By this point, anyone who’s spent even a cursory amount of time listening to death metal has come across Vader. The Polish band has become an institution with over thirty years of material to show for it, and while their core approach of death metal with a heavy thrash influence hasn’t changed significantly over that span of time each of their albums has given listeners plenty of blistering material that hits the spot. The current rendition of Vader has been in place since 2011, and with the likes of Welcome to the Morbid Reich and Tibi et Igni the group has showcased they’re just as relevant now as they were in the 90s with slight tweaks to the formula and strong songwriting. In recent years Vader has stripped things down to their roots and this holds true on their latest effort Solitude in Madness which delivers a swift kick of fire and fury in just under half an hour. It’s another strong showing from this veteran band, and while the songs may not all stand out from each other there’s no denying that these guys get the essence of the genre down in a way that not everyone is able to replicate.
If you’ve followed Vader over the past decade and a half, a pattern has emerged where albums that were just under or over thirty minutes kept things stripped down while ones that cracked the thirty-five minute mark messed with the formula slightly and shook things up a bit more. 2016’s The Empire and Solitude in Madness go for the former approach, with the songs all skewing towards the shorter side as the instrumentals cram in as much intensity and violence as one can handle in a short burst. Given that the band did a twenty-five-year anniversary tour for The Ultimate Incantation in recent years it makes sense that their more recent output has felt like a return to the roots, to a time where death metal and thrash were still closely intertwined and more loosely defined. Vader makes the most of this, as rather than opening with an ominous intro this time around “Shock and Awe” knocks you squarely on your ass with relentless drumming and scorching riffs that get in and out with just the right amount of twists and turns. There’s a noticeable change in the production as this time around the group opted for Grindstone Studio as opposed to the usual Hertz Studio which they’ve been using since 2005’s Art of War EP, and the drums come through much denser than before. Solitude in Madness feels like a much fuller take on the classic sound, as while the songwriting hasn’t changed that dramatically there’s even more precision and sheer power at work throughout this recording and that makes you want to return for one bludgeoning after another. When it comes to the writing, Vader does deviate enough between the faster onslaughts with some mid-tempo breaks and hints of speed metal, but given the brevity there are songs that blur together as you make your way through. But even with that being the case, there’s still plenty to keep both long-time fans and newcomers alike satisfied.
Peter’s vocal style is instantly recognizable, as his approach to growling has always felt a bit more dynamic than is typical for death metal. His vocals have a tendency to tower above the instrumentation with a commanding presence, but they’re delivered in a way that makes it easy to make out the lyrics and because of this specific lines often stick with you after spending time with each of the band’s albums. This holds true on Solitude in Madness, and despite just how long Vader has been together Peter shows no signs of losing any of his momentum as his delivery is just as over the top and in your face as it was over three decades ago. There is some variation throughout the album, as higher screams are added into the mix on “Emptiness” and gang vocals are incorporated on the Acid Drinkers cover “Dancing in the Slaughterhouse”, helping to give some additional nuances to latch onto as you spend time with the material.
You would think that a band with sixteen full length releases under their belt would be losing steam by now, but that’s not the case with Vader. Their most recent releases have stripped things down to their essence and delivered fast and furious death metal that doesn’t let up for a second and gives listeners plenty of reason to come back. While some of the shortest bursts do blur together and the individual songs don’t always stand out quite as much as on Welcome to the Morbid Reich or Tibi et Igni, this is still another strong release and the change in recording studios makes the band sound rejuvenated as they enter this new decade. Solitude in Madness is available from Nuclear Blast.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to share it with others to help us grow. You can also like and follow us on the social media of your choice with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and support us on Patreon.