Author: Rok Klemše
Photos: Nina Grad
Location: Orto bar, Ljubljana
Concert date: 07.05.2018
Even Garfield knew Mondays were rotten, but they get a whole lot less rotten when something called, say, Marduk spices them up. The Swedish veterans are old friends of our stages and have a solid, loyal fan base here, which this time, with a little help from their Croatian colleagues, packed out Orto bar. The venue hasn’t hosted such a hard-hitting bill in ages, and there hasn’t been any black metal on our stages for a long while either. As for the recent rumors that gossip-happy webzines à la Metal Sucks have been stirring up and keep on stirring up, just this: »Listen to music, not rumours!«
First up on stage were the long-running Polish black metallers Infernal War, one of the biggest and best-known names on the Polish black metal scene. Quite a few enthusiasts were there to greet the Poles, even though there was still plenty of empty space at the front of the hall that could have been filled. Infernal War didn’t get quite the reaction they probably expected, but they tore through their set like a horde of rabid wild boars anyway. The Polish stampede was brutal, merciless and ultra fast, which, precisely because of that, started to sound a touch monotonous and repetitive toward the end. Still, the Poles were a fitting and proper warm-up, since they did their job with flying colors and won people over mostly with the thrashy parts, the »Kerry King-style« sounding solos and drumming that, despite the frequent blast beating, knew how to deliver a more dynamic and varied hit here and there. Guest vocalist Heretik Hellstörm was convincing too, filling in for regular vocalist Herr Warcrimer for some unknown reason. He managed to squeeze uncompromising rage out of his vocal cords, even if with his over-the-top machismo and failed attempts to rile up the crowd he came off a bit grumpy at times. The Poles bowed out with the hard-hitting Death’s Evangelist and handed the stage over to their Norwegian colleagues Ragnarok.
The Norwegians were a little less barbaric than their predecessors, but still wild and uncompromising. This time Ragnarok focused mostly on their newer creative era and the albums Psychopathology and Blackdoor Miracle, slipping in a few other tracks between them, like the ancient Pagan Land and the speedy banger In Nomine Satanas. It was obvious that Ragnarok are far better known here than Infernal War, as the hall filled up properly, and the Norwegian foursome paid the crowd back with loud, primal black metal. It shone brightest at the start of the set, while toward the end this somewhat primitive take on black metal started to drag a bit. Ragnarok are definitely a band that delivers live, even if they come off as funny more by accident than on purpose, mostly thanks to the huge upside-down crosses hanging around their necks, which give them the look of a sort of black metal Flavor Flav (the Public Enemy member known for the enormous clocks hanging around his neck), and even more so guitarist Bolverk, who looks like a black metal BB-8 (© Črt Batagelj).
Swedish black metal giants Marduk will release their fourteenth studio album Viktoria in a good month, but before that they’ve been conquering Europe with the March of Blood and Iron tour. Before they took the stage at Orto, the place was taken over by darkness, smoke and a sinister red light, with sirens, the sound of airplanes and rumbling blaring from the speakers. The moment the Swedish tank division Marduk played the first beat of Panzer Division Marduk, a proper mosh pit hell broke loose in front of the stage and didn’t let up until the end of their set. The cult Swedes were clearly by far the most anticipated band of the night, and they fully lived up to it with excellent energy, a raw approach and top-notch sound. Mortuus didn’t talk to the crowd much, instead spewing verses about total war, complete destruction and death from the depths of a war hell, while the band ground through Orto like a division of tank treads. Marduk surprised with a nice selection of songs, especially the more rarely played The Black… or Between the Wolf-Packs, and showcased the new album with the two-minute blast Werwolf and the somewhat more epic Equestrian Bloodlust. Marduk once again proved they’re definitely a band that never disappoints!
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