MARDUK - World Funeral
March 20, 2003, 21 years ago
(Regain)
Somehow hollow, somehow sick of existence, somehow fed up with a conformist society - welcome to Marduk's new record, World Funeral. Picking up where 2000's La Grande Danse Macabre left off, World Funeral ups its predecessor(s) in several capacities. The first noticeable element to this hellish slab of havoc hate is the confidence of the tunes. Brimming with surreal leads and thick, memorable rhythm lines, Marduk's aggression and songwriting is translated via (and despite) Peter Tagtgren's mix work at Abyss Studio. Secondly, let's discuss the Satan factor. Sure, it's all over the place, but Marduk's finally learned the art of subtlety: song titles are more about mood and less about shock, allowing the listener to absorb the music itself without feeling stupid or apprehensive as of a result of the namesakes. Finally, World Funeral has some seriously rad soloing that takes place over the course of its 47 minutes. Take, for example, the shred work in 'Cloven Hoof' or 'Night Of The Long Knives', both of which display six-string fretwork oftentimes unseen in black death. This is the first time I'm impressed by a Marduk album, and it seems the band is finally embracing the potential it (apparently) always knew it had.
