Originally written by Jordan Campbell
Rounding out the quartet of Marduk reissues, Heaven Shall Burn…When We Are Gathered has the band settle into their insanely quick (dis)comfort zone. While they don’t completely jump the shark with this outing, it’s blatantly obvious that they’ve started to build the damn ramp.
Most notably, this is the album in which the infamous Legion makes his debut behind the mic. His urine-gargling rasp brings a certain dirtiness to the recording that the band had lacked since Dark Endless. Compounded with a powerful production job that kicks the gnarled guitar lines straight to the jaw, the final formula for Marduk’s vision is finally spawned. Trouble is, that vision is not merely banal, but it’s almost abusive in its bludgeoning torrent of ugliness. The riffs are spewed forth with such reckless abandon that whatever vile intent they may have originally harbored has been lost in a emotionless blur; the utter lack of restraint found of this album makes me long for even Those of Unlight’s amateurish melodies. And that fantastic, cutting rhythm section that gleamed so brightly on Opus Nocturne? It’s been swept up in a faceless, self-destructive F5 tornado of its own creation.
I know this album is revered by many, but, frankly, I wouldn’t be too surprised if most of that reverence rests on the shoulders of nostalgia. Heaven Shall Burn…When We Are Gathered is less a work of substance than it is style. While some may be enthralled with the speed-centric evil found herein, I simply don’t see the point of travelling back in time to relive a mediocre execution of the style, especially when Order of the Ebon Hand and Antaeus are crafting perfection in the here-and-now.
At the very least, maybe this reissue will the catalyst for a shitty metalcore band to name themselves …When We Are Gathered. Okay, that was lame…but gimme a break, I’ve been listening to Marduk for 96 hours.
