MARDUK - DARK ENDLESS (1992)

On a vinyl reissue from 2012 limited to 1500 copies released on Century Media/Blooddawn Productions. Originally released on No Fashion Records in December of 1992. Really like this reissue with a booklet of old pictures, logos and the lyrics. Not like my old CD copy from No Fashion Records that's very sparse on content in the booklet to say the least...

As you know this was the debut album by the mighty Marduk. The band started playing in 1990 and recorded their only demo the 5-song Fuck Me Jesus in June 1991 in Gorysound Studios aka. Unisound with Dan Swanö.

The lineup in the Marduk was basically the same on Dark Endless as on their demo but with a second guitar player added Devo Andersson (guitar 1992-94 and bass 2004-present). The founder of the band Morgan Håkansson (guitar) is the only remaining member of the band in its present form.

Joakim "Grave" Göthberg aka. Joakim Af Gravf played drums 1990-93 he later was their vocalist 1993-95. Vocalist on Dark Endless and Fuck Me Jesus was done by Andreas Axelsson (1990-93), at the time he was also guitarist in Edge Of Sanity and on bass they had Richard Kalm (1990-1992).

Before Dark Endless the same lineup had recorded a 3-song EP called Here's No Peace in December of 1991 at Hellspawn Studios (aka. Unisound) with Dan Swanö. I heard several reasons to why it wasn't released as a 7" vinyl at the time it didn't get a release until 1997 when Shadow Records put it out on a MCD.

During 4 days in June of 1992 Marduk for the third time went into the Hellspawn Studios to record the Dark Endless album with Dan Swanö. A total 8 songs was recorded and their first full length album clocks in at 30 minutes.

3 of the songs appears on the "Fuck Me Jesus" demo Within The Abyss; Departure From The Mortals and The Black.... The song Within The Abyss also appears on the Here's No Peace EP as does Still Fucking Dead (Here's No Peace). New for the album was 4 songs The Sun Turns Black as Night; The Funeral Seemed to Be Endless; Dark Endless and Holy Inquisition.

Dark Endless was the 4th release of Marduk that I bought after discovering the band in 1994. It was not easy to find a copy of it, but it was actually in my hometown I eventually found it at that record store who sold used CD, LP VHS etc..

The fact that I had heard Opus Nocturne (1994); Those Of The Unlight (1993) and the Fuck Me Jesus demo that Osmose Productions released on a MCD in 1994. Also other Black Metal bands too many to mention. So it made my first experience with Dark Endless was a bit underwhelming.

But DON'T get me wrong its a excellent debut album!! I just thought the production and sound on the album wasn't as raw and harsh like the one on Fuck Me Jesus had. I still to this day prefer the 3 songs on the demo of Within The Abyss; Departure From The Mortals and The Black.... over the Dark Endless versions.

Also the the version of Still Fucking Dead and the second version of Within The Abyss from the Here's No Peace EP is better then the Dark Endless ones. It might sound like I'm very critic of the debut album but like I wrote it's an excellent album. Its great throughout and not a bad moment on it.

The only minor gripe I got with it is the cover artwork. It's not terrible and it got a certain charm to it but looks like a Death Metal record. And doesn't look anything like the early Norwegian Black Metal releases like Burzum; A Blaze in the Northern Sky or Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism.

If I had discovered Black Metal and Marduk in 1992/93 and Dark Endless had been one of the first albums I bought in the scene I would have been absolutely blown away by its excellency. But then again I do think it's a excellent record now and that's what is most important not what the 15-16 year old me thought something like 23 years ago.

And as always Praise Hail Marduk!!