Marduk's 1997 release Nightwing was always one of their more underrated platters of black metal mayhem in my opinion, so it's nice to see Regain Records remastering this little gem, along with a bonus DVD of the same line-up of the band live at the Blood of the Saints festival in Rotterdam in 1998. The DVD is basically a bootleg quality, one camera shoot (on a set tripod with minimal zooms) with sub-par audio, but it's great to see the whole band in action, as they rampage through an 8-song set with plenty of ferocity, showing what a truly brutal live act they are. Former singer Legion spews out plenty of venom here, his growls and screams leading the charge, with mainman Morgan's guitar riffs slicing through the mix, and the rhythm team of bassist B War and drummer Fredrik Andersson laying down plenty of jackhammer grooves and manic blast beats. One of the highlights is the band tearing into the slower, doomier "Dreams of Blood and Iron", fans climbing into the stage and either diving back in or being escorted off by security. No doubt this DVD, despite its limitations, will be a major selling point for Marduk fans pondering whether to purchase Nightwing again.
As for Nightwing, you'll first notice the packaging is different, Regain adding a different booklet this time around than what some of you might have from the Osmose Productions release. Packed with lyrics and garish black & white photos of the band, it's a pretty impressive booklet, though some might miss the freaky looking demon from the original CD release. The music is 47 minutes of intense, murderous black metal, the band firing on all cylinders (in what is arguably their classic line-up) through 10 tracks of sheer mayhem, yet you can detect a bit of experimentation here that's not always prevalent in their music. Sure, songs like "Bloodtide (XXX)", "Of Hells Fire", and "Slay the Nazarene" bust out of the gate with relentless blast beats, raspy growls, and crazed tremelo picked guitar riffs, but longer epics like "Nightwing" and "Dreams Of Blood And Iron" sees the band slowing down the tempos a tad, tossing in some melody, and throwing in some doom riffs and progressive passages. Even "Dracole Wayda" and "Deme Quaden Thyrane" have a certain flow to them, and dare I say 'groove', as the band injects complex guitar riffs and drum parts, along with melodic textures, to go along with Legion's maniacal rantings. Impressive to say the least.
Nightwing sounds better than ever here, a real winner from the Swedish contingent's back catalog that doesn't get enough attention in my view. If you haven't checked this solid slab of black metal out before, now's the time.
Track Listing
CD
1. Preludium
2. Bloodtide (XXX)
3. Of Hells Fire
4. Slay The Nazarene
5. Nightwing
6. Dreams Of Blood And Iron
7. Dracole Wayda
8. Kaziklu Bay - The Lord Impaler
9. Deme Quaden Thyrane
10. Anno Domini 1476
DVD: (Blood Of The Saints - Rotterdam 5th of April 1998)
1. Over Hells Fire
2. Those Of The Unlight
3. Slay The Nazarene
4. The Black...
5. Still Fucking Dead
6. Sulphur Souls
7. Dreams Of Blood And Iron
8. Beyond The Grace Of God
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