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Back when I was taking my first tentative steps into the world of black metal there was one album that I grew to love more than any other; Panzer Division Marduk. The Swedish blasphemer's 1999 album was full of such out and out ferocity and I'd heard nothing quite like it to that point. Fast forward to 2011 and the band has released another five good albums, making a total of eleven, but nothing has even come close to the brutal fury heard on Panzer Division. Until now.
Iron Dawn is a three track EP clocking in at around thirteen minutes and is a step back to that relentless, crushing sound. The first song, Warschau II: Headhunter Halfmoon is an ultra-fast blaster that could have been an out-take from Panzer Division, re-recorded with Mortuus on vocals. Wacht Am Rhein: Drumbeats Of Death follows the same path but intersperses the furious pace with slower, repetitive sections that serve to highlight the title. Finally, Prochorovka: Blood And Sunflowers, is more akin to modern-day Marduk with less emphasis on hyperspeed blasting and more on creating an oppressive and crushing atmosphere.
The slower tempo of the final song serves as a fitting ending for an EP which is essentially Panzer Division Marduk mark II.
The three songs all deal with World War 2 and all fit together well to create a great EP that all fans of Marduk should take to their black hearts. There have been many attempts to surpass Marduk in the field of war-torn, blastbeat-laden black metal but here these dark lords of war show these pretenders to the crown how it should be done. The EP will only be available for a limited time and the concepts differ from those on the upcoming full-length so make sure to get it before its too late!
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