Review by Felix on December 4, 2019.

If you like authentic bands as well as extreme metal, it is not difficult to be a fan of the Swedish institution called Marduk. The war veterans have proven their ability to walk the thin line between unbroken harshness and appropriate development. This means that the guys are immune against the Status-Quo-syndrome. They do not release one and the same song again and again. Without affronting their supporters, there is always the necessary quantum of development. Frontschwein is another document of devastation. In terms of the lyrics, Marduk repeatedly discover World War II thus, I cannot really speak of innovative boundlessness. Yet the dimension of the event justifies this way of proceeding. Nevertheless, it is somewhat irritating that they perform the third song whose lyrics deal with Reinhard Heydrich. Didn´t they already bury him (remember the sinister "Funeral Dawn")? Well, the memorable yet slightly harmless "The Blond Beast" pales beside the unchained "The Hangman of Prague" and the ironclad "Funeral Dawn". However, Heydrich was an enigmatic personality so that Marduk´s morbid fascination for him may be understandable. Unlike Hitler and Goebbels, he was a blond (!) Nazi model as well as a loving husband. A man with a good education and a deadly affinity to a misanthropic ideology. Hard against himself and against others. The latter can also be used in order to describe Marduk, because the band still stays true to its musical brutality without taking the losses into consideration. Or to say it less martially, commercial success is not intended, in any case not in the usual way.

Frontschwein is not the best album of Marduk. But their abundant discography is setting very high standards and the full-length does not disappoint. The talented band presents itself in good shape, no more, no less. While knowing exactly the formula for a strong black metal piece, Morgan and his comrades-in-arms do not hesitate to storm the enemy lines. For example, "Wartheland" appears as the sonic definition of mercilessness. It roughly follows the unremorseful slow-moving approach of the aforementioned "Funeral Dawn". It’s terrifying riffing shines with cruelty and the double bass adds the highly welcome pressure. For those of you who are interested in history, the lyrics will probably have an inspiring effect. As always, read all about it in order to form your own opinion. In sharp contrast to songs like "Wartheland", "Rope of Regret" and some further tunes open the machine gun fire of the drums. These tunes pine for total destruction and the result speaks for itself.

But the guitars also add a melodic touch, just give "Between the Wolf-Packs" a chance. Of course, the combination of thunderous drums and obscure guitar lines is a well-established strength of the experienced band. However, these core competencies of the group appear as the driving forces of the album. Conversely, innovation is of subordinate significance. Be that as it may, the full-length does not lack of variety. It is a fact that almost every new track which is based on the aforementioned combination knows to impress. "Falaise: Cauldron of Blood" serves as another example in order to emphasize this statement. This tune scores, among other things, with incredible hyper-speed. Nonetheless, it would be a mistake to believe that Frontschwein is an album of superlatives. The velocity and furiousness of Panzer Division Marduk remains unrivalled. The here described full-length relies on the mix of tempo changes, stubborn straightness, fierce vocals and fiery guitar lines. Vice versa, humanity is written in very small letters. The ruthlessness of World War II comes back to life, although we will never be able to imagine its overwhelming horror.

Let´s keep an eye on the big picture. Ten songs hit the mark, only the overlong "Doomsday Elite" cannot keep up with the rest. Right from the beginning, the riffs call for war and irrespective of the approach of the single songs, the military aura is omnipresent. It can therefore be concluded that the coarse title Frontschwein does not promise too much. In terms of the compositions, the album delivers a lot of different facets of war while being equipped with an armor-plated sound. During World War II, Frontschwein expressed both respect and compassion for the German soldiers on the front line. Marduk has built a sonic memorial for the combatants. Their output honors the unknown soldiers on the front line, regardless of their nationality. It may be a crude kind of remembrance, but it is not disrespectful.

Rating: 8.2 out of 10

Review by Felix on December 4, 2019.

If you like authentic bands as well as extreme metal, it is not difficult to be a fan of the Swedish institution called Marduk. The war veterans have proven their ability to walk the thin line between unbroken harshness and appropriate development. This means that the guys are immune against the Status-Quo-syndrome. They do not release one and the same song again and again. Without affronting their supporters, there is always the necessary quantum of development. Frontschwein is another document of devastation. In terms of the lyrics, Marduk repeatedly discover World War II thus, I cannot really speak of innovative boundlessness. Yet the dimension of the event justifies this way of proceeding. Nevertheless, it is somewhat irritating that they perform the third song whose lyrics deal with Reinhard Heydrich. Didn´t they already bury him (remember the sinister "Funeral Dawn")? Well, the memorable yet slightly harmless "The Blond Beast" pales beside the unchained "The Hangman of Prague" and the ironclad "Funeral Dawn". However, Heydrich was an enigmatic personality so that Marduk´s morbid fascination for him may be understandable. Unlike Hitler and Goebbels, he was a blond (!) Nazi model as well as a loving husband. A man with a good education and a deadly affinity to a misanthropic ideology. Hard against himself and against others. The latter can also be used in order to describe Marduk, because the band still stays true to its musical brutality without taking the losses into consideration. Or to say it less martially, commercial success is not intended, in any case not in the usual way.

Frontschwein is not the best album of Marduk. But their abundant discography is setting very high standards and the full-length does not disappoint. The talented band presents itself in good shape, no more, no less. While knowing exactly the formula for a strong black metal piece, Morgan and his comrades-in-arms do not hesitate to storm the enemy lines. For example, "Wartheland" appears as the sonic definition of mercilessness. It roughly follows the unremorseful slow-moving approach of the aforementioned "Funeral Dawn". It’s terrifying riffing shines with cruelty and the double bass adds the highly welcome pressure. For those of you who are interested in history, the lyrics will probably have an inspiring effect. As always, read all about it in order to form your own opinion. In sharp contrast to songs like "Wartheland", "Rope of Regret" and some further tunes open the machine gun fire of the drums. These tunes pine for total destruction and the result speaks for itself.

But the guitars also add a melodic touch, just give "Between the Wolf-Packs" a chance. Of course, the combination of thunderous drums and obscure guitar lines is a well-established strength of the experienced band. However, these core competencies of the group appear as the driving forces of the album. Conversely, innovation is of subordinate significance. Be that as it may, the full-length does not lack of variety. It is a fact that almost every new track which is based on the aforementioned combination knows to impress. "Falaise: Cauldron of Blood" serves as another example in order to emphasize this statement. This tune scores, among other things, with incredible hyper-speed. Nonetheless, it would be a mistake to believe that Frontschwein is an album of superlatives. The velocity and furiousness of Panzer Division Marduk remains unrivalled. The here described full-length relies on the mix of tempo changes, stubborn straightness, fierce vocals and fiery guitar lines. Vice versa, humanity is written in very small letters. The ruthlessness of World War II comes back to life, although we will never be able to imagine its overwhelming horror.

Let´s keep an eye on the big picture. Ten songs hit the mark, only the overlong "Doomsday Elite" cannot keep up with the rest. Right from the beginning, the riffs call for war and irrespective of the approach of the single songs, the military aura is omnipresent. It can therefore be concluded that the coarse title Frontschwein does not promise too much. In terms of the compositions, the album delivers a lot of different facets of war while being equipped with an armor-plated sound. During World War II, Frontschwein expressed both respect and compassion for the German soldiers on the front line. Marduk has built a sonic memorial for the combatants. Their output honors the unknown soldiers on the front line, regardless of their nationality. It may be a crude kind of remembrance, but it is not disrespectful.

Rating: 8.2 out of 10

Review by Felix on December 4, 2019.

If you like authentic bands as well as extreme metal, it is not difficult to be a fan of the Swedish institution called Marduk. The war veterans have proven their ability to walk the thin line between unbroken harshness and appropriate development. This means that the guys are immune against the Status-Quo-syndrome. They do not release one and the same song again and again. Without affronting their supporters, there is always the necessary quantum of development. Frontschwein is another document of devastation. In terms of the lyrics, Marduk repeatedly discover World War II thus, I cannot really speak of innovative boundlessness. Yet the dimension of the event justifies this way of proceeding. Nevertheless, it is somewhat irritating that they perform the third song whose lyrics deal with Reinhard Heydrich. Didn´t they already bury him (remember the sinister "Funeral Dawn")? Well, the memorable yet slightly harmless "The Blond Beast" pales beside the unchained "The Hangman of Prague" and the ironclad "Funeral Dawn". However, Heydrich was an enigmatic personality so that Marduk´s morbid fascination for him may be understandable. Unlike Hitler and Goebbels, he was a blond (!) Nazi model as well as a loving husband. A man with a good education and a deadly affinity to a misanthropic ideology. Hard against himself and against others. The latter can also be used in order to describe Marduk, because the band still stays true to its musical brutality without taking the losses into consideration. Or to say it less martially, commercial success is not intended, in any case not in the usual way.

Frontschwein is not the best album of Marduk. But their abundant discography is setting very high standards and the full-length does not disappoint. The talented band presents itself in good shape, no more, no less. While knowing exactly the formula for a strong black metal piece, Morgan and his comrades-in-arms do not hesitate to storm the enemy lines. For example, "Wartheland" appears as the sonic definition of mercilessness. It roughly follows the unremorseful slow-moving approach of the aforementioned "Funeral Dawn". It’s terrifying riffing shines with cruelty and the double bass adds the highly welcome pressure. For those of you who are interested in history, the lyrics will probably have an inspiring effect. As always, read all about it in order to form your own opinion. In sharp contrast to songs like "Wartheland", "Rope of Regret" and some further tunes open the machine gun fire of the drums. These tunes pine for total destruction and the result speaks for itself.

But the guitars also add a melodic touch, just give "Between the Wolf-Packs" a chance. Of course, the combination of thunderous drums and obscure guitar lines is a well-established strength of the experienced band. However, these core competencies of the group appear as the driving forces of the album. Conversely, innovation is of subordinate significance. Be that as it may, the full-length does not lack of variety. It is a fact that almost every new track which is based on the aforementioned combination knows to impress. "Falaise: Cauldron of Blood" serves as another example in order to emphasize this statement. This tune scores, among other things, with incredible hyper-speed. Nonetheless, it would be a mistake to believe that Frontschwein is an album of superlatives. The velocity and furiousness of Panzer Division Marduk remains unrivalled. The here described full-length relies on the mix of tempo changes, stubborn straightness, fierce vocals and fiery guitar lines. Vice versa, humanity is written in very small letters. The ruthlessness of World War II comes back to life, although we will never be able to imagine its overwhelming horror.

Let´s keep an eye on the big picture. Ten songs hit the mark, only the overlong "Doomsday Elite" cannot keep up with the rest. Right from the beginning, the riffs call for war and irrespective of the approach of the single songs, the military aura is omnipresent. It can therefore be concluded that the coarse title Frontschwein does not promise too much. In terms of the compositions, the album delivers a lot of different facets of war while being equipped with an armor-plated sound. During World War II, Frontschwein expressed both respect and compassion for the German soldiers on the front line. Marduk has built a sonic memorial for the combatants. Their output honors the unknown soldiers on the front line, regardless of their nationality. It may be a crude kind of remembrance, but it is not disrespectful.

Rating: 8.2 out of 10

Review by Felix on January 4, 2020.

I always read that no one can earn money with EPs anymore. I am therefore surprised that the still relatively new Sodom quartet seemingly consists only of idealists. I like Angelripper, but this was new to me. Either way, Out of the Frontline Trench is another EP and marks the second official release of the actual line-up. Naturally, I intend to focus on the trio of brand-new songs and the first thing I can say is that I appreciate the musical consistency of the band. Its last lukewarm period began with Sodom and ended with In War and Pieces. Since Epitome of Torture, Angelripper has given the world nothing else but bone dry, slightly blackened thrash of the more vehement kind. Modern classics like “S-O-D-O-M”, “In Retribution” or “Conflagration” have demonstrated the band’s unbroken lust for battle. Thus, the question is whether the new songs, or at least just one of them, can keep up with the aforementioned jewels.

The first song that falls by the wayside is “Down on Your Knees”. The riffing is weak, because it does not create a terrifying atmosphere, the melody of the chorus is going nowhere and the slow part after the chorus kills the last hope of an improvement. Despite a natural heaviness (we are still speaking about Sodom), the track is neither fish nor fowl and the solo also just lengthens the EP. A typical non-album track, maybe too good for the bin, but too bad for a full-length.

The further new songs save the honor of Sodom. I do not see them on a par with my personal classics of the recent past, but especially the title track grows constantly due to its menacing melody at the beginning of the verses. Its straightness reminds me of glorious “Agent Orange” days and both the smooth yet violent bridge and the sinister chorus add value to the song. The howling solo guitar also pays tribute to the golden decade of metal and this makes me grin venomously. The EP opener marks the harbinger of the next full-length – hopefully “Genesis 19” does not belong to the highlights of the future work. It’s a serviceable song with a good instrumental mid-part that relies on a strong, effectively repeated guitar line, no more, no less.

What about the rest? Tom might be right when saying that nobody can cover “Agent Orange” as good as his own band, but this alone gives no indication why we need a new version of this song at all. The same goes for the live cut of “Bombenhagel”, even though it comes with a new “Ruhrpott-ending”. Good songs, but they are like me: almost older than time itself. So please do not expect me to get crazy about this material. Frankly spoken, it could have been a quantum more velocity and a bit more high-class violence, not in terms of the absolutely flawless production, but with regard to the song-writing of the new tracks. Anyway, this is Sodom and Sodom is Angelripper and Angelripper is good – or at least good enough for a rating of 7.

Rating: 7 out of 10