| Vader “Litany” Metal Blade, 2000 Gloon: I must firstly admit that even though Vader have been around for a number of years this is the first album of theirs I have purchased, am I pissed with myself, fuck yes. This album has a wickedly loud production, the first thing I noticed on the opener ‘Wings’ is the killer drum sound, fuck its thumping. Vader’s style can best be described as a blend of elements from the masters, listening to this album you will nod in approval and recognition of certain Slayerism ‘North’ and splashes of Morbid Angel style riffing ‘The Calling’. The band however stand on their own two feet and deliver their own brand of blistering death metal, from the pace and mayhem of ‘The one made flesh’ to the slowed down Ministry chug of ‘Xeper’ this album has loads on offer. Unfortunately the album suffers from being a little too top heavy with all the choice cuts at the beginning of the disc making the second half sound worse then it is. Still a solid slab of heavy technical death and I will definitely be checking out these boys back catalogue. Favourite Tracks – Xeper, The One Made Flesh, Wings Rating – 8/10 Vader "Reign Forever World" Metal Blade, 2001 Gloon: 'Reign Forever World' is a nice little collection of new, rare and live cuts to sedate Vader fans until the new full length is produced. The album starts off with three new tracks which are all corkers, displaying the hard hitting sound and production which made me fall in love with 'Litany'. Then come the covers: Total Desaster (Destruction) which comes across fairly well, Rapid Fire (Judas Priest) yet more proof why Death Metal bands shouldn't cover Power Metal tunes, and Mayhem's 'Freezing Moon' complete with butchered vocals and Blackmetal riff-a-ramma. We also get two live tracks from the earlier years and a couple of bonus tracks which we missed out on from the Japanese version of 'Litany', the short keyboard instrumental 'Red Dunes' and the Egyptian themed 'Lord of Desert'. Overall a great little stop gap for fans before the next album and if the three new tracks are anything to go by it should be a beauty. Favourite Tracks - Reign Forever World, Frozen Paths, Privelege of the Gods Rating - 7.5/10 Vader ‘Revelations’ Metal Blade, 2002 Gloon: Building on over 10 years of experience and honing the sound and approach found on their last two outings, ‘Revelations’ exceeds all expectations. Where ‘Litany’ flirted with greatness and ‘Reign Forever World’ teased with only three new tracks, this new offering will quite literally blow you away. Blending perfectly the extreme elements of both thrash and death Vader create mind blowingly good songs with more of a focus on song writing and riffs then technicality and speed. One just has to listen to a track like ‘Black Moses’ and one immediately realizes that they have purchased something truly grand. Also pleasing is the shift away from the Morbid Angel homage which currently plagues the scene, into their own niche which they have slowly been developing over the course of their career. Simon is quietly establishing himself as one of the best vocalists in the genre and creativity and talent wise his cohorts should be equally respected. ‘Revelations’ is quite simply without flaw the more I listen the more I appreciate and crave, rarely does the scene produce an album of such quality and most importantly longevity. This one WILL still be remembered and played in years to come believe me, and while fellow brothers in blasphemy seem to be fading from grace, Vader are only getting stronger and more superior. Vader have now produced their flagship, their career album which sets them apart from the pretenders and cements their place in history as one of deaths greatest children, simply brilliant. Favourite Tracks –They are all Killer!!!!!! Rating – 9/10 Vader ‘The Beast’ Metal Blade, 2004 Gloon: Picking up where ‘Revelations’ left off ‘The Beast’ sees yet another quality album banged out by the old warhorse of polish death. While keeping the well honed style and approach of their last album ‘The Beast’ adds a few more subtle flourishes to the Vader machine without intruding or imposing any major changes to the sound. While in spirit the new album is almost a brother in arms to the awesome ‘Revelations’, it somehow fails to re-capture the intensity and magic that made their previous effort a classic. While ‘The Sea Came in at Last’ and ‘Dark Transmission’ are top shelf there seems to be a little too much of ‘heard it before’ and ‘going through the motions’ material. Opener ‘Out of the Deep’ fails to rip into the listener like previous starters and basically sets the tone for a solid yet little disappointing follow up to a great album. Vader will need to either find some more inspiration or put in some more hard yards if their next album is to avoid being a tragic rehash of former glories. Good but not great from a band that has set a higher standard over the years. Favourite Tracks – The Sea Came in at Last, Dark Transmissions, Choices Rating – 7.5/10 |
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