Legendary Death Metal band VADER has a new record, Solitude In Madness, coming May 1 via Nuclear Blast Records. If you haven’t been fortunate enough to taste the whole thing like me, oh well, too bad!! I’m kidding, relax. You guys know I get most of this stuff way early. I will tell you this, though. Fans of the group will be very, very happy. The songs get right down to business, and the sound is ferocious. Clocking in at a mere 29 minutes and change, we are off and running from the opening tip-off. “Shock and Awe” is definitely a new favorite from these guys, and “Into Oblivion” is the perfect way to follow that up.
A couple of the tunes are super-short, like “Despair” and “Stigma of Dignity,” both coming in at under two minutes, but that doesn’t detract from the quality of the music by any means. And one of the more adventurous tracks is “Incineration of the Gods.” It starts out one way, then veers to the right at an almost breakneck pace. Stuff like this makes me want to flip my coffee table over then break some goddamn windows while I howl maniacally, but being a supposed “adult” I can’t do shit like that anymore. Still, the temptation is real…
One of the reasons this stuff all works so well is the cohesiveness of the lineup. Piotr “Peter” Wiwczarek (vocals/guitar), Marek “Spider” Pająk (guitar), Tomasz “Hal” Halicki (bass), and James Stewart (drums) once again give notice that they are going to kick your ass up and down the coastline then into the sand dunes. Wiwczarek’s voice is particularly evil on this release and I am absolutely here for it! “Sanctification Denied” is like a sonic air strike, carpet bombing the listener with strength and fury, and it hits hard without being noisy.
Another favorite was/is “And Satan Wept” without a doubt. This motherfucker will have pits in a full-on frenzy as soon as our favorite bands can play live again! Some of you might get whiplash headbanging to this one, y’all. Double kick drum madness ensues during “Emptiness” which coincides with some of the record’s best guitar riffage and solos. Meanwhile “Final Declaration” is akin to that moment when some amateur Cowboy gets on the bull at a rodeo and they open the gate: you gonna get fucked up, homie.
Wait till you hear “Dancing In the Slaughterhouse,” you’re gonna die. Once again the band members hit that switch and go completely nuts. Nice individual as well as dual harmonized solo work from Wiwczarek and Pajak help accentuate what’s going on around them. Closer “Bones” is definitely one that hits you in the chest again and again, especially when Halicki and Stewart up the tempo, driving the truck right through you. Look people, at the end of the day VADER have delivered an absolute home run with Solitude In Madness. Despite it being only a half hour it truly kicks your ass. Add this one to my Death Metal albums of the year!
STANDOUT TRACKS: ALL OF THEM
RATING: 9.5/10
