Marduk released their second slab of Satanic & war torn savagery in 1993, the wild & intense Those of the Unlight. Once again with Dan Swano at the mixing desk, this Swedish force put together a brutal slice of extreme black metal on this sophomore outing. With guitars even deadlier this time around, and some of the most inhuman vocals heard in the genre, Marduk was slowly starting to raise the bar for what was considered black metal alongside bands like Dark Funeral, Mayhem, Immortal, and Emperor.
Raging numbers like "Wolves" and "Darkness Breeds Immortality" combine thunderous rhythms & blast beats with ferocious vocals and furious guitar riffs that cut like a razor. One of the unique things about Marduk is their willingness to thrown in some death metal passages amidst the black metal styled arrangements. Just when things seem to be running away with sledgehammer blast beats and manic tremelo picked guitar mayhem, the band slows down into a thunderous dirge along the lines of Edge of Sanity or Entombed. Overall though, their relentless and pummeling attack is perhaps as brutal as it gets in the world of black metal-check out the evil "Burn My Coffin", a song with some of the most chilling guitar work you will ever hear, as well as nightmarish screams that will send chills up and down your spine. As if the band wanted to show us that they could also write some melodic and tasty material, they thrown in the 7-minute instrumental "Echoes from the Past", a real atmospheric number that trades in brutality for melodic subtlety, and features some great guitar playing from Morgan.
This re-issue from Regain Records includes a live video from 1993 that shows Marduk in all their glory from the early days, in a packed club of mostly catatonic fans. The band is furiously cranking out the blasphemy on stage, and it's a real surprise to see very few in the audience even moving. Perhaps the band was too new at the time, but jeez!
All in all, Those of the Unlight is a mandatory addition to your classic black metal collection, and a shining star of the early Marduk discography.
Track Listing
1. Darkness Breeds Immortality
2. Those of the Unlight
3. Wolves
4. On Darkened Wings
5. Burn My Coffin
6. 21 Sculpture of the Night
7. Echoes from the Past
8. Stone Stands Its Silent Vigil
9. Live Bonus Video 3/12/1993: Darkness Breeds Immortality/21 Sculpture of the Night/The Funeral Seemed to Be Endless
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