Search - Marduk :: Nightwing

GREAT

Ted Bylinski | Mont Saint-Grégoire | 09/10/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is maybe the best MARDUK album I own. Of course, HSBWWAG is extremely brutal but NIGHTWING is by far a masterpiece. The song KAZIKLU BEY is, personaly, their best recorded song. The concept of the album is pure genius. If you take the time to read the lyrics, you'll discover that there are elaborate storylines which are extremely cool and brutal. Don't hesitate and try to find this album anywhere you can. It's worth it! This is black metal at its finest and this band continues to get better with time."

Of Hell's Fire

Patrick Stott | Rolleston, Canterbury, New Zealand | 08/06/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Marduk doesn't muck around with any of the usual Black Metal atmospheric nonsense like keyboards or choirs. What you're going to get from them is nothing but blistering Metal from start to finish, and that's exactly what `Nightwing' is.



Unlike many of their Norwegian counterparts, these mad Swedes aren't afraid of bass or decent production either. Let's face it, Necro Black Metal production is a method of covering poor musicianship and crap ideas. Marduk has nothing to hide and by having B. War's bass loud enough to be heard, it adds power to the guitar sound, really putting the Metal back into Black Metal.



On their early albums, Marduk often used blast beats as a cure all, to bridge parts of songs or to fill gaps when noting was happening. Yet, blast beats are conspicuous by their absence throughout this album.



`Nightwing' is divided into two chapters. The first chapter, titled "Dictionaire Infernal" is your typical "Here comes Satan, what a nice chap, all kneel and praise him. He'll lightly saute you for all eternity and you'll enjoy it, so go and do him a favour and knock off Jesus" type of story. It's been done before, and no doubt will be done again, but it's nice, safe standard Black Metal fare.



For some strange reason, the title track pops up between the two chapters, but isn't listed in the track listing. It's what you'd expect - hyperspeed Black Metal with vocals screeching about the vampire myth. Legion's vocals never progress much past a breathy monotone, but they really don't need to, basically just acting as the fourth instrument in the mix.



The second chapter is entitled "The Warlord Of Wallachia", and tackles the legend of Vlad Dracul and his bloodthirsty military campaign through Eastern Europe and into the Middle East during the 15th Century. The five tracks are a fairly basic narrative of events and Morgan Hakansson finally finds space for a guitar solo at the beginning of "Dreams Of Blood And Iron". The slowed tempo adds a militaristic feel to the song, like a medieval army marching to war. Adding to the variation, Legion even almost comes up with a vocal melody. Almost...



"Kaziklu Bey (The Lord Impaler)" picks up the pace again, telling of Vlad's terror campaign against the Turks. "Deme Quaden Thyrane" sounds almost like `Under The Sign Of The Black Mark' era Bathory in places, as Legion pulls off a fairly accurate Quorthon impersonation. Final track "Anno Domini 1476" uses a military snare drum beat and a simple guitar line, while the almost spoken vocals describe how "Dracul fought bravely but the twentieth Boyar would be his last kill/When the Turks found his body they cutted off his head". OK, so English isn't the band's first language, but overall this is an epic tale fairly well told.



`Nightwing' isn't a groundbreaking masterpiece, but it is certainly intense and more than competently executed. It is the sort of album to play to a non-believer who has perhaps been put off Black Metal by the likes of Cradle Of Filth or Dimmu Borgir, or even Darkthrone. While it's not grimness incarnate, `Nightwing' never loses its distinct Metal edge."