Album: Vader – Welcome to the Morbid Reich
Release date: 8/12/2011
Label: Nuclear Blast
Another Polish death metal group to have lost a drummer prematurely, Vader breaks through the grave with lightning speed and delivers their best album in years with Welcome to the Morbid Reich. This blink-and-you’ll-miss-it powerhouse of a death metal record shreds with resurgence. This is their ninth studio album and their first in two years, though it seems longer.
When I first heard this album in my friend’s car I swore this was a different band until I heard Piotr “Peter” Wiwczarek’s recognizable (and decipherable!) vocals. And this is a different band. Vader has always maintained an unbridled speed and energy on each record, but with Welcome to the Morbid Reich, many of my complaints with the group are answered. The monotony that many of their later albums have treaded is not here. Each track is separable, yet inseparable to the quality of the completed album. This rocks through and through.
This is a loud and fast recording. Vader has always been regarded as one of the fastest death metal (and to a very, very small degree, thrash) bands on the planet. They prove themselves worthy of the title on Welcome to the Morbid Reich, but that doesn’t mean the whole thing is played out like a blistering event horizon. What I mean to say is the whole album is very fast, but there are some parts that are just fast. You’ll be skull-banging all throughout.
The songwriting and production of this album screech quality. Welcome to the Morbid Reich is great enough to be considered a mainstream metal release and definitive of its genre. It’s played by the best of the best, who are best in what they do. This is a strong candidate for album of the year and strongly recommended.
Best track: Decapitated Saints
Star rating:
9 out of 10 stars
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