Marduk – Memento Mori
Release Date: 1st September 2023
Label: Century Media
Order/Stream
Genre: Black Metal
FFO: Emperor, Mayhem, Gorgoroth.
Review By: Jeff Finch
For most listeners out there, Marduk needs no introduction with this release. But for the uninitiated, Memento Mori, the newest album from these Swedes, is the 15th in their lauded discography, a collection that has proven to be an unrelenting onslaught of Black Metal that has them known the world over as one of the premiere artists in the genre. With this new release, it’s quite easy to see why, as Memento Mori is a blistering barrage from start to finish.
Musically, listeners are pummeled into submission with unfettered ferocity, tremolo riffs and blast beats a staple throughout, inhumanely paced, cranked to 11. Guitarist Morgan Hakansson moves his fingers up the fretboard at lightning pace, constantly changing up the tone of the riffs, to keep beat with drummer Simon Schilling, who batters the kit with such power that at points, such as on Coffin Carol, the drums sound like they’re being disengaged from the kit, ready to take flight.
Transitions abound throughout, as the band masterfully shifts, changes swift and tight, one second beating us over the head with tremolo riffs and blast beats, while the next second the drums have slowed, but the guitar still refuses to relent, into a full mid-pace tempo, a slight reprieve for the listener before another wall of inhumanely paced metal batters everything in its path, the stop / start transitions performed at a virtuoso level. Songs like Charlatan, Blood of the Funeral, and our closer As We Are demonstrate the strong songwriting capabilities, as the group slows down to half tempo, melodious riffs replacing the furious tremolo picking, the bass rumbling, earth-shattering, while the drums are pounded into submission but not at breakneck speed. Despondency reigns supreme when organ is introduced, as in Blood of the Funeral, pure dread oozing from the speakers, adding a terrifying element to a band that’s already kept us off balance, while the distant bells in Shovel Beats Sceptre add an element of eeriness and melancholy to match the groove, a dark versus light battle ready to commence, background music just waiting to be unleashed.
Vocalist Daniel Rostén and bassist Devo Andersson deserve a fair amount of praise, as well; throughout this record Rostén primarily focuses on his raspy black metal shriek, at points, Blood of the Funeral in particular, pushing himself so hard, stretching his breath so far, that at the crescendo, his lungs sound sufficiently empty, barely able to go on. In Shovel Beats Sceptre he sounds like a general sending his army of darkness into battle, beginning the track with a ‘speech’ of sorts, while on Coffin Carol an extra crackle enters his vocals, creepy in the sense that it sounds AI generated, before they’re layered over one another, creating a pure wall of sound when matched with onslaught of music. Andersson, on the other hand, while not in any capacity a focus of the record, lays down some meaty basslines, closer As We Are one of the main highlights, as the horns and downtuned riffs allow for the bass to come through thick, an absolutely epic feel, while Marching Bones gives him an opportunity to himself, as we hear marching, followed by the rumbling bass, preceding a shout of ‘MARCH,’ the perfect rhythmic opening before the onslaught. Even though he doesn’t get many moments to shine, when the bass is truly audible, it strikes with fury, not letting a listener soon forget what they’ve just heard.
In case it’s not abundantly obvious, this Marduk record is killer. For a band that can obliterate a listener with ferocity, they also have a masterful ability to change tempos and lull listeners into a false sense of security before beating them over the head again and again. There is no part of this record that isn’t rife with excellent songwriting and the Marduk flair: if you’ve come here for a black metal assault on the senses, you’ve come to the right place. Marduk will scratch that itch for stellar black metal and make you come back for more.
(4.5 / 5)
