Longtime Polish purveyors of death metal, Vader return with Solitude In Madness, their first album in three years and the 16th overall. Solitude In Madness is meat and potatoes death thrash, being played by one of the genre’s most established acts, and certainly for fans of Covenant-era Morbid Angel, along with fellow countrymen, Behemoth. What can you expect from such a long running and consistent band for this go-around?
First of all the album is a bite sized affair that sees songs begin and end with relative ease and the disc itself is just shy of 30 minutes. If you need that down and dirty quick fix, then this album may well do the trick. Vocalist Peter Wiwczarek sounds like his typical guttural self and the rest of the band is a well-experienced and well-oiled machine. The guitars hit their riffs hard and their solos harder, while drummer James Stewart acts as the glue that holds all of it together with his great stick work.
Opener “Shock and Awe” as well as “Incineration of the Gods” are standout tracks that blast and beat the listener throughout their duration with a constant pounding, no prisoners taken. However a lot of the album can sound very samey, without much to distinguish itself from other Vader albums, let alone other tracks on this album. The end result is an album that feels a little empty.
Vader are a well-established act with many important records to their credit. With so much death metal available for public consumption these days, this is not a standout album in 2020 or as a Vader album. If you are a longtime fan of the band, you will likely enjoy it, but for new fans of the band be sure to look elsewhere for your fix of quality Polish death metal.
(released May 1, 2020 on Nuclear Blast)
