VADER is a band characterized for cutting to the chase, so I’ll follow their example. The Polish death metal veterans are back to the attack with their newest full-length release entitled “Solitude in Madness,” a title that frontman and only persistent member Peter Wiwczarek originally meant to describe the isolation and alienation we often experience in a digital world. The fact that the album ended up being released during the current pandemic with most people locked in their apartments and disconnected from the outside world is a fine example of art becoming more real than life itself. You can read the full interview with Peter here.
As with most VADER albums, you get what you pay for: brutal, honest death metal without any compromises or extra BS. The tracks flow perfectly from savage opener “Shock and Awe” to the groovy closer, “Bones.” In addition to full-speed, shorter tracks like “Into Oblivion,” “Final Declaration,” and the insanely fierce “Stigma of Divinity,” we also get some cool mid-tempo sections in songs like “Incineration” and “Sanctification Denied,” exploring the thrashier side of their sound and bringing some balance to The Force. The current line-up is very tight and you can tell they’ve been playing together for almost a decade now. Anyone who’s seen them live recently may attest to this.
Two tracks included in “Solitude in Madness” are re-recorded versions of previously released songs featured in their 2019 EP, “Thy Messenger” (“Despair” and “Emptiness”) slightly modified for the album, so die-hard fans will already be familiar with them. “And Satan Wept” is another great example of the unstoppable power of VADER at the top of their game: the iconic growls combined with the sharp riffing and soloing by Wiwczarek himself and his partner in crime Marek “Spider” Pająk makes them one of the deadliest guitar duos in extreme metal. Extra kudos to the young drummer, James Stewart, for delivering a flawless, intense performance throughout the eleven tracks.
With “Solitude in Madness,” VADER sends a clear message to the current extreme metal scene: less can be more if you know how to do it. In thirty minutes, they achieve so much more than young bands putting out one-hour-plus records filled with derivate, pretentious self-indulgence. Peter is truly a master of his art, crafting solid albums for over thirty years now and showing no signs of slowing down. As with most VADER albums, there is little room for innovation or experimentation here, but I guess you were not expecting them to suddenly start following any commercial trends to increase their popularity. Being a metal fan himself, Peter would never disappoint his loyal legions. All hail Lord VADER!
Written by David Araneda
Tracklist
1. Shock And Awe
2. Into Oblivion
3. Despair
4. Incineration Of The Gods
5. Sanctification Denied
6. And Satan Wept
7. Emptiness
8. Final Declaration
9. Dancing In The Slaughterhouse
10. Stigma Of Divinity
11. Bones
Lineup
Peter – Vocals, Guitars
Spider – Guitars
James – Drums
Hal – Bass
Label
Nuclear Blast Records
Links
https://www.nuclearblast.de/de/label/
https://www.facebook.com/vader/
https://twitter.com/vaderband
https://www.youtube.com/user/panzervader
