The Hangman Of Prague

Throne Of Rats

Seven Angels, Seven Trumpets

Life’s Emblem

Steel Inferno

Perish In Flames

Holy Blood, Holy Grail

Warschau

Deathmarch (Instrumental)

Everything Bleeds

Blutrache

Mortuus (Vocals)

Morgan Steinmeyer Hakansson (Guitar)

Devo Andersson (Bass)

Emil Dragutinovic (Drums)

distributed in Switzerland by Irascible Distribution    

release date: november 22 in Europe -  Marduk will also release a special "Deathmarch tour ep" on both cd and vinyl that will contain unreleased material and will only be sold on the upcoming tour

preview - review by Boris "Azrael" Witta ___    

And the winner is… MARDUK! Hell, I was really skeptical when I heard that top-charismatic vocalist Legion had to leave the band a short time ago, and some weeks later, the bassman B.War also left the band, because his girlfriend or wife lives in New York. That seemed to be the end of the Swedish band, but Morgan reacted very fast and with Mortuus (Triumphator, Funeral Mist) as the new covenant and Devo Andersson as the new bass player, the line-up was again complete and contained now two “old” members of Marduk, because Devo Andersson used to play guitar in Marduk during the years 1992 to 1994. And in this constellation, Marduk now release their 9^th studio-album and I think it isn’t daring to say that it’s absolutely one of the best in the long career of the Swedish Panzer Division. And one good thing right at the beginning: “Plague Angel” is totally old-school, totally back to the roots and a real Black Metal-shell which takes no prisoners and destroys everything and everybody who’s in its way. 

In contrary to the last album, “Wold Funeral”, which contained a lot of midtempo-stuff, most of the songs on “Plague Angel” are short and killing fast, remember the superior album “Panzer Division Marduk”, that’s again (on most of the album) the order: Highspeed & blastbeats! Lets’ perhaps have a look (or better, a bang, hehe!) at some crushing, blasting songs: The opener “The Hangman Of Prague” for example. A short, threatening intro, the typical calm before the storm, and then the Swedish Black Metal War Machine starts the first attack, and already in this song, Mortuus makes clear that he’s an absolute worthy replace for Legion, his voice is not as high, but more brutal and at least as variable as Legions voice was (or still is, who knows that…). Morgan obvious practised a lot on his six strings and shows from album to album more ability, most of all the typical Swedish melodylines, always full of hatred, are straighter, more elaborated and just better. “Throne Of Rats” (like a lot of titles on “Plague Angel” blasphemic and true) is of the same type like the opener, pure hellfire, and bombs seem to drop on your head when the rough, but also clear sound comes out of your stereo! Then the first change: “Seven Angels, Seven Trumpets” is pure midtempo and I can assume that lots of necks will break if Marduk perform this killer – which contains some cool and fearsome calm parts – live. Again the artillery attacks with “Life’s Emblem” and this one contains fantastic machine-gun-drumming and ineffable freezing, destroying leadguitars of commander Morgan the First. It’s definitively not easy to survive, because also “Steel Inferno” has an enormous fast tempo and Mortuus gives everything, it’s great to imagine how he screamed his soul and lungs out of his body in the studio (Devo Andersson’s Endarker Studio). 

Then it’s time for the first slow-motion-banger called “Perish In Flames”. An infernal scream starts the song, and if you don’t bang your head during this almost Doom-like hymn of death and war, you must be dead or a Marduk-hater. An almost eight minutes long break for the neck and for Emil on the drums. Characteristic leadguitars in the middle of “Perish In Flames” mark this killer, and during the whole song, the roaring bass is very good to hear and feel. Burning fire ends the song. Okay, now we’re ready again for some inhumane fast blastbeats, let’s enjoy “Holy Blood, Holy Grail”. Morgan again delivers great leads and Mortuus already seems to be the vocalist of Marduk for years. Same thing with “Warschau”, again, the tanks take control and the army of the black soldiers reach the battlefield, before the fantastic instrumental “Deathmarch” arrives. No guitars, but trumpets and a hypnotic rhythm don’t let you go anywhere, and at the end, a distorted voice speaks dark and impressing words, before a short choir ends the instrumental track – before “Everything Bleeds” and heads roll again, blood is spilling and unholy melodies control the situation. Blasts from and as hell!! And then it’s time for the final “Blutrache”, which starts with a war-samples-intro, before the tempo of the most various song on “Plague Angel” changes between hyperblasts and deep, heavy and hateful midtempo, before it gets slower and slower towards the end. Marduk show once more all of their trademarks, and when “Blutrache” is finished, the battle is fought and just ruins are left. What a killer, what a damn, unholy, true Swedish killer from one of the most extreme bands left! I really can’t await the X-Mas-Festivals, when the Black Metal Panzer Division will come to our countries and towns. Be there or dead!

rating: 9.4/10

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