For many in San Francisco, Marduk’s performance was a night to remember... or at least a night that show-goers were wanting to remember.

Marduk’s last attempt at touring the United States (earlier in 2009, with Mayhem) fell through in a fiasco of unreceived visas and bad planning, culminating in a tour in which the two support acts eventually dropped off due to some other nightmarish logistical issue.

But Marduk were going to make good on missing out. And make good they did, as the Swedish black metal beasts put on one of the finest metal shows this writer has ever seen.

But there were support acts. Merrimack was first, but based on their performance and the relevance of their music, they should have been second to last, because only Marduk was better than they were.

We skipped Black Anvil because the music exhibited on their Relapse-relased CD was of little interest, and it was dinner time.

We returned to catch some of Mantic Ritual, who displayed a tight and professional level of thrash metal that otherwise had little to say for itself.

Nachmystium elicited another short exodus, as their music is nothing better than solidly average.

But Marduk. Marduk. It was if the whole world woke up to finding itself on fire when they hit the stage. The main reason of course is frontman Mortuus’ presence. He’s a big, imposing, menacing figure, harnessing the kind of energy that was sorely lacking during the years Legion was fronting the band.

But Lars Brodesson, Marduk’s drummer, had no small part in the ferocity, as he unleashed an inspired, furious performance whose conviction raised hairs on the back of one’s neck. Brodesson’s performance channeled the pitiless violence this band has honed into a show that was as ruthless as it was professional, and it was without drum triggers.

Depending on whom you spoke to, however, it was one of Marduk’s worst shows ever. And you wouldn’t have to search much further than asking the band’s frontman, whose nigh constant complaining and violent gesticulation — to the DNA club’s stage hand, to Brodesson, to the audience, and to the world in general — about his dissatisfaction of the sound at the club (it seemed he couldn’t hear the kick drums) began to go beyond the image of furious frontman, and to a bitch throwing a tantrum. This culminated in Mortuus’ deliberately dropping the mic on the ground between songs, forcing the stage hand to pick it up and replace it on the stand for him, and publicly humiliating the club by saying it had the worst sound of the tour.

However, from where we were standing, on the second level, right above and to the right of Mortuus’ head, the show sounded great. We were also well placed to get a great view of the evening’s greatest show of physical violence, which occured when a drunken, shirtless fan ambled onto the stage. He came up behind Mortuus and put his arm around him, attempting to bask in the glow of the evening. Mortuus paused and then flipped the fan over onto his back and threw him into the crowd. For the remaining moments the fan was still in the club, he was seen emphatically raising the horns to his newfound benefactor of brutality. Since, the proud fan has posted this link for all to see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoJqK8h27CY&feature=related