Death metal may have been and still is my favorite style of metal music, but Vader never managed to win my attention. Their course in the field is great, as is their discography. The Polish are one of the most historic and important bands on the global extreme metal map, starting in 1983 and having released sixteen full-length albums so far, with this one included.
Four years after “The Empire”, the quartet returns making things different. This time, they focused on writing fast tracks, according to leader and only remaining founding member Piotr Wiwczarek, as their previous album focused on slower tracks influenced by classical heavy metal. This is not the case here, as he compared it with the classic “Litany” in the way of composition.
Aside from a few mid-tempo exceptions, “Solitude In Madness” is a fast album. So far that it has eleven tracks that last only thirty minutes. Death metal with intense thrash orientation, lots of frenzy solos and vocals from Piotr who may not sound as extreme as the old days, but they are still aggressive and I can say that they are combined nicely with the band’s music.
From then on, my view of Vader did not change with this release either, as I did not find anything special here. Their fast bits sound quite monotonous and repetitive to me, there wasn’t a single riff to excite me, the solos did not make a special impression on me and the only good thing is the duration. If it was longer, I think it would make me quite tired.
I respect their history and their contribution to the field, but that’s all. If you are one of those who follow the band, then you will love it. In my case, if you never liked their music, I don’t think you’ll be thrilled now.
