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Sunday Old School: Black Metal History Month Part 3 - Marduk

Black Metal History Month has returned for a fourth installment! This year will see our special time analyze some of the roots of the genre, as well as some of the bleakest and obscene bands to fly the flag of darkness.

Sweden is perhaps best known in the extreme music world for their contribution to death metal, having been the birthplace of such bands as In Flames, Entombed, At The Gates and Katatonia, but they have also made a good contribution to black metal, perhaps most notably thanks to Bathory, one of the earliest influences on the genre. However, one of the more controversial names in the field (which is saying something when talking black metal, believe me) would be a band from the city of Norrköping which go by the name of Marduk.

Marduk was formed by guitarist Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson, with the intention of creating the most blasphemous and offensive band in the world. They began by fusing death metal with black to create a very extreme sound. They unleashed their sound in 1991 with the release of the demo, "Fuck Me Jesus," before releasing their first full length album, "Dark Endless" the next year. It was well received and the band took to the road to perform across Sweden, expanding their fan base along the way.

After releasing the album, the band parted company with vocalist Dread and bass player Rickard Kalm, replacing them with Joakim Göthberg and B. War respectively. The duo made their recording debut with the group on their sophomore album, "Those of the Unlight," which was even better received than its predecessor. It was notable for featuring something of a tribute to former Mayhem frontman, Dead in the form of the song, "Burn my Coffin," the title of which comes from the original name of a song which appeared on Mayhem’s classic album, "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas."

Whilst promoting the album, Marduk performed outside of their home country for the first time, initially playing in Norway before embarking on the "Sons of Northern Darkness" tour of Europe. Following the completion of the tour, the band released their third album, "Opus Nocturne," which further turned up the black metal sound in their repertoire. The album also paid a similar to tribute to Dead with the song, "Materialized in Stone," which was the original title of another Mayhem song, "From the Dark Past."

Another tour across Europe, as well as their first show in North America, performing in Mexico City, was followed by the recording of a new album, "Heaven Shall Burn... When We Are Gathered." It was certainly the most brutal album Marduk had recorded up to that point, shedding some of the melodies which reared their heads on previous records. More European tours followed and the release of the, "Glorification," EP, featuring covers of bands such as Destruction and Bathory, as well as the live album, "Live in Germania," helped to cement their place in the black metal annals.

By 1998, it was time to release a new studio album, which surfaced under the name, "Nightwing." It began a trilogy of albums with particular themes, in this case, blood. The subject was most obvious in songs such as, "Bloodtide (XXX)" and "Dreams of Blood and Iron." Only a year later, the group released, "Panzer Division Marduk," which as the title suggests, was based around the concept and history of war, specifically World War 2. Strangely, it suffered from a backlash from National Socialist Black Metal bands, who initially thought that Marduk were espousing their views on the album, before the group denied this rumour.

Following another EP, "Obedience," and a second live album, "Infernal Eternal" (recorded in France,) the band set about completing their trilogy of themes with the release of their seventh studio album, "La Grande Danse Macabre," which focused on death itself. It contained another shocking song title in, "Jesus Christ... Sodomised" and was released to a relatively positive reception. It was also around this time that Marduk began establishing themselves as a strong international act, headlining another European tour as well as teaming up with death metal legends, Deicide in the United States, in addition to headlining a stage at Belgium’s, Graspop Metal Meeting. They also flaunted their growing legacy with a box set entitled, "Blackcrowned."

Their next album, "World Funeral," was considered something of a disappointment by some fans, who were unimpressed with the amount of slower songs featured on the record and while some praised Marduk for attempting to explore new musical areas, others accused them of selling out. They fared much better the next year when they released their ninth album, "Plague Angel," which garnered not just praise from fans, but also many critics. Another EP was released later that year, as well a third live album, "Warschau" in 2006.

After releasing their first DVD, "Blood Puke Salvation," the band returned to the studio to record their all important tenth album, "Rom: 512," which takes its name from the Biblical passage, "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned." It featured a guest appearance from former vocalist and drummer, Joakim Gothberg on the song, "Cold Mouth Prayer." It was decently received, but not as much as its successor, "Wormwood," which was hailed as the best Marduk album in years. This resurgence in creativity appears to be a welcome trend, as their 2012 album, "Serpent Sermon" was also met with a positive response, as was their latest burnt offering, "Frontschwein," which was released only last month and marked their first album to focus on war since, "Panzer Division Marduk." With another solid album to promote, the band will now be heading out on the road to once again spread darkness and brutality in their own unique fashion, showing the younger crowd why they’ve earned their place as one of black metal’s respected veterans.

Marduk - "Still Fucking Dead (Here's No Peace)"

Marduk - "Wolves"

Marduk - "Opus Nocturne"

Marduk - "Dracul Va Domni Din Nou In Transilvania"

Marduk - "Panzer Division Marduk"

Marduk - "Le Grande Danse Macabre"

Marduk - "World Funeral"

Marduk - "Throne of Rats"

Marduk - "Frontschwein"