Initial Impressions: Marduk: Serpent Sermon

Marduk has always been one of the more impressive black metal bands from Sweden.  Most of the reasoning for this is due to their emphasis on songwriting rather than just blasting away like some of their countrymen.  Nowhere is that more evident than on this album.

The above is not to suggest that Marduk is in any way less brutal than some of the other black metal bands to come out of Sweden, they certainly do have their chaotic moments of blasting frenzy.  But they are hardly ever brutal for brutality's sake.  But while there are certainly brutal moments, this whole album has a heavy and dark atmosphere surrounding it.  It is evil-sounding black metal the way that it was when it first crawled out of the depths of Scandinavia in the late 1980's and early 1990's.

The band still utilizes some of the staples that they always have.  There are still plenty of tremolo riffs and blastbeats present.  The vocals are still a sharp, raspy growl.  And the overall sound is still evil as hell.  What has changed a bit more is that the atmosphere is probably more prominent than it has ever been and the melodic guitar lines have gotten more impressive.

This is an absolutely compelling album from Marduk, possibly their best in years.