MARDUK LP COVER ARTWORK VARIATIONS part II

Nightwing 2010

Like the title suggests today we will check out 4 other Marduk cover art variants. If you are interested check out part 1.

• Nightwing (1998) reissued by Blooddawn Productions 2010
• Dark Endless (1992) reissued by Black Lodge Records 2018
• Germania (1997) reissued by Blooddawn Productions 2008
• Germania (1997) 2xLP reissued by Osmose Productions 2020

All of them except for Dark Endless, that was released by No Fashion Records, were originally released by Osmose Productions. During the Legion era of the band.

Don't know why they changed the title from Live In Germania? Either way it's a suitable title anyway for that record and I like even a big change like that because Germania sounds more uncertain rather than a "Live In" before.

This could be a long series because of my quite substantial Marduk collection. Will eventually do this with CD’s also.

Posted this over at my Instagram account @herr_perdition. This a post might rather be more suiting for my @herr_marduk account that's obvious. But I a had question for my followers so of course I'm gonna take advantage of the one who is about "10 times as big". Selfish excuse of course but I'm a selfish bastard anyway.

My question was:

"Can someone answer how one release music online nowadays? Especially you youngsters! Is it Bandcamp, Spotify etc. even for a non-pro like myself? I never intend to use Google Drive. 

It doesn’t seem like it’s something serious. Although I haven’t made up my mind yet 100% about releasing anything. This isn’t about me trying to get 50 cents in streaming/digital buys, haha. It would just be cool to be able to say I’ve released a 3-track trilogy Black Metal EP.

The best alternative would be a 7” limited to VERY few numbered copies. Hehe nah nor the music or me ain’t good enough for that, yet"

Got a lot of positive response, even if I'm also known as Herr Physical Media, it seem Bandcamp is the way to go online. If I will get around to release my music that is... Anyway let us move on.

A very productive time on Instagram (4 posts in about 7-8 days). Maybe even more impressive 4 songs written and recorded (3 still in demo stage). The 3 of them are pure Black Metal and they are also part a trilogy I'm making.

Nightwing is my least favorite Marduk studio full length record of all time. The original cover artwork is alright. This 2010 gatefold is perfect!

Mortuus isn't just the best Black Metal vocalist ever his brilliant aesthetic eye is perfectly done in my humble opinion.

Inside the Nightwing 2010 gatefold

Excellent cover art, band photos, insert, poster etc. Mortuus/Arioch really did an amazing job here. Get this version of Nightwing both non that goes for both diehards and casual fans of the band.

Sure I know about the cheap and ugly boring versions that Osmose keeps on to pumping out a bunch each year with the original cover art. With some pink, yellow, red splatter bloody puke etc. vinyl. 

Since this is one of the 1st prints I don't own. Have a black or green (?) LP of the 2016 Osmose release with something that is very close to the original cover artwork. There's some other differences in the logo, album title font and the artwork cover color is much darker too.

See the back of the record sleeve further down.

The included poster really wish I had more wallspace.

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This red Dark Endless 2018 release is my latest addition to my Marduk collection and record collection that I bought at Sound Pollution during a Stockholm visit approx 2 weeks ago.

Very simple looking cover art for some reason the red with just their logo makes me think this is some sort of Marduk compilation album.

Dark Endless 2018

Nothing special, nor terrible is all I can say about this variation. However it kind of remind me of some compilation album. Great artwork on the back sleeve though the record insert ain’t nothing too special.

For the non super fans there’s plenty of cheap LP’s with the original cover art that's in my opinion a better buy.

Like the 2012 Century Media one, they really did it very well to replicate the 1st print edition LP design. Which I both like and dislike but that's a topic for another post.

Back of the sleeves Nightwing on the left and Dark Endless to the right.

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The “super glossy/reflecting” version. Can’t almost get a descent photo of the fucker. Altogether great looking design but the sleeve material gives minus points. It bends the sleeve also so someone made a shitty decision somewhere. 

Germania 2008

With all the filters for lightning and so on from Photoshop or iPhone picture editing it isn't as obvious that it's a "super glossy/reflecting" sleeve. But trust me it ain't pretty in reality great that they 12 years later choose a matt carbon sleeve.

Other than that I can't complain about the sleeve artwork I actually think it's really good and it's my kind of design.

The back sleeves Germania 2020 to the left and 2008 to the right.

It was “reinvented and reinforced at Endarker July 2007” to me it doesn’t sound that different. Since I grew up and was 17 years when I got the Live In Germania CD at or close to release at the end of the summer 1997 I will say the Dan Swanö is better. You might think different?

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Germania 2020

Fabulous layout and cover variation on this one. Don’t know if it’s Arioch/Mortuus work because it doesn’t tell who designed it but this version does resemble his kind of style. 

Great insert also I will only share 2 pictures from it here because I think something should be left for those who buy it.

The now ex. Marduk bassist Devo remastered this one in his Endarker Studio November 2019.

Of course a 2xLP is gonna sound better than the 2008 single LP and it does a really good job.

Even if I don't mind the double vinyls the 3 songs per LP side can be a bit frustrating at times.

Especially when a release only got 12-songs and all of them are on the rather short side. 

Actually don’t like it being on a 2xLP album that should have been exclusive to the original 2xLP 1997 vinyl.

The picture to the left here is the gatefold inside. Also 2 pictures from the 4-page insert that is included with this release.

I've actually done 4 posts now in about 7 or 8 days over at my Instagram accounts @Herr_Perdition and @die_wahren_MARDUK/@Herr_Marduk.

I cannot for the life of me remember when I was as creative both on this blog and/or my Instagram. Hope to keep this double creativity up and be inspired musically as I have been.

You know this where coming last! And as always PRAISE HAIL MARDUK!!

SORHIN - APOKALYPSENS ÄNGEL (2000) and I DET GLIMRANDE MÖRKRETS DJUP (1997)

Really glad that Shadow Records reissued these two Sorhin albums Apokalypsens Ängel in 2016 and I Det Glimrande Mörkrets Djup in 2018. Both limited to 500 copies each and hand numbered. They came with all sorts of different nice additions but more on that later.

Sorhin is one of my favorite Black Metal bands from my country of Sweden. I would even go so far as to say they are in my top-10 Swedish bands ever. That says a lot of just how much I've enjoyed to have them both on vinyl.

Apokalypsens Ängel originally released in 2000 on a vinyl reissue from 2016 it also includes a single sided 7”, poster, patch and postcard. I got a ton of Sorhin postcards thanks to ordering from the Helter Skelter Bandcamp so many times where you can find all Shadow Records releases and a whole lot more.

The 7" has the song To Give Death originally released as a split with a great Swedish band called Puissance a Martial Industrial band with Henry Möller from Arditi. To Give Death doesn't sound anything like Apokalypsens Ängel it's less refined and more primitive a really great addition.

Puissance also contributed to the intro song Inmarsch and Moder jord... undergång nalkas on the album.

Actually Apokalypsens Ängel was released by Shadow Records in 2000 and limited to 345 copies. It's quite expensive nowadays I will own that one day! But for now this reissue will have to do.

I Det Glimrande Mörkerts Djup (1997) a reissue from 2018 that comes with a poster and insert. It also has a bonus song Svart Lyser Tronen. Both these releases are hand numbered and limited to 500 copies each.

Also I Det Glimrande Mörkerts Djup got a vinyl picture release in 1997. Co released with Mark Of The Devil and Sorhin's own Svartvintras Productions. That one was also hand numbered and limited to 500 copies. Sure it would be great to add that one to my collection but I try and not buy picture disc vinyls lately.

I included the original CD from 1997 of I Det Glimrande Mörkerts Djup that were released by the short lived Swedish record company Near Dark Productions because of the cover art differences. I almost always enjoy the original cover artwork but I think that this reissue has a better cover aesthetically but what one had from the 90's is what one is used to see.

Sorhin also released their EP Döden MCMXCVIII (1998) and the single 7" vinyl Åt Fanders Med Ljusets Skapelser (1997) on Near Dark Productions. The later one was only released on vinyl at the time and the bonus song I wrote about earlier Svart Lyser Tronen appeared on the B-side of that 7".

Also Döden MCMXCVIII (1998) was released on 7" vinyls by Near Dark Productions with a different cover artwork in a set of 3. With the 3 band members Nattfursth (vocals), Eparygon (guitar & bass) and Zathanel (drums) faces on a standalone release each. They have the same two songs though.

Done posts at my Instagram on both these albums on CD's before and one here on the blog so there’s some repetition. But I have been listening extremely much to Sorhin lately. They are probably among my top-10 Swedish bands ever. So they’re of course always great to write about.

The first Sorhin album I bought was the astonishing Apokalysens Ängel on CD from Shadow Records. It’s still my favorite release of theirs and the I Det Glimrande Mörkerts Djup album is my 2nd favorite.

Both were recorded at The Abyss Studio but doesn’t sound like that. I’m NOT trying to knock that studio I just think both albums has such a great uniqueness. Sure there's been timeless classics recorded over there but I'm amazed how amazing they sound especially Apokalysens Ängel.

Sorhin, Funeral Mist, Malign & Triumphator are some of the bands that made a huge impact on the whole Scandinavian Black Metal scene. At the time of the late 90’s it wasn’t like they invented a new formula. I feel that those were and still are something that felt so important for the entire genre.

They just played extremely excellent Black Metal with an amazing huge passion.

Something that many of the bigger (Norwegian especially ) bands started to lack at the end of the 90’s and/or in the beginning of the new millennium in my opinion. Some felt like they had an identity crisis almost and tried to include to much non Metal into their music. I don’t need to mention any bands you can probably think of some who struggled with their creativity and identity.

However this is still a post about Sorhin. In the now 2.5 year old interview with vocalist Nattfursth over at Bardo Methodölogy I highly recommended you to read that one. A bit off-topic but I own all 4 printed Bardo Methodölogy issues although amazing a bit disappointing that Sorhin wasn't included in any of them. But with almost 150 articles to choose from it isn't of course easy to have all in a limited printed "fanzine".

Anyway over there Nattfursth said they had wrote most of the music and lyrics to a 3rd album called Hädanfärd was composed during 1999 into the millenium.

There's also a new (well 5 years old as of me writing this) Sorhin song that Bardo Methodölogy's  Niklas Göransson got sent to him in advance of the interview. It doesn't say but probably just at a raw demo stage. That one was composed in 2014 and recorded in 2015 so there’s still hope...

 ...not for a return because according to Nattfursth, Sorhin has never quit.

Really wish that this will come to fruition someday. Cannot think of many other legendary bands that I would like to see, realistically, in the Black Metal scene once again as Sorhin.

DISMEMBER - DEATH METAL (1997) vinyl & MISANTHROPIC mcd (1997)

The fourth and excellent Dismember album Death Metal on a first print Nuclear Blast LP and the must have EP Misanthropic on a MCD. These were the last releases recorded with the classic Dismember lineup: Matti Kärki (vocals), Fred Estby (drums), David Blomqvist (lead guitar), Robert Sennebäck (rhythm guitar) and Richard Cabeza (bass). I consider Dismember to be the best Swedish Death Metal band of all time maybe even my favorite band in the entire genre.

The 5-song Misanthropic MCD was released in June of 1997 on Nuclear Blast. The excellent title track Misanthropic is the only song that's also featured on the Death Metal album. The 4 other songs are also amazing, one being a cover of Pagan Saviour by Autopsy from their classic 1989 debut album Severed Survival.

The Misanthropic EP has never been released on a standalone vinyl so the MCD will do for me. I'm aware it's on some 2-LP reissue of Death Metal not to sound like a "pretentious record collector asshole" but I only collect and own first print vinyls of Dismember albums.

The 3 other songs on the MCD Shadowlands sounds like classic Dismember and those great guitar leads are amazing. The entirely Fred Estby composed Afterimage starts heavy as hell and it reminds me of Indecent & Obscene in some parts a totally awesome song. Last out Shapeshifter and it's another great one. These songs are so fucking great it's strange that they didn't make it onto the album.

Although Death Metal has 12 songs so I can see why they didn't include them. Anyway this is how a EP is done! 5 songs that are all amazing and gets one hyped for the record. Misanthropic is one of my favorite EP's in the Death Metal genre of all time.

When Death Metal was being released in August of 1997 I remember thinking that the album title was a bit pretentious at the time. But after the massive letdown Massive Killing Capacity (1995) album had been, actually don't think it's terrible I learned to like it after MANY listens to it. But after Dismember releases like Like An Everflowing Stream; Skin Her Alive 7" single; Pieces EP and Indecent & Obscene expectations were huge. The 3-song EP Casket Garden (1995) had been a warning on what was coming, but I'm getting off-topic. I'll write more about those 2 in another post...

Dismember probably wanted to make a statement with the album title. That they were a pure Death Metal band and not part of the disgusting Death N' Roll trend. The first song I heard from the Death Metal album was on a CD compilation that was included in the Swedish metal magazine Close-Up I think it was the song Misanthropic and I thought it sounded great.

But I hadn't bought any Death Metal CD's since 1995 because I was totally into the Black Metal scene since 1995-99 after discovering the genre in 1994. Okay I bought Elegy by Amorphis in 1996 but in 1997 I also was out drinking every weekend with my friends. Being 17 years I could "only" afford 2 to 4 Black Metal albums each month. Also money was prioritized for beer and snus (Swedish tobacco). It wasn't until 1999 when I bought these two Dismember releases on CD because I found a new interest in Death Metal again. It completely blew me away how amazing they both were. 

Me and my friends saw Dismember live in my midsize Swedish hometown when they played at a club in October of 1997. That was a legendary night among our friends except for all drunken craziness that went down, for me it was very special for a specific reason. I was underage to visit the club Dismember played at by 1 year I usually was aloud inside anyway because they never checked for my ID. This night I was drunk as hell on moonshine so the bouncers wouldn't let me in. 

But then I saw Fred Estby and Matti Kärki outside the venue who went out for a smoke me being drunk as fuck stumbled over to them and wanted to discuss their amazing debut album Like An Everflowing Stream (1991). Fred was such a nice guy and I told him that I wasn't getting inside the club so he said come with us. Fred told the bouncers I worked for the band I can't believe it worked haha. Because they recognized me at the club being there every Friday and Saturday but at least I got in and for free. It was beyond amazing and I should have bought the record as a thank you to Fred and Matti in 1997.

Anyway the Death Metal album is a timeless classic. Once again they recorded in the Sunlight Studio but this time with Fred Estby engineering, mixing and producing the album. Their previous producer Tomas Skogsberg and the one everyone associate with Sunlight Studios and the early Swedish Death Metal scene only gets drum engineer credits on the album.

Fred Estby didn't just record the album and EP he has writing credits to 13 of the 15 new songs. On 3 of them he's the sole composer both for the music and lyrics. I also want to highlight the songs that bassist Richard Cabeza contributed music to Of Fire; Misanthropic; When Hatred Killed The Light and Silent Are The Watchers are some of the best on these two releases. David Blomqvist was involved in the songwriting for great 8 songs. Matti Kärki wrote lyrics to 10 of the 15 songs and Robert Sennebäck was involved in the songwriting to 3 of the songs.  

It starts out strong with the very fast and brilliant Of Fire with music composed by Blomqvist and Cabeza. It continues with the equally amazing Trendkiller. Then the brilliant Misanthropic it's great to hear that classic Dismember guitar sound but progressed 7 years since the epic debut Like An Everflowing Stream (1991).

Actually some small parts on the Death Metal album reminds just a little of Slaughter Of The Soul (1995) by At The Gates. I'm not saying that they copy them it still sounds like the classic Dismember sound but new and updated.

The tempo slows down a little bit in Let The Napalm Rain but they keep it heavy as fuck. Also use a sample from the epic and one of my favorite movies of all time Apocalypse Now! (1979). Continuing with the song Live For The Fear (Of Pain) and I don't miss the sound of the Massive Killing Capacity album at all! The slow and heavy Stillborn Ways is entirely written by drummer Fred Estby another great song.

Killing Compassion is the shortest song 1:49 on the album another fast one to start the B-side of the record and it gets you perfectly into the album again. Next Bred for War it's one of my favorites on the album and one they used to play live often. Then the Estby/Cabeza written When Hatred Killed The Light another favorite of mine on Death Metal.

Ceremonial Comedy starts off immediately and one doesn't get time to breathe amazing. Blomqvist / Cabeza written Silent Are The Watchers starts with the Iron Maiden influenced guitars and continues throughout the song, top-5 song on the album for me classic Dismember. Last out is Mistweaver it starts with a cello intro very unusual, but it fits perfectly in the song that's slow and heavy. Brilliant lead guitar playing by David Blomqvist the song ends abruptly and what a great ending.

After 40 minutes of great Dismember Death Metal I am extremely satisfied. The classic lineup I wrote about in the beginning of this post truly made an outstanding last album together. On the followup Hate Campaign 3 years later Richard Cabeza and Robert Sennebäck wasn't in the band anymore and was replaced by Magnus Sahlgren (ex. Tiamat, Lake of Tears etc.) on guitar and bassist Sharlee D'Angelo (King Diamond, Mercyful Fate, Witchery etc.). The band continued for 14 year more after this one and released 4 albums, 2 DVD's and a demo compilation record. Even if Dismember didn't reach as high as this one all are essential to own if you're into the finest sort of Death Metal.

If it wasn't already obvious enough I recommend getting the EP and album instead of reading my text. I would rank the Death Metal record as the 3rd best Dismember release ever. Fucking brilliant!