Total Control

"We are very much a live band and playing shows is the most important thing we do,” explains Håkansson when asked to discuss Marduk's upcoming Australian tour. “We keep things as simple as possible on stage, just four guys playing their instruments to the best of their ability. We don't bother with all the effects and other sonic 'bells and whistles' some black metal bands lean on. This means we keep total control over what we do and we are able to offer consistency every time we play because there's a lot less that can go wrong. I find that live we have a unique sort of power – the songs really come alive and often sound even more vicious and visceral than they do on record.”

But while Marduk eschew sonic frippery they remain dedicated to the 'good pandas gone bad' visual aesthetic. Just how important is corpse paint to the Marduk experience? “Corpse paint has always been an important part of the visual side of this band,” spits Håkansson. “Of course it doesn't affect the music at all but it expresses out attitude and our belief in this music. I don't care that it became trendy and that people started laughing at bands that used corpse paint. To us it's a part of what we offer and we're not going to stop using it because other people think we should.

“Having said that, to me black metal isn't about corpse paint, it isn't even about the actual music – it's all about the attitude you bring. We're very proud to play black metal but I know that I've been influenced greatly by traditional heavy metal and a lot of great death metal bands. I remember back in the early '90s a lot of black metal bands didn't want to play with death metal bands. We were never like that and did shows with Suffocation and other death metal bands.”

Although a segment of their fan base yearn for the blast happy Marduk of old, it's the band's later records which have cemented their ongoing popularity. The likes of Plague Angel, Wormwood, and now Serpent Sermon mix old school fury with mid tempo riffs and chilling melodies. Was this a deliberate shift on the part of Marduk or just a natural progression?

“Our fans have very strong opinions about what their favourite album is,” chuckles Håkansson. “I understand that some people like the fastest stuff possible but we don't write songs in that way. We go where the energy takes us and that's not always writing really fast songs. We play extreme metal and it's going to stay that way, but people have to understand that extreme and fast aren't necessarily the same thing.”

Even more controversial than the decision to write the odd slower song is Marduk's use of provocative imagery. Aside from the Panzer Division Marduk moniker they slapped on their sixth album, there was Live In Germania, which utilised a term synonymous with Hitler's projected name for his post war Berlin. If, as Marduk claim, they are not in the slightest a political band, then why have they flirted with imagery that makes them look like right wing nutters?

“Some things inspire me to create music – and war is one of them,” says Håkansson. “I think Slayer and Motorhead have used the same imagery as us. We write the soundtrack to all out war, we never glorify nor condemn anything; we just tell it like it is. I've always had a fascination with history and it bothers me that just because I'm a musician people attack me for this interest. If I was making movies nobody would say a word – it's hypocritical and ridiculous. We just don't pay any attention to it at all.”

Marduk will be playing the following dates:

Thursday 10 January - Amplifier Bar, Perth WA
Friday 11 January - The Hi-Fi, Melbourne VIC
Saturday 12 January - The Hi-Fi, Sydney NSW
Sunday 13 January - The Hi-Fi, Brisbane QLD