Gone but not forgotten: B War

The early Marduk lineup featured Roger Svensson (aka B War). A completely no nonsense bassists who chose not to pick his bass; it's fingers through & through. I'm a fan, of course. Favourite album featuring B War - Panzer Division Marduk / La Grande Danse Macabre.

Pic: RTTP

MOMM (13)

This week's audio engagements:

George Lynch: Seamless

This is unbelievably George Lynch's debut instrumental album. 1993's Sacred Groove doesn't count because that was quasi-instrumental. In fact, it's deemed as a solo adventure more than an instrumental outing per se. Lynch is an incredible player, I still hold him in high regards. If you break down his technicalities, his wide stretch legato is indeed his trademark appeal. Guitar heroes, however you understand this classification, tend to flex their technical muscles in their instrumental showcase. In Seamsless, you have less of that perspective & more song-like arrangements. Neal Schon & Steve Stevens are two other such proponents among others. Yes, they shred when it matters, on other deliverable moments, they keep the continuity in tact. 

Marduk: Heaven shall burn... When we are gathered

That cover art is definitely acquired taste but the music on board is a solid serving of black metal. The guitar tones are still the razor sharp, I'm-on-a-budget kinda tone in the true spirit of the genre. When I re-listen to this release in throwback moments, I tend to forget how real & intentional the ones of early black metal movements were compared to the current production standards. Things can get too polished in this aspect all in the name of appeal. Seeing how Dimmu Borgir, Opeth & Enslaved, among others, established themselves as good-sounding extreme metal acts who are successful in penetrating the appeal aspect of this genre, we need to remind ourselves the philosophy behind the music when it all started. Yes, we can polish things up when it comes to technicalities & production but we must not lose the vision in exchange for mass appeal.

Devo - out

This is much belated but Devo Andersson is out of Marduk. I like what he did, bass-wise, for the latest release, Viktoria. Devo's not departed entirely from the music scene, he's still producing stuff & that's what he likes more. I admire people who knows what they want to do & not see change as a lesser discourse to their previous engagements. I should be like him. We all should. Marduk's current bassist is  Joel Lindholm. 

PIC: Blabbermouth

For victory!

I've been waiting for a good release to swing by & re-purpose my playing in terms of aggression. There had been good releases along the way but those just trampled past, leaving dents but no real impressions. Then came Viktoria just last month (a few weeks ago, in fact). Marduk is an old school black metal outfit, if you're into the genre, you'd know them by now. For the last couple of releases or so, the materials had been singular in approach; lots of attack with the band's philosophy in mind, full stop. No real listener engagements, I'd say. They cam & they went, if you missed stuff, most likely, you didn't get it to begin with. 

Viktoria maintained Marduk's signature aggression but there's a wee more focus this time & I simply like the production here. The title track- bass solo. I didn't see that coming & it made a difference, you see the song a little differently this way. Still on the bass, it's by far the clearest the band has to offer in terms of presence. There were overlapping phrases with the guitars & drums but they are there & they are significant. Drums- first class performance by Widigs & a clear one-up with respect to Frontsschwein. Also, this is how Mortuus' vocals should be captured; controlled reverb/ echo without being excessively panned out. 

Finally, some guitar bits because this is a guitar blog to begin with 😎

Morgan Hakansson shared some gear background pertaining to Viktoria. He recently ditched his Ibanez 7-string in favour of familiarity & constant reference, the standard 6-string guitar. Also, hopes of seeing him in action with his Fender can be laid to rest because after more than 8 years in use, it's beyond stable & reliable.

He is currently sporting the ESP M-type camo guitar which he picked up before endorsement deals were penned down so this guy, he knows his gear. 

Looking forward to more impactful releases like Viktoria, I know Immortal has something to offer very soon.

Marduk: Serpent Sermon

Where lies Marduk in today's black metal pecking order? With due respect to the arts, we don't order such outputs, it would imply that there's a certain standard to be observed & those falling below expectations would be deemed less competent. In art, competency has lesser considerations when the level of mastery is achieved. Marduk had been up there all along, the band's finesse had been honed & refined with every release. Serpent Sermon is another episode in competency documentation; there isn't a fall in standards to be heard, business as usual for the quartet. However, of late, I hear this embrace of crawling moments, it's like the band deems recess to be obligatory, they were ingredients in Wormwood & ROM 5:12 as well. Don't expect too many solos though, it's not staple for Marduk songs especially so in this release.

CDs

Just received my new John 5 & Marduk... weekend listening, it seems.

Anticipation...

I'm eagerly waiting for this release; Marduk's Serpent Sermon @ end of May...

Saw Morgan playing his new ESP in the band's latest clip. Cool.

Panzer Division Singapore: Supreme delivery

Marduk performed here on Tuesday, 7th Dec 2011 2010. This was the scene outside the Substation before the show started; lots of camaraderie & small talks among friends. If the authorities were concerned with a gang clash possibility, heightened by the music genre's subversive underlinings, then they should look elsewhere. I'd personally recommend Downtown East (Pasir Ris), the various open spaces at Bukit Panjang & more recently, the Yishun neighbourhood.

I sincerely believe, at the heart of every virulent black metal performance, there exists a Marshall to push tone to the limits & I was right. There were in fact two JCM800s in use, the Number 2 unit was a stand-by with no guitar cables attached but was switched on throughout the show, at the ready to take over proceedings should things fail at the eleventh hour. When the show started, despite not being able to see the stage floor, there should be a distortion pedal in use or a booster unit of sorts because the distortion punch was incredible.

I was the only chap who came to the show without displaying any black metal allegiance on my t-shirt; I donned my black ESP t-shirt because I had a strong feeling Morgan Hakansson would wield his ESP guitar & he did. I paid too much attention to Morgan actually, the guitarist affiliation was there so that naturally happened. 

I walked away from this Marduk date feeling very satisfied, the delivery was top notch in terms of impact, presence & instrumental execution. If you've been to the Substation indoor performance venue, you'd know how limited the room would be so I was still puzzled as to why monitors were used at all because it overwhelmed the venue & caused ill-definition for some of the faster songs. I believe the drums had no problem in delivering volume but there should be more confidence in what a stacked amp set up could do- mic'ing them up (for both guitar & bass) was unnecessary. The other take-away from this performance was for us to acknowledge how important guitar clarity was in a band context. The drum & bass was already booming, imagine the guitar joining in the fray- you'd get ill definition for sure & this devalues your performance. So all you scooped-tone lovers, take note.

PS: Thanks to brother Chan of Inokii for sparing me the Morgan pic here. Hails!

Panzer LEASHED division Singapore

This is the revised ticket for the Marduk date here- it WILL go on but it's now M-18. All potentially blasphemous insignia & graphics had been removed from the ticket's presentation but then again it's still the same band playing here. In this day & age where education serves to manifest intellectual judgment, it won't remove preferential embrace by the authorities- gyrating females on stage are allowed but damaging acts by fully clothed people need to conform to performance dilution.

So how does the previous ticket incarnation look like? Click here.

Panzer Division Singapore- CONFIRMED

As promised, the confirmation of MARDUK's performance here. Get your tickets @ INOKII: 14 Scotts Rd, Far East Plaza #03-30. Tel: 68367657. Opening hrs: 2 - 8pm daily.

Panzer Division December

Marduk will be treading their hoofs here in December. More details to come.

Hope this doesn't clash with Sheila Majid's show on 18-12-2010...

Marduk: Wormwood

Marduk has just released their 11th studio album, Wormwood which also firmed up the inclusion of new drummer Lars Broddesson.

The guitar-playing circle simply detests black metal bands due to their inept technicalities- some bands simply can't play that well. I make it a point to listen to Marduk because Morgan Hakansson plays well & he's not afraid to use a Fender Strat to propel this monsterous music.

Wormwood showcases Marduk in their usual top form; an institution with a penchant for speed & unquestionable intensity. However, there are numbers here which preserve the band's natural cast despite being slower, this is the majesty of a band in total control, they stand out regardless of their methods. I also hear Morgan's efforts in the inclusion of guitar overdubs for variety's sake; it's clever & effective. I'm especially thankful that Marduk is out there flying the black metal flag firmly, with substance.

Marduk: Blood, Puke, Salvation

Just finished watching Marduk's Blood, Puke, Salvation. The 2 DVD set offers live coverage of the band's 2005/06 Deathmarch shows. These are also the final showcase of exceptional Drummer Emil Dragutinovic before he parted ways with the band.

It is heartening to see Morgan playing his Fender Strat on many of the tunes, proving time & again the guitar's worth to the musician, regardless of its brand name & the music genre it's intended for. The overall production here's worth the asking price.

The interviews with Morgan & Mortuus revealed much info on why certain imageries were used for the band's album cover, inner sleeves as well as live decor. We understand, through this sharing, the depth of the musician's knowledge pertaining to the culture the band propagates. Mortuus on the other hand, shared much insight on his acceptance, confidence & commitments to Marduk considering his Funeral Mist being one of black metal's most formidable cult act.

Nevertheless, there include a narratorless 'background' footage which is actually a clip of a cemetary excursion; besides the haunting element it manifested, the relevance of this media is rather questionable.

Marduk: Morgan Hakansson

One of my most respectable guitarist in the black metal circle is Marduk's Morgan Steinmeyer Harkansson.

In this music genre, we'd note that guitar proponents often choose an instrument of a gruesome kind, most notably the very prickly selections from BC Rich. One of the very few players who insist on what works for him regardless of the brand name & looks is Marduk's Morgan Harkansson pictured here with a '70s-style Fender Stratocaster. Nevertheless, the bridge pickup in his Strat has been swapped for a humbucking unit, more suitable for the intense distortion propulsion for the music he peddles. Respect!!