Artist: Marduk
Label: Regain North America / The End Records
Release Date: 3/25/03
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Title: World Funeral Artist: Marduk Label: Regain North America / The End Records Release Date: 3/25/03 |
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Abyss's Review:
Marduk's last album, La Grande Danse Macabre, propelled them, in my opinion, into the metal hierarchy. The bass lines alone blew me away, but what really cemented the album in my psyche was the leaps and bounds that they made creativity-wise. While some praised the new direction they were taking, there were others that missed the chainsaw-stuck-in-the-on-position feel of the 'chock full o' blastbeat' Panzer Division Marduk. It seems that Marduk's latest album, World Funeral, tries to create a compromise.
"I find the individual songs on this record to be, more often then not, successful. However, the album as a whole is less so." The album starts off with blistering songs like "Bleached Bones" and "Cloven Hoof", two unrelenting tracks that give you the sensation of having a power drill piercing your skull while you remain conscious. Just when you think you're in for Panzer II, the slower paced title track blindsides you with its morbid, yet restrained, heft. This is by far the best track on the album. While on paper I like the thought of having this shift in style continuing throughout the album, in practice I find it makes me less and less able to immerse myself into any sort of a vibe. It just hits me as distracting.
So in this respect, I find the individual songs on this record to be, more often then not, successful. However, the album as a whole is less so. Compromise is never a good thing in metal. The impression I get from World Funeral is that of a talented band with an identity crisis. They've had two well-received albums in a row, with largely different styles, and it seems they don't know where they should go now. I find myself disappointed that the impressive bass I heard throughout the last album disappears on the more chaotic tracks on this record. But it's not that I mind the aggression, it's that I wish they could incorporate their two styles in a more groundbreaking way, rather than just having a bipolar album.
"I keep finding the urge to return to this album, but when I do, I always find myself ever so slightly unsatisfied - so I guess now I know how my girlfriend feels." If I sound harsh it is mostly due to lofty expectations, because this is a very good album, and one that the average fan will be happy to own. I keep finding the urge to return to this album, but when I do, I always find myself ever so slightly unsatisfied - so I guess now I know how my girlfriend feels. One word review: (damn) Good.
Death's Review:
Marduk return for album number seven, this time on Regain Records. The raw, powerful riff-laden attack is blistering, yet well-produced in a way that maintains the band's raw and abrasive character. The overall feel combines elements of Carcass, Cradle of Filth, Amon Amarth, Hypocrisy and several other nods to the 90's Scandinavian/U.K. extreme metal scene, although these songs as a whole are not as catchy as any of those bands. Fear not, however, ye legions of darkness, the album cover sports an upside down cross, and the opening track "With Satan and Victorious Weapons" features lyrics such as "Fist in the face for the first time smothered angel; by Satan my scythe will shallow every hallow."
"The raw, powerful riff-laden attack is blistering."
Marduk continue to pepper in the (relatively) slowed down, grinding/doomy riffage used successfully on La Grande Danse Macabre - incidentally, these are still my favorite parts. For example, the head-bobber of a riff kicking off somewhere around the 2:45 mark in the song "Hearse" is pretty freaking cool. Don't get me wrong, there is still lots and lots of speed and chaos. It's just that this time, although there is a nice balance between extremity and musicality, I miss the prominent B. War bass heard on the last album. Still, I can't wait to see this stuff live. In the past, Marduk have had trouble getting things going for a big U.S. tour. Let's hope everything changes this time around and this country gets a chance to see this punishment doled out live.
"Although there is a nice balance between extremity and musicality, I miss the prominent B. War bass heard on the last album."
Hel's Review:
I had been wondering, oh, about six months or so ago, where all the black metal had gone. I watch the music flow in from around the world, and it seemed that the flow of black metal had gone from a deluge to a trickle, particularly from our label friends. But recently, the dam has burst, and black metal has once again begun to flood into Metal Judgment. Frankly, I feel like my ankles are drenched these days. So, I theorize, because I must find rhyme and reason in all aspects of life, that black metal is seasonal. When the leaves fall from the trees, the black metallers retreat to their studios to create more mayhem, and it is unleashed on the world as the snows begin to thaw and the trees slowly begin to bud with new life again. Except for here in sunny Southern California, where it is sunny and in the mid-sixties, like it almost always is. Come to think of it, there are not a lot of black metal bands from LA, are there?
"When the leaves fall from the trees, the black metallers retreat to their studios to create more mayhem."
"The musicianship is as excellent as you would hope for, and the songs are written with a flair for darkness and evil that all black metal fans will appreciate." It has been nearly two years since we were favored with La Grande Danse Macabre and while I believe I hear many similarities, I have to be honest and just tell you straight up that it has been well over a year since I last deeply considered a Marduk product. So maybe I'm wrong, but I kind of don't think so. The overall pace of their last album was incredibly fast, and World Funeral differs in that perhaps half of the album is more mid-paced. The quality does not change based on the pacing of the songs, and the slower are as well crafted as the faster ones, but may come across as less complex, for the very same reason. Peter T ä tgren sat behind the soundboard on this record, and apparently chose a slightly grittier, more traditional black metal sound, which is clearly a stylistic choice. While this is not something I generally embrace, I respect Peter's work immensely, and it certainly well executed and suits the music, though, again, I just really prefer clean, clear production.
The musicianship is as excellent as you would hope for, and the songs are written with a flair for darkness and evil that all black metal fans will appreciate. When stacked up next to the slicker product released by Cradle of Filth in the United States on this same date, I have no doubt that more black metal fans will be dropping their cash here. If I were to let personal politics enter into this equation, I would certain encourage this behavior, not because Marduk is far more "true" than CoF (though there is fodder for a discussion along these lines as well), but because Regain North America / The End Records deserves your cash far more than Red Ink / Epic / Sony Music does. But let's not go there. Instead, should you be forced to choose one over the other, let it be based on what you want to hear more of in your black metal: gritty, rapid-fire guitars and vocals or pretty orchestras and choirs interwoven with Dani Filth's vocals and the trademark CoF sound? This, my friends, is the crux of the issue, and a dilemma you must further ponder for yourselves.
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