Vader - Necropolis (2009)

Poland's premier death metal outfit has been on a tear, producing album after album of superbly crafted, simple death metal with extreme drumming and the unmistakable power of Peter's vocals, which sound like no other. Necropolis is no exception, their 9th full length album and one of their very best to date. If you've been clobbered by any of Vader's previous work, you will know what to expect here: a complete commitment to songwriting painstakingly engraved into each track.

There has always been a heavy thrash influence in death metal (after all, it evolved directly from that genre), and thus Vader, but it feels cranked up a notch on Necropolis. The Slayer influence is once again abundant, but well executed. "Devilizer" surges open the album with a concrete battery of grim thrashing death. The song is perfect, each of Peter's lines delivered with agony and intensity. The lead breaks are slavering and venomous. "Rise of the Undead" is an onslaught of session drummer Paul's footwork and deliciously old school riffing. Love the breakdown with its bluesy twang to the guitar. "Never Say My Name" fuses blasting aggression with winding and flawless death breaks and more of the tantalizing, brief leads. The aptly titled "Blast" will pummel your jaw hard enough to twist your neck at least 720 degrees. "The Seal" is a sweet departure, glowering guitar ambience with some chants to lead into the hammering "Dark Heart". The remainder of the album is consistently great, with "Anger" feeling like the new "Hellelujah!" this time around.

The limited edition also includes rock solid covers of Venom's "Black Metal" and Metallica's "Fight Fire With Fire", modified to fit snugly into Vader's style as if they had been this band's properties for all these years. The mix of Necropolis is just about perfect, nothing new for this band. Crisp and heavy tones, steady drumming and some of the best vocals in death metal (though I wouldn't complain about a more powerful bass presence). Peter is the only 'core' member of the band left, but he continues to surround himself with the perfect roster to get the job done, included Vogg from Decapitated on guitars.

Necropolis is yet another tight, controlled album from Poland's celebrated veterans. The sound is top notch and the writing is exactly where it needs to be at this stage in the band's career. It's not the best effort they've produced, and it falls short of timeless masterpiece status, but it is one of the better death metal albums I've heard (and am likely to hear) this year.

Verdict: Epic Win [9/10]

http://www.vader.pl/