAGRATH of DIMMU BORGIR.
"Into Utter Madness" blasts in raw, and brutal, invoking a PANZER DIVISION feel of blasphemy with some fierce riffing ala Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson.
"Phosphorous Redeemer" is awesome, an intense anthem with varied tempos and doomier moments, but still trademark MARDUK.
"To Redirect Perdition" invokes a mid tempo sludgy, Black Sabbath feel, black/metal/doom of sorts. Weird for MARDUK to try this experimentation, as perhaps MORTUUS's vocals get in the way.
"WhoreCrown" is dark, and intense almost norsecore in it's execution. It's always been said, that at fastest, MARDUK invoke an almost grind feel as the riffs, are melodic and swirl around a dizzying array of blastbeats.
"Chorus of Cracking Necks", enters in with a bluesy, sludgy picked riff before blasting into the apocalypse. At 1:22 we hear the necks cracking, one by one, (ouch) backed by that sludgy riff as that riff picks up again with conviction. From there, "Chorus of Cracking Necks" blasts into oblivion assuring that this tune is MARDUK's most cohesive integration of sludge/black metal on WORMWOOD.
"As a Garment" closes MARDUK's WORMWOOD, a slow, sludgy piece with soft, loud dynamics, mid paced with no blastbeats, and a sick scream from MORTUUS to end it all.
I understand the musical concept of MARDUK's WORMWOOD as the band IS trying to progress with a more varied effort of black metal, sludgy black doom , and industrial black rock.
I can do without the industrial rock excursions and the sludge black/metal doom is done cohesively in only one track "Chorus of Cracking Necks". MORTUUS's vocals could use some variety instead of the SHAGRATH/MANSON imitation.
However, if MARDUK could integrate sludge/doom with blasting black metal, go for it.
However, MARDUK's songwriting (On WORMWOOD) isn't strong or cohesive enough to make a statement of integrating the hyperblast black metal with sludge..
While not all of the tracks on MARDUK's "WORMWOOD" distinguish themselves from one another nor live up to it's musical ambitions, it's still good to hear from these blasphemous black metal gods.
ITP RATING: ***
PRODUCTION: ****
SONGWRITING: ***
PERFORMANCE: *** 1/2
Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-\m/ -l-