I wasn't going to bother commenting on or posting this because everyone and their mom are going on about it. Well that, and I must confess to being a little peeved with Herr Håkansson at the moment (seriously, I let you off the hook about Skåne and Blekinge and now you're avoiding me?! WTF?). But something occurred today that made me decide I needed to say something about it...and if I'm going to say something about it then I may as well post the damn thing.

I'm talking about the song, Warschau 2: Headhunter Halfmoon, from Marduk's newest EP, Iron Dawn, which will be available for sale in the US the day they appear at the Maryland Deathfest (27 May 2011, for those who don't already know). What occurred today that made me change my mind, was a perfect example of what I am constantly complaining about -- lack of research.

Metalsucks posted the video for the song with some totally ridiculous commentary that showed they hadn't bothered to do their research. It all centered around the question of what the title actually means.

According to Metalsucks, "'Warschau,' for those that don't know, is just how funny people from countries that don't matter say 'Warsaw.'" I find it fascinating that he would say such a thing. Warschau is the German spelling/pronunciation of Warsaw and I find it hard to believe that Germany is a country that "doesn't matter." He then goes on to wonder why the song would be called "Warsaw 2." Clearly, if he has to ask then he doesn't know very much about Marduk...he's, no doubt, simply regurgitating whatever he's been told to. As one astute commenter noted, it's called "Warsaw 2" because it's a sequel (if you will) to the song Warschau on their album Plague Angel. Simple research could've worked that out.

He next questions the subtitle, Headhunter Halfmoon. I can only speculate on what that might refer to, and since I don't know and haven't asked Morgan, then I won't bother speculating (it's a research thing...). But if I seriously wanted to know, I could simply ask! Morgan will tell you. As long as you don't ask for deeper meaning he'll tell you what it refers to. It's not that hard!!!

The problem with people who don't do research is that they lose credibility. I'm a little surprised, and yet not at all surprised, that nobody bothered to call me out on the "error" I made in my post about the German census. Since it was a test, then no harm, no foul. But had I genuinely not known that a national census is not, by any stretch of the imagination, anonymous, then I would have lost credibility. Just as Metalsucks lost credibility when they didn't bother to check their facts before posting. And if they didn't want to check facts, then they shouldn't have opened the door.

Which brings me to another issue...if you ever hear Morgan say that Chernobyl means wormwood, then don't you believe him. Because he's wrong.

There is a common misconception that Chernobyl means, or refers to, wormwood. It doesn't, it actually means black stalks/grass and it refers to mugwort. Perhaps the misconception arose because both wormwood and mugwort belong to the same species -- Artemesia -- and have similar properties.






Wormwood, or Artemesia absinthium, "is a silky perennial plant found in waste places and along roadsides from Newfoundland to Hudson Bay and south to Montana. It is a native plant in Europe, from where it was introduced into North America" (Lust, John. The Herb Book. New York: Benedict Lust Publications, 2009. Print). When used properly, it destroys parasites, inhibits the growth of microorganisms, prevents spasms, induces burping and flatulence, promotes bile flow into the duodenum, reduces fever, stimulates digestion, and acts as a general stimulant. When used improperly, it can kill you.


And now that we know the difference, and that Chernobyl doesn't mean wormwood (no matter how awesome that would be from an apocalyptic perspective), here is the song that started the whole diatribe: