V ADER is undoubtedly one of forefathers of death metal and one of the most respected bands in the genre. Over three decades, Vader has become an unstoppable machine, releasing eleven full-lengths, among several EPs, singles, live albums and compilations. One of the band's well-known peculiarities is its immediately recognized sound signature, which has changed little over the years. Incineration Of The Gods 5. The tempos aren't extremely fast, just interesting and unrelenting blasts in your face. Well, not much to be honest. Their 2019 E.P. There’s no escaping Litany and the one-two punch of Welcome to the Morbid Reich and Tibi et Igni as far as top-tier Vader albums are concerned. Genres: Death Metal. It just makes an album like Solitude in Madness all the more impressive. Here, they’ve taken these song structures, put them in a more compact form, and then open the album with the musical equivalent of a rhino stampede. After all, I’ll admit to only having a slim, passing knowledge of Vader, despite their … Bludgeoning the senses with some hard-hitting death/thrash riffs while Doc’s drumming beats you over the head with a giant boulder like it’s nobody’s business, Litany ripped and tore its way into everyone’s world. They were already heading this direction with ‘The Empire’. For those who are not familiar with the band’s history, Vader started out as a thrash metal outfit and so this is a return to their roots. The hesher hive mind splinters predictably when faced with such consistency and often to the point of revealing a collectively ill-defined notion of artistic philosophy, a conversation that too-often overshadows the nuance at which Vader approach their well-defined sonic identity. Jammin' Jon and Necrotic Nick go over the blistering new release from Vader with their new album "Solitude in Madness" out now! Litany was a real defining release for Vader. In summary, ‘Solitude In Madness’ doesn’t offer too many surprises. Peter and Spider’s insanely fast thrashing riffs play off one another to accentuate the smashing rhythms provided by Stewart, like how Peter did it with Mauser back then with their insane tremelo picking. It's not worth noting the low points of the album because there really aren't many, only moments that feel weak comparatively in the context of an otherwise strong album with strong songwriting, well crafted guitar parts, and a more-than-capable rhythm section. I'll start with two that I felt really had a lot to offer, which just happened to follow right after each other in the track list: Incineration of the Gods and Sanctification Denied. This little reminiscence on one of death metal's more commercially successful early ventures is relevant as another seminal figure in the same style's development, namely Poland's premier export Vader, has a radically different take on the diabolical character of a twisted life lived in seclusion while enslaved to a fearsome mode of superstitious rituals, if their latest offering Solitude In Madness is any indication. The album is an eleven … This little reminiscence on one of death metal's more commercially successful early ventures is relevant as another seminal figure in the same style's development, namely Poland's premier export Vader, has a radically different take on the diabolical character of a twisted life lived in seclusion while enslaved to a fearsome mode of superstitious rituals, if their latest offering Solitude In Madness is any indication. Any Vader fan worth his OG Ultimate Incantation t-shirt knows what to expect from the Polish progenitors of death metal at this point. Buy item for 3996 Nukes! At the same time, it carries those flames with such aplomb that it stands as another Olympic torch of an offering from Vader. Peter's vocal outbursts I think are intriguing. This is a record borne aloft on the forge-winds of molten bullet belts. And the music is just monumental. What a fitting title given the present circumstances which many of us find ourselves in during this turbulent time… Vader somehow hasn't aged a day in that length of time, so clearly there's something in the beer they're drinking. My first thought when firing up this record, beyond that striking Wes Benscoter painting, was admittedly the same reaction I’d had to the prior three records: “This could’ve been the follow up to ‘Impressions in Blood‘ (2006).” The importance of that thought dwindled naturally and I’d gotten the sense that this was meant to be a good ol’ straight forward Vader-assed death/thrash album that blasts out hard and leaves 6-7 catchy-but-extreme pieces in its wake. I don't think there's a better Vader release than this one for a while. This is probably the best produced Vader album that I can say. Each song feels like a compilation of great riffs. This outcome in its primary state can be heard in the band's first two demos Necrolust and Morbid Reich, the latter having even achieved a massive underground success with over ten thousand cassettes sold. I'll use that interchangeably with sublime. Date of Release: 1 May 2020. In many ways, I should say. As a matter of fact, everything is properly oiled as you would expect in a band with Vader's reputation, either musically or in terms of sound engineering, which guarantees the proper punch to the band's sound. Since then, they set their sights towards bigger, more epic compositions with more emphasis on melody while still retaining that unmistakable death/thrash edge they’ve always had – that “Slayer fucked Death” kind of style that they’ve been riding on since day dot, albeit with varying amounts of death and thrash in their sound across each individual album. CD - $9.99 ; 1027955 (Current item) CD - $9.99 ; add to wish list; Buy item for 3996 Nukes! This is vintage Vader, pity that it's only about 30 minutes long. For the purchase of this item you'll receive 80 Nukes! The album is an eleven track record with everything you'd want from the band. For Vader fans like myself, it ticks all the right boxes. Album closer “Bones” rides a similar note, but the other way around – it lulls you with a mid-paced groove before setting everything alight for one last big fuck off explosion with a cavalcade of dizzying solos and pounding riffs that show absolutely no mercy. But the bulk of these songs tend to rest just shy of the three-minute mark and have their eyes clearly affixed upon maximizing the auditory carnage like a raging typhoon tearing up the Asian coastline, with selections like "Into Oblivion" and the shred-happy monster "Emptiness" being the choice cuts. Despite the patent uniformity we still managed to find some contrasting elements, such as speed metal-esque 'Emptiness' and 'Dancing In The Slaughterhouse' that features a crossover thrash approach, which although not surprisingly different is still a contrasting detail worthy of note. Emptiness 8. $9.99. Emptiness 8. As with a number of prominent bands in the early days of the sub-genre, their formula has swung like a pendulum between a more streamlined, impact-based mode of raging death that aligns a bit more closely with the Slayer-infused mayhem of early Deicide; and a more nuanced, thrash-based sound that allows for some more development and elements of mid-paced grooving, which tends to result in longer length songs with a bit more going on than the usual assortment of blinding blasts and machine-gun mayhem. They're pretty cool, not sloppy just unique. I've never been a huge Vader fan myself, but some of their releases are decent. Even their cover of fellow Polish thrash metal band Acid Drinkers’ “Dancing in the Slaughterhouse” is interpreted quite well into this framework, taking a more crossover-tinged track, and pouring that distinctive Vader paint over it. Since 2011, the band has comprised Wiwczarek on guitars and vocals, guitarist Marek "Spider" Pająk, bassist Tomasz "Hal" Halicki, and British drummer James Stewart. Info about Nukes!-Points. An attentive audience knows that. That culminated into the white-hot fury that was Tibi et Igni – an infernally thrashing, pounding hellscape that absolutely lives up to its Latin nomenclature. With the bass guitar so high up in the mix and layered over this virtuous guitar flexing, I can't help be reminded yet again of early Deicide, especially their work on "Stench of Redemption". High recommendation. James Stewart pounds away at the kit in a manic yet almost kind of precise manner, similarly to how Doc did it back then. This spirit is carried on through the absolute wildfire that are its thrash riffs and the blistering bursts of soloing fury. And Satan Wept 7. Peter did an awesome job here both on vocals and musically. They have largely clung to what is essentially a death metalized version of Slayer: max tremolo picking, propulsive thrash beats and scorching solos. Emptiness and Despair were featured on the ‘Thy Messenger’ EP which I reviewed last year so I will not be discussing those songs. This little reminiscence on one of death metal's more commercially successful early ventures is relevant as another seminal figure in the same style's development, namely Poland's premier export Vader, has a radically different take on the diabolical character of a twisted life lived in seclusion while enslaved to a fearsome mode of superstitious rituals, if their latest offering Solitude In Madness is any indication. Then there is their cover of Acid Drinkers’ Dancing In The Slaughterhouse. Do the band some justice and purchase the physical CD! Originally written for: https://valkyrianmusic.com, Vader is undoubtedly one of Europe's strongest and most respected extreme metal institutions. It's been four years since their last full length ’The Empire’. Sanctification Denied 6. Solitude In Madness, is a suitably named album for the Covid based times of 2020.