MARDUK COVER ARTWORK VARIATIONS part I

In my previous post on Instagram I didn't go into why I have 5 different copies (1 picture disc LP and 4 CD) of Obedience (2000). Because I'm fucking crazy... Well maybe? Should do a blog post about those also but managed to fuck up some of the pictures, it's coming some day.

I just want every different cover artwork Marduk have ever released even if it's on LP or CD. Also want to add that these 4 vinyls in this post are all quite cheap. At least when I got most of them about a year ago.

Would be nice to own every LP print someday but with all the Osmose Productions re-releases of many albums that they do every year in every possible color. I don't see that will be possibility for a foreseeable future sadly but I got time and patience.

All these records in this post are as you can see (hopefully) the 4 first Marduk full length albums. Got more cover art variations in my "quite vast"  Marduk collection. Stay tuned for lots of more parts in this series.

As far as the music goes on the records I don't even need to go deep into why all these 4 albums are mandatory for every Black Metal fan out there to have in their collection.

Usually hate whenever a band/label fucks with the cover artwork and these ain't no different. One can just in a millisecond see that's not how it supposed to look like.

However me being very passionate about my Marduk collecting, the band who clearly take up most space in my entire collection. I also don't think its absolutely necessarily to think every item in it must be a perfect 10 out of 10 release.

Being as off as these are I still find them all to be a bit charming. Also the rest of the layout and pictures are amazing so just for that reason it's a great investment for Marduk my collection.

 Heaven Shall Burn... When We Are Gathered (1996) already had terrible cover art. But I definitely don't think this 2008 Blooddawn Productions release as an improvement of the original 1996 one.

Also dislike the "glossy sleeves" these are for the most packed in.

The remaster of Heaven Shall Burn... When We Are Gathered was done in the Endarker Studio in 2004. It sounds good but has the weakest sound of these 4 remasters. This has actually became my favorite album from the "Legion era" in about a years time but more about that in another post.

It also got some bonus tracks from a demo 4-track recording done in June of 1995. Those songs are not listed anywhere on this release. I do enjoy them very much although I heard and owned them all before for quite some time on their box set and the 2 LP's of Blackcrowned (2002).

Probably the most ugly looking out of these 4 vinyls is the 2008 Regain Records LP of my favorite Marduk album of all time Opus Nocturne (1994). It's just a nightmare and I don't keep it anywhere close to my 1st print black LP version in my Marduk collection.

It got 3 bonus tracks, studio rehearsals of Sulphur Souls; Materialized In Stone and Opus Nocturne (sadly with no vocals) from April 1994.

None of those are rare as they were also included on their Blackcrowned release but there we were treated with Autumnal Reaper as well. They do reappeared somewhere else if my memory serves me right?

The 2008 Opus Nocturne reissue was also remastered in the Endarker Studio in 2004. It sounds very similar to the original recording.

I do think the Those Of The Unlight (1993) artwork from this 2006 Regain Records LP looks more then alright. However what I looked at as a 14 year old in 1994 on the CD booklet is in the back of my mind and is clearly the better of the two.

Its pictures and layout inside the gatefold release is the best out of these 4 in my humble opinion.

This 2006 LP release of course doesn't have the 3 bonus live video songs as the two 2006 CD's had of Darkness Breeds Immortality; A Sculpture Of The Night and The Funeral Seemed To Be Endless. However they are included on the "official bootleg" Strigzscara - Warwolf (2015) recorded in their own hometown Norrköping in December of 1993.

Should mention that the 2006 Regain Records LP and 2 CD releases (European & N. American) have 3 different cover artworks. Insane maybe... Those CD's are green and black instead of red and black as the LP.

As with the others Those Of The Unlight from 2006 was remastered by Devo Andersson in his Endarker Studio. I can hear a distinction from the original release but still very close to that one, it's not like this an entire new record.

Last out their debut album Dark Endless (1992) originally released on the legendary No Fashion Records on vinyl as well. This Blooddawn release is from 2008. Also want to say there are more different cover artworks variants of this album.

Must say although I'm not a fan of the original artwork that this is my 2nd favorite Dark Endless cover after the original 1992 release.

This one has 5 live bonus songs Departure From The Mortals; Within The Abyss; Still Fucking Dead; The Black Goat and Evil Dead recorded live in 1991. Also released as another "official bootleg" EP in 2015 on a 4 song 7" called Ancient Evil.

It not stated where the remastering of Dark Endless took place on the release but I would guess once again by Devo in the Endarker Studio. Repeating myself but it sounds great I do think out of the 4 Dark Endless and Heaven Shall Burn... sounds the weakest of them though.


So do I recommend getting these versions? If you don't have a copy of any of the albums on vinyl I would go with something that looks more like the original releases. If you don't care about that thing I go for it and leave these to us die hard fans.

And as ALWAYS PRAISE HAIL MARDUK!!