Source: Album Artwork
Speed-thrash-death metal band Vader have been around for as long as anyone can remember (unless you can remember before 1983). Indeed ten studio albums, two compilation albums, two live albums, eight EPs and a whole shit-ton of singles, demos and other works are pretty good going. Their latest album, The Empire is out now, at a time where traditional death metal has given way to deathcore as the cool, edgy heavy thing to be into. This coupled with the length of time they’ve been around would seem to imply that this album would not be worth your time. Who wants to listen to a bunch of old Polish dudes playing a somewhat outdated form of music?
Well, you should if you’re not an idiot.
From the moment you push play on ‘Angels Of Steel‘ Vader show that they are just as heavy, intense and technical as they were thirty years ago. There are plenty of modern bands’ fans who could easily find things to like about this album – fans of Thy Art Is Murder will recognise the heavy blasting and vocal styles that formed the “death” part of TAIM’s “deathcore” sound. Those who like Gojira or Sylosis need look no further than ‘Tempest‘ to hear some of those bands faster riffs played even faster and even more aggressively.
The Empire does not re-invent the wheel. It simply picks up the wheel, and hits you on the head with it, a lot of times, very fast. Whilst shredding out an awesome guitar solo.
Vader are probably not a band who are going to get any bigger. By now they have their fan base, and that’s fine for them. Albums this excessively heavy and dark are not going to appeal to many who aren’t already into this kind of music. But there’s no reason for those who are in, to not be in on this.
