Panzer Division Marduk
| Panzer Division Marduk | ||||
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| Studio album by Marduk | ||||
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Publication |
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| Label (s) | Osmosis Productions | |||
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Format (s) |
CD, LP |
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Title (number) |
8th |
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running time |
30:04 |
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| occupation |
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Studio (s) |
The Abyss |
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Panzer Division Marduk is the sixth studio album by the Swedish black metal band Marduk and the last of the band to be released by Osmose Productions . It is a concept album about the war. The record cover depicts a Stridsvagn 104, a Swedish version of the British Centurion tank from World War II .
History of origin
Marduk had planned the album since 1995. It was supposed to be a response to Slayer's Reign in Blood , considered the most brutal album of the 1980s; Marduk's album would be the most brutal album of the 1990s. The band had not yet started writing the songs in 1995; only the title song already existed in 1994, "but still without text". In 1995 the concept was worked out, most of the songs and lyrics were written in the following two years.
Guitarist Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson said in an interview with Götz Kühnemund from Rock Hard that the band made the album primarily for themselves and that they prefer to play these kinds of songs live. But that doesn't mean that she'll only play fast in the future; there will be "records like ' Nightwing ' with harder, more anthemic songs". The title should be “as striking as possible”.
“I enjoy looking at old war documentaries and I believe that nothing embodies aggression, strength and uncompromisingness better than a tank. What better inspiration could there be for extreme metal than 70 tons of steel rolling across the battlefield crushing everything? Of course, a brutal cover motif was needed to match the title; that's why we decided to take a tank photo. Compared to all the old MARDUK covers, which always showed paintings, it might be a bit out of line - but it embodies the music perfectly. "
Singer Legion also stated that the band wanted to create “a 'battlefield soundtrack' with the album, in other words to somehow capture the musical essence of war”, and that the tank was “the most terrible messenger of death, the most terrifying war machine, the ultimate destroyer par excellence”.
At the time of publication, the Yugoslav wars were current, but this was not clear when the concept was being worked out, and the album should also “not be a statement about it”. Håkansson stated that he had "absolutely no opinion on the NATO attack and would not say anything more about it." As a musician he has “no interest in commenting on the political world situation; that has absolutely nothing to do with MARDUK ”. There are always wars in the world, which is in the nature of humans, and the band wants "in no way to be brought into any connection with the war in Yugoslavia".
Track list
- Panzer Division Marduk - 2:39
- Baptism by Fire - 3:51
- Christraping Black Metal - 3:46
- Scorched Earth - 3:37
- Beast of Prey - 4:07
- Blooddawn - 4:20
- 502-3 :14
- Fistfucking God's Planet - 4:28
Music style and lyrics
In Panzer Division Marduk it is "as always the struggle against Christianity - perhaps with the exception that the symbolism of this time have been even more direct and warlike." According to Håkansson, the album is a continuation of the band's classic concept; the band tries “with every album to change the perspective a little. On 'Nightwing' z. For example, the historical side of the Vlad Dracul concept came into its own, this time it's a slightly different perspective ”. The album is fast and aggressive and offers little variety; The main riff of Beast of Prey, for example, consists only of power chords on the chromatic tones F sharp, G sharp and G sharp. According to the topic, there are war samples on the album. Just like Slayer, Marduk deviated significantly from the style of Panzer Division Marduk with the following album La grande Danse macabre in 2001 ; Håkansson had announced in 1999 that the next album will probably not be like "Panzer Division Marduk part II".
reception
Due to its length of around 30 minutes and its high speed compared to the other albums, Panzer Division Marduk is often referred to as the band's Reign in Blood or Black Metal; unlike Slayers Reign in Blood with its characteristic breaks , tempo changes and solos, the songs are very similar, so that the album sounds very monotonous. As a result of this album, albums of some bands are also referred to as their respective “Panzer Divisions”, “if a band takes on the fastest, most brutal, most ruthless, most bellicose and simply most black-metallic album not only in their own band history, but best of all in the whole world and history record ".
The album was received very positively on the one hand, and criticized for its monotony on the other. Toby from METALGLORY Magazine described the album as “one of the best and fastest Black Metal works of all time”, for which Marduk “did not receive an award for innovation”, but “one for playful quality. Everything is just right here! ”Bad Peon from THE UNDERGROUND EMPiRE METAL MEGAZiNE criticized the Slayer comparisons; the songs can only be distinguished by the singing and their length and no more than two different riffs can be recognized; a first break can only be heard in the fourth song and “the first thing you could compare with a guitar solo in the fifth song [...]. The first and last touch of songwriting on the last track. That is ONKELZ level! […] Still an impressive record, but probably more something to show off than to listen to. ”Alboin from metal.de counters this by saying that the album is“ by no means ONLY a blunt, but a well-thought-out concept that does not necessarily include the world war theme introduced Black Metal, but implemented it in a uniquely uncompromising way. ”Still, Fredrik Andersson is probably bored to death behind the drums, and the riffing is“ not overly interesting except for the impressive speed ”. Allmusic's John Serba describes the album as "the true definition of extremity".
The album's cover motif, a Swedish Stridsvagn 102 tank photographed from the front , was used in an edited form in the music video Achtung Panzer by the metal band Raubtier from Haparanda .
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Roy Kristensen: Marduk - Morgan Fistfucking God's Planet (1/2). October 1, 2009, accessed April 30, 2010 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Götz Kühnemund : As extreme as possible . In: Rock Hard . No. 147 .
- ^ Christian Dornbusch , Hans-Peter Killguss: Unheilige Alliances . Black Metal between Satanism, Paganism and Neo-Nazism. Unrast Verlag , Münster 2005, ISBN 3-89771-817-0 , p. 132 .
- ↑ a b Toby: Marduk (Sweden) "Panzer Division Marduk" CD. May 22, 2008, accessed April 30, 2010 .
- ↑ Dennis Otto: Review: Marduk - Panzer Division Marduk (re-release). Retrieved April 30, 2010 .
- ↑ a b Bad Peon: THE UNDERGROUND EMPiRE METAL MEGAZiNE - ISSUE XV (07/13/99). July 13, 1999, accessed April 30, 2010 .
- ↑ Nephil: Marduk - Panzer Division Marduk. June 11, 1999, accessed April 30, 2010 .
- ↑ a b c d Alboin: Marduk - Panzer Division Marduk (re-release). May 21, 2008, accessed April 30, 2010 .
- ↑ Geork: MARDUK: Panzer Division Marduk. June 5, 1999, accessed April 30, 2010 .
- ^ John Serba: Panzer Division Marduk (single) - Marduk. Retrieved April 30, 2010 (English).