Listen: Give Marduk Enough “Rope”

If it’s metal’s job to confront and discomfit, then Marduk are due a promotion. Even in default evil mode — as on 2013’s Serpent Sermon — they’re freaky, but that’s nothing compared to their vibe as on their 2011 EP, Iron Dawn: German military gore. And now, slated for a January release is Marduk’s return to the subject, their 12th album Frontschwein. Now we’re talking uncomfortable: black metal misanthropes helming tales of Nazi madness. That is, this very history from the mouth of Tom Hanks or Ken Burns is unambiguous. But perspectives of those inside humankind’s most famous horrors screamed atop its sound equivalent by corpse-ish Swedes? By comparison, even fucking Starship Troopers seems subtle.

For now, this evil shit is an expression of Marduk’s reality — not an expression of their desires. And anyway, “Rope Of Regret” is the first look at Frontschwein and arrived only Friday; not until January will we see how queasy the album’s messages are. We’ll see also how true it is that “Rope” is “rather dissimilar from the rest of the album” cuz that would be a shame cuz it rips! What is that at 0:37-0:53?

Marduk’s Frontschwein is out January via Century Media.