Marduk - Those of the Unlight
Osmose Productions
Black Metal
8 songs (37:29)
Release year: 1993
Marduk, Osmose Productions
Reviewed by Tony
Archive review

This album was released during the Golden Age of Marduk, where the Swedes could do no wrong, releases classics in conjunction in the 90s. Only the second of Marduk’s discography, Those of the Unlight features a well-rounded sounded and a further progressive sound despite the frequency of blasts. Listening to the first minute of the album during the initial track Darkness Breeds Immortality will display just how different early Marduk was. It is equally as enjoyable as the punishment received by the likes of World Funeral and Nightwing, but in many ways it is less on the brutal side, featuring early rooted riffs and more of a Bathory -esque influence. There are far more riffs per song, and far more slow portions where the guitars simply weave their way around with often used alternate picking set to some more fundamental jazzy beats. There are portions where the guitar almost indeed sounds jazzy in some riffs, the percussion grooves along with solid fills, clean guitars shed light, and the next song breaks through with another foray onto the bloodied plain of virulence.

It is easy to see where the early Norwegian first wave bands show their influence, but there is also that effervescent Swedish melody lightly tinged into the rhythm set by the powerful drums and well audible and omnipresent bass guitar. Sometimes Those of the Unlight can be a nice break from the third wave brutal blasting and heavy bass rhythms, with connoting lightness and an aura of airiness to the rhythm. This does not sound as overwhelming or fiery as their other work, but it is equally as enjoyable and a fun challenge to digest all at once whilst compared to later works of the Swedes.

Dissection are evidently the most melodic and important Swedish band to the genre, with regards to Watain and Marduk, but there is evidence to support the claim in which this album early on generated much influence as a companion piece to The Somberlain as intrinsically important in the pantheon of Swedish Melodic Black Metal. As a collector, I cannot disagree.

The title track does it all, with a clear and evident path of violence yet so many branches, where the album pushes and pulls with blades of razor sharp guitar work and intelligently placed percussive rhythms. The third track is Wolves. this song is the slower, chunkier and more straightforward path taken, with the blast beats an enjoyable body of work with the kick drum played nicely underneath. These types of blast beats are ones in which I find myself playing often. The longest track is only a wee bit over seven minutes, with a band like Marduk not overstaying their welcome, and understanding that their strength is in the Death Metal approach. Still somehow, on Those of the Unlight, they set their purpose as to expand progressively, and laid the framework for Opus Nocturne. This is unlike modern Marduk, but no one is complaining. This is a quality second wave release, and one that I spin from time to time among my other favorites from one of my top bands in my collection.

Killing Songs :
Those of the Unlight, Wolves, Echoes from the Past
Tony quoted 89 / 100
Other albums by Marduk that we have reviewed:
Marduk - Memento Mori reviewed by Goat and quoted 80 / 100
Marduk - Viktoria reviewed by Goat and quoted 60 / 100
Marduk - Frontschwein reviewed by Goat and quoted 88 / 100
Marduk - Serpent Sermon reviewed by Tony and quoted 88 / 100
Marduk - Nightwing reviewed by Tony and quoted CLASSIC
To see all 16 reviews click here
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