By: Richard Maw
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 04/11/2016
Label: Nuclear Blast
Death metal with
a hefty dose of thrash sums up what Vader were and are about. This album has
moments of steady rolling, thrash pacing and blast beats. Quite simply, this is
an excellent Vader album.
“The Empire” CD//DD//LP track listing:
1. Angels of Steel (2:16)
2. Tempest (2:41)
3. Prayer to the God of War (2:47)
4. Iron Reign (4:37)
5. No Gravity (4:08)
6. Genocidius (2:59)
7. The Army-Geddon (4:10)
8. Feel My Pain (3:24)
9. Parabellum (2:28)
10. Send Me Back to Hell (3:32)
The Review:
Polish
veterans Vader
follow up the excellent “Tibi Et Igni”
with this; “The Empire”. Death metal
with a hefty dose of thrash sums up what Vader were and are about. This album has
moments of steady rolling, thrash pacing and blast beats. Quite simply, this is
an excellent Vader
album. We all have our favourites, “De
Profundis” or “Black to the Blind”...
even the aforementioned last record they put out (mine, as it goes!). Rest
assured, this album is up there with their best work.
The
production is crystal clear and very precise. The drums in particular are
superb; punchy and with a fine balance of high and low end. The vocal
performance of Piotr throughout is excellent but to be fair, all band members
are on top form here.
From
the off, you know what you are getting. Stand outs? Well, opener “Angels of Steel” and “Iron Reign” really stand out for me,
but you cannot argue with any of the ten tracks offered up to the gods of war
here. I can see all of the tracks standing up well in the live arena (I saw
them earlier this year with Overkill- they slayed). The songs are
reassuringly concise- no fifteen minute epics here; you get short sharp shocks
aplenty. Riffs, solos, leads... chugging passages. This is proper metal.
The
album is strong from front to back with “Send
Me Back to Hell” being every bit as immediate as the opener. Vader
have created a very strong record here. If you like Vader, you will like this album.
If you haven't heard them and are considering doing so, starting with this
album and working backwards would be a fine move. If the later person is you, I
envy you; I wish I was discovering this band again.
Vader have been in the game
since the early eighties, they know how to deliver high quality metal and they
do so by the (tank) shell full here. A tour de force of a modern death/thrash
album. Buy it and then bang your head!
“The
Empire” is available now
Band
info: facebook
FFO: Morbid Angel, Slayer, Decapitated, Behemoth
