ALBUM REVIEW: Viktoria – Marduk
With a career spanning near three decades, Sweden’s MARDUK stake quite the claim to the black metal throne. Forming when the genre’s infamous second wave was gaining serious momentum, the band have gone onto forge a formidable career with a equally strong back catalogue to boot. Three years after the release of Frontschwein, the band are ready to enter the trenches once again with Viktoria, their fourteenth effort.
With their sound having long-been established in years gone by, one would assume that Viktoria plays in familiar territory and for a large majority of the record’s duration, this is very much the case. Opening track Werwolf kicks the record off in the best possible manner as the band unleash aural hellfire as air raid sirens wail ominously in the background. The riffs pack a punch, offering instant hooks, and Mortuus‘ vocals are equally as impressive with his visceral snarls hitting the mark. A fine start indeed.
In fact, for the vast majority of the record’s 33 minute duration the Swedes defiantly deploy the sound we’ve become accustomed to and whilst this is very much business as usual, that’s not to say it’s not exhilarating as there are many moments of quality on show here. June 44‘s sinister guitarwork from Morgan Hakansson really adds an element of danger as it ebbs and flows in mesmerising rhythm whilst the strikingly titled Equestrian Bloodlust pushes up through the gears, largely thanks to the ever-consistent blistering drumming from Fredrik Widigs. Similarly, The Last Breath‘s simplistic icy riff swirls above the sonic devastation keeping you hooked throughout and the subtle emphasis towards the bass lines from Magnus Andersson on the album’s title track is a nice touch, offering that extra level of firepower to their already explosive sonic arsenal.
There are a few tricks up MARDUK‘s sleeves however, a few slight tweaks and moments of experimentation to their usual barraging black metal, that keep you on your toes. Tiger I slows proceedings right down after the record’s opening triple salvo, offering a much more groove-laden affair. Here, the guitar work crawls at a snail pace allowing Mortuus breathing room for his vocals to sound even more emphatic. Narva plays host to one of the more experimental moments on the record. A tempo snap paves the way for Mortuus to adopt an almost-clean vocal approach, hinting towards the band expanding their musical pallete. In this instance though it’s doesn’t stray too far from the path, rather helping the track breathe and establish itself as one of the standout tracks on the record.
Perhaps most interesting though, is how Viktoria draws things to a close. With the majority of the record played in rapid speed, it is somewhat surprising that final track Silent Night does quite the opposite. Here, the band offer a much more reserved conclusion, with doomy pounding drumming and solitary riffs creating an ethereal and ghostly atmosphere. It’s somewhat of a curveball, especially given what proceeded it, but its placement as the final track is effective enough to keep you immersed until the album draws to a close.
Whilst some might expect a band touching near three decades to mix up the pallet to keep ideas fresh, MARDUK however, are not that breed of band. Whilst nothing on offer with Viktoria is anything particularly new or fresh, what this record demonstrates is a band who know their sound through and through. There are dabbles of experimentation yes, but not enough to alienate those from their core sound. For it’s vast majority, Viktoria does exactly what one would expect from a MARDUK album and that is offer an explosive bout of aggressive and visceral black metal.
Rating: 7/10
Viktoria is out now via Century Media Records.
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