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Total War Metal - "Frontschwein" Review (100%)

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Frontschwein
Frontschwein by Marduk.

Swedish black metal titans Marduk are back.

Almost two decades after Panzer Division Marduk raped the world of black metal, by force, the war masters from Norrköping have released their latest sonic assault, Frontschwein, on February 10th of 2015.

Translating roughly from German to "cannon fodder," a wink to the NSBM scene and the music of bands like Warkvlt, Peste Noire and Absurd, Marduk deliver a soundtrack for total warfare. And I do mean total warfare, encompassing all aspects of carnage and destruction that come with it. Frontschwein takes no prisoners in the process.

From the opening self-titled track, the ears are immediately assaulted with razor sharp guitar riffs and thunderous, cannon like blast beating drums, and it is evident that Frontschwein is some of the most vicious black metal that Marduk have ever made. Along with equally devastating lyrical content, although not for all audiences (as the name Frontschwein, ironically, implies in more than one way), this album fires whiplash inducing hymns that cement Marduk's place as one of the best black metal bands today, and shows even more that they are one of the leaders of the war metal genre.

Yes, this is war metal. I know the term gets a bad rap around here because of bands like Belphegor, Archgoat and the rest of the juggalo chugga-chugga crowd. But Marduk are not responsible for bands like Archgoat, Revenge or Conqueror, no more than Suffocation can be held responsible for deathcore bands like Whitechapel and Waking the Cadaver, Incantation for caverncore bands like Blaspherian and Uncanny, or Phantom for "Phantaclone" bands like Reiklos and Demonecromancy.

If you want to judge the war metal genre, judge it by Marduk's Frontschwein, and to a lesser extent by other Marduk albums.

Not by Marduk's imitators, no matter how much they whine about how "raw" they are.

Total War Metal

Marduk
Marduk.

Despite being the logical continuation of Panzer Division Marduk, this Frontschwein album is by no means a rehash of old materials. Nor is it novelty for the sake of novelty, despite some progressive elements making their appearance on some tracks (the ending to "Doomsday Elite" notably).

Rather, this album shows Marduk both defending the ways of old as well as conquering new territory.

Starting the album off with a fast-paced yet melodic title track, "Frontschwein" sets the tone for the assault to follow. All of the immolating ferocity that fans have come to expect is there in full force, though Marduk do more than the standard wall of noise. Tracks like "The Blonde Beast" (another nod to pagan bands like Graveland, both thematically as well as musically) and "Wartheland" see the band slowing down the tempo, allowing the listener to venture into all areas of eeriness and blackness, while songs such as "Rope of Regret" and the crushing closer that is "The Thousand Fold Death" see the band deliver their signature style, with full force yet managing to reach new levels of harmonic coherence and powerful songcraft not unreminiscent of early Phantom or Verminlust.

The tracks "Nebelwerfer" and "Between the Wolf Packs" both bleed evil while managing to strike a fine balance between ferocity and harmony, between brutal rush and melancholy, taking a break from the sheer speed and aggression that the rest of the album deploys while delivering triumphant melodies that carry the compositions to soaring melodic heights, while still exploding with destructive blast beats and machine-gun like riffs.

Marduk have simply outdone themselves on Frontschwein. Forging an album that accurately captures the terror and destruction of the frontlines of war is quite an accomplishment, and there is perhaps no other band in war metal today better equipped to do so than Marduk.

Not only does this album give a terrifying soundtrack to the horrors of the Second World War, it does so without ever coming off as repetitive or boring by crafting an entirely unique atmosphere to each song. Frontschwein is easily one of Marduk's strongest work, bringing a fresh take to a war metal genre which often either takes pride in its lack of creativity, or borders on nu-metal bullshit like Demonaz/modern-Immortal.

Frontschwein is an instant classic of both black metal and war metal.

Frontschwein score: 100/100.

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