MARDUK

• Formed: 1991
• Genre(s): Black Metal
• Representative Albums: "Plague Angel," "Germania," "Warschau"



An unswerving commitment to blasphemy and extremity combined with a relentless touring schedule and a steady stream of recordings has helped establish Sweden's Marduk as one of the better-known bands on the Scandinavian black metal scene. They began as more of a standard death metal band with a black metal influence, but have come to be known for their style of extreme black metal, which tends to focus on themes of warfare and anti-Christian sentiment and is characterized by relentlessly fast drumming and blurred walls of guitar.

The group formed under the leadership of guitarist Morgan Steinmeyer Hakansson in 1990, with vocalist Andreas Axelsson, bassist Richard Kalm, and drummer Joakim Grave rounding out the lineup. The band formed in 1991 and released their first record that year. Their name is derived from the Babylonian god Marduk, patron deity of Babylon.

They released their controversially titled demo tape Fuck Me Jesus in 1991. Soon after, a second guitarist was added in Devo Andersson, while Bogge Svensson replaced Kalm on bass. Using this lineup, Marduk recorded their first official album, Dark Endless, which came out the following year on No Fashion Records. Unhappy with No Fashion, the band made the jump to the French Osmose Productions imprint, releasing Those of the Unlight in 1993, this time with Grave on drums as well as vocals and a new bassist in B. War. For their following release, 1994's Opus Nocturne, Fredrik Andersson was brought in on drums, Devo Andersson was dropped, and Grave was resigned to vocals. (Meanwhile, Osmose set about releasing the Fuck Me Jesus demo in 1995, at which time it was banned in seven countries.) The lineup shuffling continued with Grave's subsequent departure, at which time he was replaced by Legion (formerly of the band Opthalamia). With this new lineup, they issued their most well-received album, Heaven Shall Burn...When We Are Gathered, in 1996. This CD was followed by a concert recording from that album's tour entitled Live in Germania, which showed that they could indeed sustain the non-stop blasting intensity of their records without any studio assistance. (They did use a second guitarist, however, in Peter Tagtren of the death metal band Hypocrisy.)


Musical style

Marduk was formed by Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson in order to form the "most blasphemous band in the world". Their musical style was that of a straight-forward death metal influenced take on black metal music, but as the years progressed their style and imagery became more of a fast and intense form of black metal. Marduk's predominant lyrical topics are Satanism, anti-Christianity, Biblical tales, Third Reich history and World War II. The latter two are a later addition to their lyrical/conceptual themes, stemming from their 1999 release Panzer Division Marduk. Marduk have recorded further songs relating to those chapters of human history, such as "The Hangman of Prague" (moniker of Prague "Reichsprotektor" Reinhard Heydrich), "Night of the Long Knives", "Deathmarch" and others. Even though Marduk performs songs with lyrics about Nazi Germany, Marduk do not subscribe to the tenets of the national socialist black metal scene, their approach not being justificatory or praising.



Members

Current

• Daniel "Mortuus" Rosten – vocals (2004–present)
• Morgan "Evil" Steinmeyer Håkansson – guitar (1990–present)
• Magnus "Devo" Andersson – bass (2004–present), guitar (1992–1994)
• Lars Broddesson – drums (2006–present)

Former

• Andreas Axelsson – vocals (1990–1993)
• Erik "Legion" Hagstedt – vocals (1995–2003)
• Kim Osara – guitar (1995–1996)
• Peter Tägtgren – live guitar (1997; Live in Germania)
• Rikard Kalm – bass (1990–1992)
• B. War (Roger "Bogge" Svensson) – bass (1992–2004)
• Joakim Göthberg – drums (1990–1995), vocals (1991, 1993–1995)
• Fredrik "Froding" Andersson – drums (1993–2002)
• Emil Dragutinovic – drums (2002–2006)

Discography

Studio albums

• Dark Endless (1992)
• Those of the Unlight (1993)
• Opus Nocturne (1994)
• Heaven Shall Burn... When We Are Gathered (1996)
• Nightwing (1998)
• Panzer Division Marduk (1999)
• La Grande Danse Macabre (2001)
• World Funeral (2003)
• Plague Angel (2004)
• Rom 5:12 (2007)
• Wormwood[3] (Autumn 2009)

Live albums and compilations

• Live in Germania (1997)
• Infernal Eternal (2000)
• Blackcrowned (2002)
• Warschau (2006)

Demos and EPs

• Fuck Me Jesus (1991)
• Glorification (1996)
• Here's No Peace (1997)
• Obedience (2000)
• Deathmarch (2004)

Singles

• "Slay the Nazarene" (2002)
• "Hearse" (2003)

Videography

DVDs
• Funeral Marches and Warsongs (2004)
• Blackcrowned (2005)
• Blood Puke Salvation (2006)

Official website: http://www.marduk.nu/