Panzer Division Marduk
Encyclopedia
Panzer Division Marduk is the sixth studio album
by Swedish black metal
band Marduk
. It was recorded and mixed at The Abyss
in January 1999 and released in June 1999 by Osmose Productions
. The theme of the album is war
, as Nightwing
was blood
, and La Grande Danse Macabre
(the band's next studio album) would be death
, forming a trilogy of "Blood, War and Death", Marduk's vision of what black metal is, unending grimness. Panzer Division Marduk was the last Marduk release by Osmose Productions
.
The original album cover features a photo of the Swedish
version (Stridsvagn 104) of the British Centurion tank
.
The 2008 reissue of the album featured a Panzer VI E "Tiger" on its cover, reinforcing the Germanic WWII theme of the album.
The internal sleeve pictures a tank column triumphant across a city in ruin: this is the Red Army
across a destroyed Berlin
in 1945.
The concept of World War II
in literally every track initially led many proponents of National Socialist black metal
to consider the band akin to them, notwithstanding the fact that vocalist Legion and guitarist/composer Morgan publicly debunked this rumor, saying that Marduk has no political point in their lyrics, and the band has nothing to do with Nazi views. Panzer Division Marduk earned a lot of backlash from National Socialist black metal bands.
Guest
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by Swedish black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
band Marduk
Marduk (band)
Marduk is a black metal band from Norrköping, Sweden. The band formed in 1990 and released their first record in 1991. Their name is derived from the Babylonian god Marduk, patron deity of Babylon.-Musical style:...
. It was recorded and mixed at The Abyss
The Abyss (recording studio)
The Abyss is a recording studio in Pärlby outside Ludvika, Sweden. It is owned and operated by record producer and musician Peter Tägtgren.-Recordings:...
in January 1999 and released in June 1999 by Osmose Productions
Osmose Productions
Osmose Productions is a French independent record label created in 1991 by Hervé Herbaut, after he had spent three years running a small mail order company...
. The theme of the album is war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
, as Nightwing
Nightwing (album)
Nightwing is the fifth studio album by Swedish black metal band Marduk. It was recorded and mixed at The Abyss between October and November 1997 and released in April 1998 by Osmose Productions...
was blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
, and La Grande Danse Macabre
La Grande Danse Macabre
La Grande Danse Macabre is the seventh studio album by Swedish black metal band Marduk. It was recorded and mixed at The Abyss in December 2000 and released on March 5, 2001 by Regain Records. The theme of the album is death, as Nightwing was blood, and Panzer Division Marduk was war, forming a...
(the band's next studio album) would be death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
, forming a trilogy of "Blood, War and Death", Marduk's vision of what black metal is, unending grimness. Panzer Division Marduk was the last Marduk release by Osmose Productions
Osmose Productions
Osmose Productions is a French independent record label created in 1991 by Hervé Herbaut, after he had spent three years running a small mail order company...
.
The original album cover features a photo of the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
version (Stridsvagn 104) of the British Centurion tank
Centurion tank
The Centurion, introduced in 1945, was the primary British main battle tank of the post-World War II period. It was a successful tank design, with upgrades, for many decades...
.
The 2008 reissue of the album featured a Panzer VI E "Tiger" on its cover, reinforcing the Germanic WWII theme of the album.
The internal sleeve pictures a tank column triumphant across a city in ruin: this is the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
across a destroyed Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in 1945.
The concept of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in literally every track initially led many proponents of National Socialist black metal
National Socialist black metal
National Socialist black metal is black metal that promotes National Socialist beliefs through their lyrics and imagery. These beliefs often include: white supremacy, racial separatism, antisemitism, heterosexism, and Nazi interpretations of paganism or Satanism...
to consider the band akin to them, notwithstanding the fact that vocalist Legion and guitarist/composer Morgan publicly debunked this rumor, saying that Marduk has no political point in their lyrics, and the band has nothing to do with Nazi views. Panzer Division Marduk earned a lot of backlash from National Socialist black metal bands.
Track listing
Personnel
Marduk- Legion – vocals
- Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson – guitar
- B. War – bass
- Fredrik Andersson – drums
Guest
- Peter TägtgrenPeter TägtgrenAlf Peter Tägtgren is a Swedish musician and producer. He is the founder, main songwriter, lead vocalist, and guitarist of the death metal band Hypocrisy as well as the industrial metal band PAIN in which he is the only member....
– mixing