Vader - Solitude In Madness review
| Band: | Vader |
| Album: | Solitude In Madness |
| Style: | Death metal |
| Release date: | May 01, 2020 |
| A review by: | nikarg |
01. Shock And Awe
02. Into Oblivion
03. Despair
04. Incineration Of The Gods
05. Sanctification Denied
06. And Satan Wept
07. Emptiness
08. Final Declaration
09. Dancing In The Slaughterhouse
10. Stigma Of Divinity
11. Bones
When you come across 'Poland' and 'death metal' in the same sentence, you are bound to also find two bands mentioned: Behemoth and Vader. Making music for over three decades now, Vader is a household name for good ol' thrashing death metal.
For Solitude In Madness, guitarist/vocalist/mastermind/sole original member Piotr Wiwczarek has said that he looked back to Litany and went for raw brutality and high speed. As a result, the tempo of Vader's latest offering ranges from fast to super fast. Featuring ten original tracks and an annihilating cover of Acid Drinkers' "Dancing In The Slaughterhouse", the album goes for "Shock And Awe" just like its opener suggests. And it hits hard enough for about the first couple of tracks but as a whole it does not kick as much ass as it was intended to kick.
Trying to put out another death metal version of Reign In Blood is fine and dandy but all this speed for the sake of speed does not come close to having the staying power and memorability that Litany had. Solitude In Madness is pure death thrashing mayhem but it - more often than not - strikes me as monotonous and repetitive. It just feels that it was merely meant to be pummeling for the purpose of being pummeling. I have no problem with the band's unwillingness to experiment or with their expressed desire to go 'back to the roots' but I do have a problem with their diminishing ability to provide riffs and songs that stick to my mind and make me want to listen again.
Apart from the aforementioned cover, there are two more tracks that really stand out from the pack though. "Emptiness" showcases a very appealing heavy metal influence and is a total banger from the starting solo to the finishing chug. The other one is the closer "Bones" which begins as a groovy crusher but proceeds with a second half of blasting obliteration. "Bones" is exactly how you can have the best of both worlds in one song and it is a pity that this level of inspired songwriting is rarely found elsewhere on the album.
It's a good thing that Solitude In Madness is over in less than half an hour. Had it been longer, my impression of it would have been worse. It is not a flop and I guess it is satisfying for the die-hard fans, but I personally don't see any reason to not play Litany for the umpteenth time and choose this one instead.
"Screaming, crying and praying inside
Shaking, breaking, distressed and lost
So lost"
 | Written on 13.08.2020 by Only way to feel the noise is when it's good and loud! |
Comments
Comments: 14
Visited by: 179 users
| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6106  |
My thoughts exactly. A few good tracks, the rest is forgettable. It could be one of their weakest releases, perhaps a contender for the weakest spot next to "Necropolis"
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| RaduP CertifiedHipster Staff Posts: 9037  |
Never was too big of a Vader, though some of their early 2010s material was surprisingly good for a band their age. This one is just decent. When thinking of Polish death metal, I generally also think of Decapitated. But purely for "old Polish death metal band releasing 2020 album" Trauma has everyone beat.
---- Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking One day there will be no heart at all?
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| Coconut Racecar Posts: 389  |
Wow, 6? I'm not a musician so it's hard to fully appreciate a band's talent, but as a long time fan of Vader, I found this to be one of their better releases of the last few years. It is entertaining the whole way through, has great production, and doesn't feel as monotonous as a few of their previous releases.
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| BitterCOld The Ancient One Admin Posts: 15288  |
Shocked they're still chugging along. remember finding The Ultimate Incantation at an Air Force Exchange on Guam in '92, though to be honest haven't been particularly fired up by anything they've done since joining MS. (Black to the Blind was one of the very few metal albums I bought in the late 90s after just getting bored with what DM and Thrash were) But we'll always have Testimony... CONQUER YOUR FEAR!
---- get the fuck off my lawn. Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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| Mort Posts: 34  |
Sold off all their stuff after Impressions In Blood, some seemed really weak, some - good, but not memorable at all like Welcome to Morbid Reich. The Empire got great reviews, but for me it was so lame. Not fan of this lineup, saw at The Ultimate Incantation anniversary tour - fun, but not "that" feeling. Drummer saves, god bless)) Litany/Revelations line-up was absolutely skull-crushing war-machine live. This album is at last so fresh/fast/fierce, that gonna buy again. So happy to dig it \m/
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| sgtrobo Posts: 595  |
Most fun thing they've released since Welcome to the Morbid Reich. I love it. Tons of energy, great music to lift weights to
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| nikarg Staff Posts: 7366  |
Written by sgtrobo on 14.08.2020 at 01:42 I tried that twice and both times switched to Litany as soon as "Despair" started. I am glad that you and many other people like it; I have a lot of respect for Vader and for Piotr in particular. Written by RaduP on 13.08.2020 at 12:21 Decapitated are third on my list as far as Polish death metal goes but far behind both Vader and Behemoth. I have not listened to the latest Trauma but I will at some point. Written by BitterCOld on 13.08.2020 at 21:37 I forgot to mention in the review that it takes a big set of balls to release music as ferocious as this in your 50s. I only wish it was better. Written by Coconut Racecar on 13.08.2020 at 15:15 I am not a musician either, just a listener. The band is undoubtedly talented, Piotr is a legend of the scene and the drummer is also great on this album as Mort above mentioned. It's the songwriting that doesn't convince me.
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| Coconut Racecar Posts: 389 |
Quote:Written by Coconut Racecar on 13.08.2020 at 15:15 Fair enough. Personally, I haven't much cared for like.. MOST of their releases post-Impressions In Blood. Dark Age and Tibi Et Igni are the only ones I've particularly enjoyed. The rest has been bland and forgettable, but I still listen to many of those albums regularly anyway. Vader is one of those bands where a weak album is still a good album compared to many bands, at least in my eyes. It has been a while since I've thoroughly enjoyed one of their releases rather than just liking it, and I found Solitude In Madness to be one of those. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised though, I mean, The Beast is one of my favorite albums of theirs and I often see people referring to it as their worst. So, that should say enough about my taste, lol.
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306  |
Written by Coconut Racecar on 14.08.2020 at 05:53 Same. After The Art of War EP nothing they've done has stood up to the strength and consistency of their back catalog. Typical you mention The Beast as your personal favorite though, you have a tendency for enjoying things others don't. What about it do you find so interesting?
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Coconut Racecar Posts: 389 |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 14.08.2020 at 06:01 Sometimes, I think my taste in music is just objectively bad, lol. Dark Transmission, Firebringer, The Sea Came In At Last, The Zone, I love all of those songs. I very much enjoy groovy-type songs/bands, and that's one of the things that really attracts me to Vader - they have a lot of super catchy riffs. I have to assume the reason The Beast isn't liked is because it isn't very original, or it's musical composition isn't as impressive as previous albums, otherwise I'm not sure what it is people don't like. I find it a very catchy album is all. But I agree, The Art Of War is a very good one too. Every song on that EP is amazing. A lot of things they did afterward were just "meh", but still plenty good enough to enjoy.
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989  |
About ten years ago when I was in high school, still listened to mostly thrash and death metal, and first signed up on MS, Vader were honestly one of my favorite bands. Still revisit De Profundis and especially Impressions In Blood on occasion. I sorta stopped paying attention to them after Welcome To The Morbid Reich though, so I really have no idea what they've been up to since or the quality of their work after that album. From what you say here though, this new one seems like one to pass over.
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| Batlord666 Posts: 150 |
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| jupitreas hi-fi / lo-life Staff Posts: 6659  |
That Acid Drinkers cover is basically identical to the original, so don't really see what the fuss is all about. As for the album, well, I think the 6 is about right, its pretty mediocre. I feel that at their best Vader is actually one od the finest death metal bands of all time, but this ain't them at their best 
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Finally got around to this and agree with everything written and understand the score. I didn't think they would fall into such drab territory but it makes sense considering their age and longevity. With a bit more groove and melody this could have been easily improved upon but it seemed like they didn't want to spend that much time trying to expand on songwriting dynamics.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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