Artist: Marduk
Label: Candlelight Records
Release Date: 3/8/05
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Title: Plague Angel Artist: Marduk Label: Candlelight Records Release Date: 3/8/05 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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Abyss's Review:
What is little Timmy doing outside during the Red Death? Awww, he's lying in a pool of blood and making plague angels... how cute.Marduk's new album is an exercise in brutality that won't soon be forgotten. World Funeral, their previous record, was forgotten by me when I first received this assignment, and was only remembered when I saw it while I was looking for my copy of La Grande Danse Macabre for a little refresher spin. That's not to say that I didn't like World Funeral, it was a solid album, but it obviously didn't make a lasting impression.
"One word review: Killer." Plague Angel makes up for that to a large extent. It still bridges the full on blastbeat attack with their more mid-paced stuff (brutality does take precedence, however), but it benefits from more focused songwriting and clandestine production. These guys sound great, with a guitar sound that remains thick no matter how much velocity is involved, and a rhythm section that bludgeons the ear drums. This album is an exercise in sensory overload, pulverizing your brain with a sonic mortar and pestle.
Marduk are one of the most successful bands when it comes to writing brutal music with interesting subtleties that make the music much more compelling on different levels. Odd chords and sporadic bends are not uncommon, and if one can focus through the wall of sound, one will notice that this band's power isn't simply the result of straightforward, aggressive riffing.
While not quite as satisfying as La Grande Danse, it is an exciting addition to my black metal collection, an album that sounds forward thinking and nostalgic all at one. Black metal was once blasphemous, powerful, and punishing... Marduk still is. One word review: Killer.
Death's Review:
Almost a decade after the release of their debut album, Dark Endless, and six plus years after the release of the seminal Panzer Division Marduk, founder/guitarist Morgan Hakansson and drummer Fredrik Andersson and the rest of Marduk storm back with their ninth full-length release, Plague Angel. The bottom line here is that long-time fans will not be disappointed. No altogether new ground is really broken, but if you like the traditional Marduk assault then you will be happy with this addition to the catalogue. Sure, the all-out speed and brutality brings a certain sameness to the album as a whole after a while, but there is also a certain integrity that rips through the bullshit and will surely appeal - at least on some level - to all of you who have the forces of metal raging within your hearts. Recorded at Endarker Studios in Norrkoping, Sweden, the production is shrill enough to convey the desired aggression but professional enough to render it accessible to modern metal ears. While this album is by no means essential, it is at least acceptable and serves as a welcome antidote to the metalcore mania that is sweeping the nation. Here's hoping the band can finally get over the immigration hump and get themselves into the U.S. for a proper stateside tour soon.
"The bottom line here is that long-time fans will not be disappointed."
Hel's Review:
Marduk has returned with a revamped line up and their new effort, Plague Angel. The result is a pleasingly palatable collection of songs. Black metal has never been, and likely will never be, my favorite form of metal but there are a handful of bands whose work I enjoy. I would probably place Marduk in this category, though I have done little to follow their career over the years.
"Plague Angel is a solid, enjoyable album." Regardless of my level of devotion, or anyone else’s for that matter, Marduk is a band that does an admirable job of creating their chosen music with skill and attention. The songs have a fair production job showcasing them, yet retain a subtle fuzziness which should please kvlt fans. The performances are devastatingly delivered, and who doesn’t enjoy the type of sheer insanity of speed they feature?
Plague Angel is a solid, enjoyable album. My personal tastes may not bring me back to the record often, but you can be sure that if I’ve a craving for some down and dirty black, this will spring to mind. Hopefully the band will be able to make it across the pond to tour, as I’m certain these songs will flourish live and am looking forward to having the opportunity to witness it.
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