Originally written by Chris Chellis.
Listening to a live recording can be an extremely intimate experience. If you can hear the crowd, listen to some of the between-song banter and sense a greater energy coming from the band, then you certainly feel a stronger connection to the band. Of course, like its studio counterpart, the live recording is, more often than not, a dud. Warschau is not such a recording.
Here is a list of what I feel is essential in a live recording:
1. Let’s hear the goddamn fans! In this respect, Warschau succeeds. In fact, the first thing we hear are a bunch of drunken sloths chanting. Perfect!
2. Atmosphere. This doesn’t mean cheap theatrics via some aging Casio. We’re talking about actual venom put to tape. Listen to Mortuus introduce “Burn My Coffin” and you’ve got a good example of that. This band knows how to put on a good show. Well, at least they know how to put on a good show when they know what they’re playing is going to be released for public consumption. Good enough for me.
3. A sense of looseness. Perfection is overrated. If we wanted every note played perfectly and with precision we’d just turn to the studio version. Again, Warschau succeeds. There’s a playfulness and an undeniable exuberance to songs like “Seven Angels, Seven Trumpets” and “Azrael.” The energy is truly palpable.
4. Song selection. Though this recording certainly leans a little on the more recently released Marduk albums, you will find some old gems on here like the previously mentioned “Burn My Coffin,” “Sulphur Souls,” and “Wolves.” All in all, it’s a pretty good glimpse into the band’s career.
If you’re a Marduk fan, pick this up. There’s plenty of atmosphere and the album succeeds in recreating what it must be like to see and hear this band live. You really do feel like you’re a part of the audience, and what is the ultimate goal of a live album if it is not exactly that? If you’re not a Marduk fan, don’t buy this. You should probably get a first taste of the band through an album like Opus Nocturne. The reissue is out now so you have no excuse not to pick it up. My fellow MR writer Jordan Campbell gave it a high enough rating for you to at least give it a quick look-over, so don’t hesitate.
