Doesn't time go fast? It seems like yesterday when Marduk began their crusade to cleanse the world of Christianity, but these black metal elites have managed to stay alive after a full fifteen years of mayhem. So to celebrate, our friends of the unlight give us Warschau, a live recording from 2005 featuring over sixty minutes of blackened texture. While it does suffer from slight issues, this cool live release certainly manages to provide an entertaining listen on several levels. Playing black metal for such a long time might take its toll, but Marduk hands out the nifty Warschau to celebrate a milestone in an enjoyable manner of live destruction regardless of something like age.Let's get the bad stuff out of the way first, shall we? Fifteen years of material should present a diverse set list during a live show, but Warschau mildly suffers from the burdensome addition of Marduk's newer stuff holding more ground than their oldies. Out of seventeen tracks from this 2005 recording, six anthems are used to promote 2004's Plague Angel and three songs from 2003's World Funeral. That's quite a large chunk of space for only two records of material, and something tells me that marketing thing has a lot to do with it. I guess it's cool how they forced in some tunes from Those of the Unlight with other classics, but that's really all this set list has going for it.
Aside from this minor inconsistency, Marduk's overall performance is noticeably good and rather professional. On an efficiency basis, our Satanic buddies sharply rip through these seventeen tunes at insane velocity and hit every note flawlessly. Song after song, this brutal squad launches right for the jugular and expels rapid riffs, furious blastbeats, and violent shrieks for all of us to indulge. It's important to point out how Mortuuns' voice accompanies the group's older material quite warmly; yet he's still lacks a bit in comparison to his previous counterparts, at least on a live basis. But at the end of the day, Marduk's entertaining show leaves a nice taste in the mouth of whoever feasts upon on the Warschau entrιe.
Also, the audio quality is surprisingly good for such a recording like Warschau everything appears cloudless and balanced. All instruments and vocals are placed in the center of the record, which leads to a smooth sound of even chaos with Mortuuns' shrieks over a constant shield of blastbeats and hyper-speed riffs. It's actually quite cool to experience such a concert like this because it's obviously furious, yet often decipherable; all thanks to the wonderful studio magicians!
I think Marduk's fifteenth anniversary went over pretty well with a solid treat like Warschau. As a release, Warschau properly dissects Marduk's history as a band whilst keeping the flaming atmosphere of their blackened firestorm scorching hot and ready to burn. Now be aware there are flaws present, but I wouldn't say those minor boo-boos deter the overall concept of Warschau as a whole. It's still a good live record nonetheless, and remains a very entertaining listen from multiple angles of musicianship, and Marduk's pastime.