Marduk, Iron Dawn

Itching for a little war-themed black metal to get the day rolling, but don’t really want to sit through fifty minutes of mundane blasting? Marduk’s three song EP, Iron Dawn is exactly what the black metal doctor has prescribed. The material on this EP clock in at just over thirteen minutes and will leave you drooling for more — exactly what a release of this nature is meant to achieve.

“Warschau II – Headhunter Halfmoon” erupts out of the gate with invading WWII bombers and frenetic drums that come across like belt-fed machine guns buried deep into hill-side bunkers, laying down molten lead with reckless abandon. The Panzer Division Marduk-vibe to this blasting and furious song is down right brutal as twisting, driving riffs push Mortuus’ snearing vocals into your head with little regard for your personal well being. It’s a massive song.

“Wacht Am Rhein – Dumbeats of Death” is just as vicious as the opener, but delivered with an amped up dose of balls-out evil. It’s a frantic, blasting song with layered vocals and sound clips, unrelenting drums, and riffs that just won’t quit. The barbaric delivery is tempered by a few moments of respite while Mortuus delivers somewhat spoken passages before once again descending into the chaotic swell that is Marduk.

The decidedly much slower “Prochorovka – Blood And Sunflowers” fades in over the course of the first thirty seconds of the song. It’s a more atmospheric track, shrouded in post-bombing raid shock and despair. While it’s dramatically different, it’s just as malevolent, but unfortunately impacts the momentum built by the first two songs.

With material described as conceptually different from what the band will be releasing on their next full-length, Iron Dawn should still be just enough blasphemous mayhem to quench your thirst in the meantime.