Band:	Marduk
Album:	Viktoria
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	June 22, 2018
A review by:	nikarg

01. Werwolf
02. June 44
03. Equestrian Bloodlust
04. Tiger I
05. Narva
06. The Last Fallen
07. Viktoria
08. The Devil's Song
09. Silent Night

When a band has been around for as long as Marduk has, there is not much to say that has not been said already. I'm just going to make it clear from the beginning that this review will not take sides in the right-/left-wing fascism/nazism debate, but I will say that I do find the band's talent to piss off SJWs and religious nutters alike highly enjoyable.

Marduk have had a very rich discography during their almost three decades of existence. Viktoria is their 14th full-length coming three years after Frontschwein and kicks off in the same way its predecessor ended; with war sirens.

However, unlike Frontschwein which felt unnecessarily long and bloated, Viktoria is short and cohesive, clocking in at around 34 minutes. The opening track and first single, "Werwolf", is a two-minute blitz attack that leaves you in a corner wondering what hit you. The album as a whole pummels hard and fast but it doesn't just blastbeat the shit out of you the way Panzer Division Marduk did because it also showcases the slower and occasionally more melodic side of the band, found in Wormwood and Serpent Sermon. When Marduk fire on all cylinders as they do in "June 44", a song that just shows why Mortuus is one the best black metal vocalists out there, they absolutely shine. "Equestrian Bloodlust", "Narva" and "The Last Fallen" are effective war weapons of the kind that has always been in abundance in Marduk's armoury. In a couple of instances ("Viktoria" and the outstanding "The Devil's Song") they convincingly combine melody and fierceness. On the other hand, the more slowed-down moments, such as "Tiger I" and especially "Silent Night", which feels like one of the filler tracks from the latest Satyricon's releases, are not as engaging.

"Werwolf" was a Nazi plan, developed towards the ending of WWII and essentially a clandestine operation with intention to attack behind enemy lines and cause serious damage. The idea was an ambitious one but we now know that its actual achievements were not as spectacular as the propaganda by Goebbels made them out to be. In the same manner, Viktoria's concept and structure aims to catch the listener unprepared and defenceless by being very concise and direct. But unlike the "Werwolf" plan which was largely unsuccessful, you will find that the new album by the Swedes, although not mind-blowing, is still an effective guerrilla-style war on your eardrums.

Marduk's consistency as a "trve black metal" band is admirable and Viktoria is yet another solid addition in their discography. Mortuus in particular is simply phenomenal in this record. However, I cannot refrain from pointing out that his other project, Funeral Mist, has just blown almost every other black metal release out of water this year, including this one.

"One last bullet, one last round,
One single motto: 'Conquer or Die!'"