RFI Ep. 337: Marduk (The Legion Years) 

I caught Marduk live around 10 years ago and they played Heaven Shall Burn... in full. It was an extremely impressive performance, they didn't miss a beat the whole time, which is no mean feat for an album of that intensity.

I am revisiting their stuff because of these videos dude, ty

and here I thought I knew Marduk like the back of my hand, but your pointing out things that flew right over my head. Man your music analysis is god tier

New RFI vid? That is, indeed, that good shit my brutha..

One of the first black metal cd’s I got in high school was Marduk and I’ve always thought they were underrated

RE: Norsecore - while this album is definitely the poster child for it - and I'll never dispute that - I always found the real blueprint for this to be Immortal's Battles In The North. Same kind of single focused nonstop blastbeat miasma.

Legion’s era in Marduk has always been my favorite. I liked your analysis of them.

I was actually lucky enough to catch them open for Deicide in ‘01! Although I’d see Marduk again on several occasions 7 years after….to see that particular lineup was a true privilege!

Darkness It Shall Be is one of my favourite tracks of all time.

It’s good to see J-Dawg and KingCobrajfs referenced in the same video.

Great shit as always, Mr. RFI! Definitely gonna give those Legion albums another listen. Been awhile...

Another great video keep them coming 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻

damn Mina with a sword and shield is 🔥🔥🔥

Love this channel, great stuff man🔥

Another great episode. Easily my favorite era of the band 🤘

Love your channel my man. Found a few good bands from your videos, plus i love the Photoshopped K-girls 😊. When are we gonna get the last Lucifugum ep?

Last year I picked up reissues for Heaven Shall Burn, Nightwing, and Panzer Division. Legion era Marduk is so black metal.

I agree. I'm glad you pay tribute to what I consider the best Marduk vocalist. Oh, and he also makes an appearance on Dissection's Storm of the Lights' Bane album. Also interesting part about the history of the songs. Your verbal descriptions of the music and musicianship is spot on. For me Heaven Shall Burn and Fuck Me Jesus were the first Marduk records I owned. Heaven Shall Burn is one of the best black metal albums definitely. (edit: That idea of using Mussorgsky's music on the album, I wonder if that also came from the way Satyricon used classical music sample on Dark Medival Times, or Samael's usage of also Mussorgsky on Baphomet's Throne. Mussorgsky is like the go to black metal composer lol.) Super intense as well as the Panzer dev album. You did not mention about their excellent live album "Infernal Eternal," and you didn't talk much about the drumming on these, but that's okay. I think Infernal Eternal is one of the best live albums, in part because of Legion's vocals and him still being in his black metal persona between the songs while addressing the audience was both funny and raw, and just the selection of the songs, and the recording quality seemed to capture the band perfectly. Funny you mention them being the Deicide of Black Metal back then, because I saw them on tour around 2000 for their Infernal Eternal tour in the US (funny on the ticket they were misprinted as 'Marduke') and they opened up for Deicide! The set was so intense. At one point I ended up being at the front of the stage fistpumping to Legion, him having those large spikes, I reached out to him, and the spikes actually pierced one of my fingers so it actually bled. Have you seen them live? I feel like it was blasphemy to have Marduk without Legion later, because I saw them live later with Mortuus and the guy could hardly sing Legion's songs, kind of mumbling and messing up the fast paced vocal parts. It was disappointing, but I can see why Morgan would want to continue the band in any form. When Le Grand Dance Macabre came out I was a bit put off to hear the downtuned and slower paced doomy riffs. It felt like they weren't being loyal to the fan base, and that was my last Marduk album for me. I like everything else they put out though. I also wonder why Legion left if there was any of the drama of him not being able to enter the US because of his criminal record or some drama within the band like Mayhem had with Maniac. Doesn't feel the same without him. But you gave me some fresh thoughts to perhaps rebuy and give that album another try. Perhaps I will enjoy it this time, and maybe check out the World Funeral as well. Oh and Nightwing...it's just great with more of that melodic slowed down stuff they tried on Heaven Shall Burn. Anyway, Thanks for your analysis.

Good highlight on that brilliant counterpoint riff in Beyond The Grace of God. Morgan's writing had some real moments of harmonic interest before it got totally vulgarized for the sake of assembly line production.

Legion era-best Marduk era🤘🏻

Just looked when I got home from work to see if you uploaded and a couple hours later I get a surprise. Anyways more like MarDOOKIE oooooooh

Great

I think I've been listening to metal wrong the past 30 years. I just know when I think it sounds cool.

God I love your channel. Grateful for the 3 Branikald videos also. Also would a Vothana discography video/s be possible in the future, this year🫣?

Great catch on some of these special moments in their discography. I tend to agree with most of your takes, but I do like ROM 5:12 for being a mostly mid-paced album. The only black metal band that does mid tempo better is Darkthrone. Overall, Marduk’s discography strikes me as SepticFlesh’s does; elite first few albums and then very disparaging quality in their later releases.

It’s cool to shit on Peter Tagtgren now, but the black metal he produced has some of the best basswork ever. Dawn, Marduk, Sorhin, and Enthroned all have a great low rumble to them.

I've been avoiding Marduk for quite some time, because I thought all of their discography sounds somewhat like Panzer Division Marduk lol. However I was pleasantly surprised, when I heard World Funeral for the first time, which has some of their slower, heavier songs like Bleached Bones or Bloodletting. I did eventually get into their early and Legion years, and I even like Panzer Division Marduk now, quite a lot, in fact. Don't really care for their post-Legion period though

I was really expecting you to diss this phase of Marduk, I remember you saying in the Edge of Sanity video that Heaven Shall Burn was boring. Great Episode as always.

Another rad episode, I've now gone back and listened to these albums with the "Blood Fire Death" lens on, and you're absolutely right. Quick Question, you ever gonna get around to doing a Ares Kingdom episode ?

I like Nightwing but I never gave the next two albums a real chance. Mostly because Panzer Division was their first album I heard and its monotony and bad reputation made me quickly move on from it, so I've only ever been familiar with the earlier stuff. I might revisit them now that they have the Jiub Seal of Approval. Also Ophthalamia had three albums. The ghost of Tony Sarkka will haunt you for that mistake.

what u think of summoning the lichs new album

Happy mussolini 🙋day 29 juli Can you do an a video about italian, rac i know same good, bands ultima frontiera are my favorite and the best in all of rac 270bis are good to claretta e ben are good and september nero,

Do you ever listen to Leatherwolf kind of unrelated

There is nothing worse than listening n

While watching this vid a strange theory came to my mind: Are Marduk the Manowar of Black Metal? Genius but cheesy? Unfortunately the opportunity was missed to use this great meme ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-f3LOxmCPeGE.html