Formed in Sweden in 1990, Marduk have had a prolific, if uneven career. Over the course of fourteen albums, the band rose to prominence as a powerful force in black metal, only to find themselves receiving unwanted attention thanks to lyrical themes that included references to World War II and the Third Reich – hardly unusual topics in extreme metal, but an area that appears increasingly divisive, as other bands (including Slayer) have found to their cost. Having suffered issues with US immigration in 2016, which resulted in the band having to drop off a tour with Carach Angren, Rotting Christ, and Necronomicon; Marduk were then targeted by anti-fascist groups when they finally made it stateside in 2017, causing further disruption. Subsequently, controversy dogged the band, despite their staunch denials of any ideological agenda. In 2018, the band were forced to issue a statement regarding allegations that two members had purchased material from the online store of the Nordic Resistance Movement, pointing out that, in the wake of the 2017 cancellations, no evidence of extreme politics had been found. As such, it must have been especially galling for the band when, in 2023, bassist Joel Lindholm (who had only joined in 2020), was filmed, while exceptionally drunk, giving what appeared to be a Nazi salute. Acting quickly, the band dismissed Joel, but the damage was done, and Marduk found themselves in the spotlight once again.
Thus, we arrive at Memento Mori, the band’s fifteenth album and, as Marduk frontman Daniel Rosten has argued, a “bold leap forward, a calculated sidestep, and a wistful backward glance”. While it is not uncommon for bands to claim each work takes a step in a new direction, with Memento Mori, there’s a feeling that the band, finding their feet in a world that has changed beyond recognition since their formation, genuinely threw themselves into the making of this ten-track, forty-minute opus.
Opening with the title track, Marduk set about steadily demolishing any notion that they’ve been cowed by recent events. If anything, Daniel sounds more strident than ever as the band unleash a sonic firestorm behind him. We remain in traditional Marduk territory for the ferocious black metal outpouring of Heart Of The Funeral, a short, sharp shock to the system that benefits from a raw, yet strong production. However, thigs take a darker turn with the dizzying riff of Blood Of The Funeral, an awkward, blastbeat-strewn sonic nightmare with an imperious demeanour reminiscent of Satyricon. The curveballs continue as the band segue into the filmic horror of Shovel beats Sceptre. Initially a spoken word piece set to a quasi-orchestral score, the opening lines: “has it dawned on you yet? Have you begun to grasp, that life is not a clock, but an hourglass? are laden with portent, setting the scene for the mid-tempo, doom-laden monster that emerges. No such subtleties are to be found in the franticCharlatan, a blackened smear delivered with unbridled savagery.
Following on from Charlatan, Coffin Carol maintains the devastating pace, Daniel’s ravaged voice a horrifying rasp at the centre of the sonic maelstrom the band conjure up. Having reasserted their black metal credentials, the band once again delve into more experimental fare with Marching Bones, a still-unholy outpouring, but with death elements thrown into the mix. Equally engaging is the eerie Year Of The Maggot, which lurches from dirty industrial to frantic black metal with a dynamic intensity that is impossible to ignore. The more straightforward Red Tree Of Blood simply batters the listener with searing riffs, before As We Are provides the album with its stunning conclusion. Bridging black metal, industrial and post metal, it is a remarkable piece of music – one of the best tracks the album has to offer – and a further sign that Marduk remain a creative force with which to be reckoned.
A lesser band may have folded under the pressure and scrutiny to which Marduk have been subjected in recent years, but then black metal never was for the faint of heart. Instead, Marduk have returned with a work of supreme confidence that genuinely encompasses both their past glories and their future ambitions, with deeply impressive results. Still ferocious, for every black metal assault, the band offer up something a little more left-of-field, creating a dynamic album that twists and turns across its forty-minute run time. All things considered, Memento Mori is a remarkable effort, reminding us not only of Marduk’s elemental power, but also their restless creative spirit. Highly recommended. 9/10
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