Keeping it Brutal Since 1992

Vader is a Polish death metal institution at this point, even if their notoriety might not quite match up to other Polish National acts like Behemoth and Decapitated. Vader has had a solid career of producing above-par death metal and they’ve been at it for over 30 years. Their blend of old school death and thrash still holds longevity in today’s age, where the metal scene has since evolved in so many different directions.

Vader doesn’t spend too much time procrastinating before putting out new music and they’re back again with The Empire, a follow-up to 2014’s Tibi Et Igni. Take a quick moment and imagine in your head all the things you might expect from a typical Vader record. Does it involve high-speed thrash riffs? What about demonic tremolo-picked death metal melodies?  And maybe some Slayer-esque whammy-bar-laden guitar solos? Well, if you like all those things, then you should find plenty to be pleased with when listening to The Empire.

There are many bands in the death metal scene that don’t typically evolve their sound too much over time. Many are happy to stick with the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach. Whether this is a good thing or not is kind of a touchy subject. Some bands really suffer from it, leading to stale and monotonous releases that don’t gather up enough momentum. But there seems to be an exception in extreme metal genres, mainly death and black metal. Hardcore fans seem to thrive off music that maintains that original, old school feel. It’s hard to tell if the music really just has perpetual longevity, or if fans are so emotionally invested in the sound that they’re just not willing to let go.

When it comes down to it, The Empire is a pretty solid record and much of what fans have come to expect from Vader, but it is by no means anything that stands out from the rest of their catalog. Vader put out their first death metal record, The Ultimate Incantation in 1992 (they had already been around since 1983 playing different styles of metal). Going back and taking a listen to it now, it’s easy to see the band hasn’t changed much since then. That isn’t a shot at their music though, as most of their early music is still very high quality.

In the end, how you react to this record will totally be based upon your propensity towards more classic styles of metal. For listeners who are out seeking something new, The Empire doesn’t have much to offer. But for those who can’t get enough of the sound, it will be a more than satisfying entry into Vader’s catalog. It’s certainly dark and heavy, and their strong Slayer influences gives it the speed and aggression it needs to push forward without getting boring.  Vader knows how to keep it brutal.