Marduk - Rom 5:12 |
Published April 15 2007
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The Levelling Dust |
| Genre | Black Metal |
Mortuus
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Vocals
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| Tracks | 10 |
Morgan S. Håkansson
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Guitar
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| Runningtime | 46 Min. |
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Guitar
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| Label | Regain Records |
Devo Andersson
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Bass
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| Release | 24 April 2007 |
Emil Dragutinovic
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Drums
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| Country | Sweden |
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Keyboard
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| Similar artists | --- | ||
"Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned..." Roman 5:12.
Marduk´s latest work Rom 5:12 is the band's 10th studio album, recorded and mixed at Endarker Studio by Devo Anderson. Marduk have stand their ground for quite many years by now, I wonder if there is a band active today that have done the same uncompromising journey as Marduk have done. I remember a show they did back in 1992 in Norrköping, Sweden in order to celebrate the Dark Endless album together with Dissection. And when I think back to all these years it comes to my mind that this band has never let their audience down.
At the same time Morgan Håkansson hasn't budged an inch on the band's integrity, the very essence of what Marduk represent. Through several line up- and label changes, Marduk have always been a reliable source for violent black metal that makes sense. In fact I think it feels like the music has developed into something even more darker and even more vicious since the World Funeral album, the heavier sound that first appeared on Le Grande Dance Macabre was again up heaved to set the melancholic tone. Lay to this the geniality of bringing forth Mortuus a.k.a. Arioch to the frontline. It's somewhere there the band stands today after the mighty Plague Angel album.
Rom 5:12 kicks off with The Levelling Dust, a song that reminds me very much of the Underestimated Le Grande Dance Macabre album. A quite mid tempo based song with a twisted melody line that opens this requiem of ten songs. I realise immediately that the production has been taken a step further but at the same time a step or two back for the band. The heavy pounding and pulsing tones which could be heard on both Le Grande Dance Macabre and World Funeral is present on Rom 5:12. The great thing concerning the heavy production is that it works so well on both the heavier songs as on the faster ones.
The second abomination entitled Cold Mouth Prayer is a proof of the high standard on Rom 5:12´s song writing. A song that sometimes holds a furious tempo and still brings you the feeling of an epic, almost painting a landscape of medieval misery. Speaking of painting, the third song Imago Mortis Is quite much as the title says. A slow tempo based song that feels very authentic to its message. Everyone who's familiar with the work of the german medieval artist Hans Holbein knows what this mean.
The one thing that annoys me a bit on this album is the light snare drum, because sometimes it sounds very hollow. Like the plastic toy set that survived one month of my son's furious beating. Otherwise there isn't much to complain on, I'm very pleased with Rom 5:12. The genius thing about Marduks catalogue is that there aren't two albums like each other in a row. When Plague Angel was concentrated to a raw and violent imaginary of the bloodstained battlefield of Kursk, Rom 5:12 deals with deeper and darker subjects concerning the medieval timeline and digs deeper into the biblical visions of death.
Perhaps it sounds silly but it reflects the music and becomes very obvious on the excellent Accuser/Opposer. A song where Mortuus vocals work unearthly well together with the even greater vocals from Alan Averill, from Irish band Primordial. Perhaps the best track on the album? Back to the vocals - what to say? It's the lounges of hell, breathing its flames. The dimension that Mortuus vocals give Marduk are not to underestimate. All cred to E. Legion and the work that he contributed with during the years, but the shape that Marduk took after the release of Plague Angel is something completely else.
As said the production is great as well as the song writing. The vocals are excellent in its madness, just listen to the Vanity Of Vanities... The instrumental handling doesn't need any further presentation. The best songs on Rom 5:12 must be Cold Mouth Prayer, Accuser/Opposer, Vanity Of Vanities, Womb Of Perishableness and Voices From Avignon. Rom 5:12 isn't a speed trip as Panzer Division Marduk or Plague Angel. Its more like the excellent refining version of Le Grande Dance Macabre, World Funeral and Plague Angel together. This is a macabre masterpiece of the black arts that touches perfection.
See
also review of: Frontschwein
, Serpent
Sermon , Plague Angel
, Iron Dawn
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Performance
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Originality
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Production
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Vocals
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Songwriting
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9 |
10 |
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10 |
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Summary
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9,5 chalices of 10 - Tim |
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