Over thirty years since its explosion, Scandinavian Black Metal remains unmatched in intensity, chaos, and aggression. Some bands seek mainstream respectability; others revel in the scummy underground. That’s where real darkness thrives. Marduk has evolved—lineup changes, musical shifts—but their commitment to evil is unwavering. Their imagery flirts with the objectionable. Provocation? Absolutely. It’s meant to unsettle, to blur the line between repulsion and fascination. Marduk operates in that space. You’re not supposed to feel comfortable; it should shake you, challenge your certainties. Yet, if you surrender to the music and spectacle, few experiences are as immersive as a Marduk show. Let the darkness consume you.
La Machine du Moulin Rouge was the perfect setting for their latest Parisian assault. Cramped, oppressive, suffocating—the venue mirrored the band’s ethos. Ominous figures onstage delivered pure brutality: relentless riffs, gut-wrenching vocals, an atmosphere of sheer terror punctuated by flashes of violence.
Marduk’s lineup has remained relatively stable in the past decade, forging a connection between performers and crowd. The devotion was palpable—a mass of bodies convulsing to blast beats and razor-sharp tremolo riffs.
Oddly, Memento Mori (2023) was only featured for three numbers. Instead, Plague Angel (2004) and Rom 5:12 (2007) dominated the setlist. Fans of early Marduk or Panzer Division Marduk were left wanting, but those attuned to the band’s evolution received a ferocious selection of war hymns and sonic blasphemies.
There’s an absurdity to middle-aged men in corpse paint striking evil poses—whether musicians or audience. Some, like Abbath, embrace the theatricality. Even Mayhem, the most infamous of them all, winks at the audience. Marduk does not. They force-feed you their black poison, demanding full immersion in their grotesque rituals.
Uncompromising, unrelenting, unmerciful—Marduk still conjures the primal, unsettling force that made Black Metal dangerous. In a live setting, few bands match their intensity. La Machine lay in ruins. As it should be.
