A few years ago Vader grabbed their Polish mates Hate and blasted around the world, including a jaunt to little old Aotearoa, which certainly surprised me and a load of other Kiwi Metalheads and we had a great night hearing classic death metal being performed by masters of their craft. I have just re-read my review of that night, smiling as I revisited what was one of the most aggressive and enjoyable shows I have attended, listening to this new three-track 9-minute-long EP as I did so. It is the same line-up as the one I saw, except they have expanded to a quintet with guitarist Mauser joining forces with Peter (vocals, guitar), Spider (guitar), Hal (bass), and Michael (drums). Piotr Wiwczarek has been the one constant for more than 40 years and knows exactly what he wants from his band, which is death metal which does not compromise yet somehow also has a groove and slickness within.
Their last EP, ‘Thy Messenger’, blasted from the off and was over before we knew it and this one is even shorter, even though it is their first studio offering since their last album, 2020’s ‘Solitude in Madness’. One can only hope a full album is coming soon as there are very few who better Vader when it comes to this style of music, and this delivers on all levels.
Rating: 9/10
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/vader/
https://www.nuclearblast.com/