MARDUK - HERE'S NO PEACE - SHADOW RECORDS LP (1998) & CD (1997)

One of my favorite releases in my entire Marduk collection is this 12" picture disc vinyl that comes with a poster limited to 500 copies on Shadow Records from 1998. The CD had been released a year earlier by the same label.

It's not one of my most expensive Marduk vinyls. However not saying it's a cheap and easy release to come by especially with the poster. And yes the poster edges are supposed to look like it has been torn/ripped.

The combination of Marduk, being one of my favorite bands ever, on one of the best record labels ever from my country Shadow Records. That makes it such a much more valuable release too me then any monetary aspect.

The history behind the Here's No Peace release is one interesting story. Recorded in December of 1991 with Dan Swanö at his Unisound/Hellspawn/Gorysound Studio. It was the second time ever that Marduk made a recording since their first and only demo Fuck Me Jesus from June 1991.

Over at Metal Archives it says that Here's No Peace supposedly were going to be released as a 7" on the North American label Necropolis Records.

But I'm going with what is being said in the first Marduk interview I ever read. Issue number 5 from November 1992 of the Swedish Close-Up Magazine with the now only remaining original member and founder of Marduk Morgan Håkansson (guitar).

Where he states that it would be to released on a German label called Slaughter Records as a 7" vinyl. Somehow that never happened and Morgan tells what a total fuck-up that guy was. The article says it would be called Here's No Fucking Silence.

Finally in October of 1997 Marcus Tena's Shadow Records released the recording on CD it being the 2nd release ever on that label. Another favorite in my Marduk collection is a picture disc version from 1997 of the Marduk album Heaven Shall Burn... When We Are Gathered (1996) it was the first ever release on Shadow Records.

The original Here's No Peace CD has 3 songs:
Here's No Peace (instrumental intro)
Still Fucking Dead
Within The Abyss.

A year later when Shadow Records released this picture disc 12" they added 2 more songs. Both being Bathory covers In Conspiracy With Satan and Woman Of Dark Desire.

Marduk are good at doing covers but Bathory is a hard band to try emulating their own sound too especially those older songs. They were already so perfectly recorded by the legendary Bathory. Not complaining though it's a great addition to the vinyl release.

Both appeared on the compilation In Conspiracy With Satan - A Tribute To Bathory (1998). That David "Blackmoon" Parland (1970 - 2013) ex. guitarist for Dark Funeral, Necrophobic but also the bands Infernal and War released on his Hellspawn Records with bands like Nifelheim, Emperor, Unanimated, Ophthalamia, Satyricon etc.

Marduk had already released a Bathory cover of The Return Of Darkness And Evil in 1996 on their Glorification EP. Out of those 3 covers my favorite one is probably Woman Of Dark Desire.

But about the original Marduk songs here Within The Abyss had already appeared on the Fuck Me Jesus recording which I do think is the best version of that song.

It's also featured on their debut album Dark Endless (1992) in my opinion the Here's No Peace one is better then the record one also.

At the time Marduk had a Death/Black Metal sound until the release of their second album Those Of The Unlight (1993) which is straight forward Black Metal. That is also one of the best records ever from the Swedish scene.

Still Fucking Dead (Here's No Peace) as it called on Dark Endless that No Fashion Records released is another excellent version but I do prefer the recording on the Here's No Peace release.

As much as I do like the debut album the recordings before sounds more raw, unfiltered with a more meaner sound to it is the best way I can describe them.

At the time of the Here's No Peace recording the Marduk line-up consisted of:
- Morgan Håkansson (guitar)
- Joakim Göthberg (drummer 1990-1993 later vocalist from 1993 to 1995)
- Andreas Axelsson (vocals 1990-93)
- Rickard Kalm (bass 1990-92)

The same personal had recorded the Fuck Me Jesus demo but for their debut Dark Endless they had added Devo Andersson (guitar). Who made his first performance with Marduk on a release with that album.

Here's No Peace is definitely a most have for any Marduk fan. I consider it to be the 2nd best EP they have ever made. It was also my gateway into Shadow Records with the 1997 CD release me being a huge fan of Marduk.

For any casual fans of the band I do recommend getting it also. Although you might don't want to try hunt down a copy of the 12" Shadow Records vinyl, the 1997 CD isn't near as expensive as that one.

Believe all the songs also appear on some CD reissues if you want to go down that route instead.

Here's No Peace was reissued on Marduk's own Blooddawn Productions in 2001 on a 10" vinyl that one comes in a sleeve. Have huge buyers remorse for not getting that one at a record fair in my hometown a couple of years ago for what was a great deal then.

Later it was also released on CD by Regain Records in 2007 that has a colored cover artwork. I don't own that particular one yet.

My intention is to own a copy of every different artwork Marduk has used for each album and/or EP and there's a ton of them especially from the Regain Records era.

Usually don't like whenever cover artworks gets altered but Marduk being the band by far taking up most space in my entire collection I want to see that collecting goal through. Have a long way to get to that point especially with the CD's but ain't in any kind of hurry.

Not trying to brag and boast but really got one amazing deal on this Shadow Records LP in the autumn of last year over at a Swedish auction site. Actually one of my top-10 maybe even top-5 finds ever.

Also expect a lot of more Marduk content to be posted. Been really into them for the last couple of months I have been filling "almost all" the gaps I had in my EP/7" vinyl collection. Got a bunch of "new posters" and I want to post my old 90's concert flyers plus the 3 DVD's that I've rewritten so many times for more than a year...

Some may think that Here's No Peace is sparse of content but I don't get that opinion. Not only are the songs amazing but also a very early recording in the Swedish Black Metal scene and for me that makes it even more interesting. Also always interested to hear how Dan Swanö progressed with his Unisound recorded releases.

Anyway that was Here's No Peace a lot of other information but have been on a Instagram and blog hiatus for a couple of weeks due to some health issues.

Forever, eternally and as always PRAISE HAIL MARDUK!!