World Funeral

World Funeral is the eighth studio album by Swedish black metal band Marduk. It was recorded and mixed at The Abyss between September and November 2002 and was released on March 25 the next year by Regain Records. The track listing of the album is organized as to create a dynamic change of paces and atmospheres, the tracks generally alternating between a fast, slow, fast, etc. pattern.

World Funeral
Studio album by Marduk
Released	March 25, 2003
Recorded	September – November 2002
Studio	The Abyss, Pärlby, Sweden
Genre	Black metal
Length	48:14
Label	Regain Records
Producer	Marduk
Marduk chronology
Blackcrowned (2002) World Funeral (2003) Plague Angel (2004)
Alternative Cover
Reissue cover

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

Balancing fast tracks with mid-paced tracks, it was a disappointment for fans expecting another head-to-toe fast album a la Panzer Division Marduk. Many fans suggested the band was going for a more commercial "mainstream" approach while others complimented their attempt to broaden their sound. World Funeral is the first Marduk album to feature Emil Draguntinovic on drums, the last to feature Legion on vocals and B. War on bass, and the last to feature mixing by Peter Tägtgren.

A music video was released for the title song.[2]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"With Satan and Victorious Weapons"	3:51
2.	"Bleached Bones"	5:20
3.	"Cloven Hoof"	3:26
4.	"World Funeral"	3:31
5.	"To the Death's Head True"	3:58
6.	"Castrum Doloris"	3:34
7.	"Hearse"	4:54
8.	"Night of the Long Knives"	5:31
9.	"Bloodletting"	5:49
10.	"Blessed Unholy"	5:02
11.	"Blackcrowned" (instrumental)	2:18

Bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
12.	"Phantasm" (Possessed cover; Japan bonus track)
13.	"The Black..." (Live; Japan bonus track)

Composition

• "Blackcrowned" is an adaptation of Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary by English Baroque composer Henry Purcell.[3]
• The song "Hearse" is based upon the horror film Phantasm by Don Coscarelli.[3]
• The band used Fredman's Epistle No. 81, Märk hur vår skugga by the Swedish 18th century poet and composer Carl Michael Bellman for the mid-paced track "Castrum Doloris".[3]
• The intro for the song "With Satan and Victorious Weapons" is a sample from the movie The Name of the Rose.[3]

Personnel

Marduk

• Legion – vocals, guitar solos
• Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson – lead guitars
• B. War – bass
• Emil Dragutinovic – drums

Guest

• Peter Tägtgren – mixing

References

1. World Funeral at AllMusic
2. World Funeral music video on Youtube
3. Gunnar Sauermann: Marduk. Schweden, Tod & Teufel. In: Hard Rock & Metal Hammer, February 2003, p. 28.