Review Summary: Polish death heads Vader, release a steady album that does make for an enjoyable listen but does absolutely nothing to push on the boundaries of metal.
Welcome To The Morbid Reich shows much of what is needed to create an enjoyable death metal record, however there is little they do that releases them from the confines of their writing style. Their latest effort ticks all the right boxes but leaves a question mark next to the heading: “Experimentation”. Vader, in their now twenty-plus year career have solidified a true vintage death metal sound. Fortunately, the production has received a continuous updating process and the album comes out crisp, clean and overall well done. Every drum stroke and kick, every solo note and even the raspy vocals come through very strongly ensuring Vader’s booming presence. This makes for a “vintage” yet “modern” album.
Vader’s latest effort displays an excellent amount of technical prowess throughout the entire of the album and knows how to show it off. Combined with their creative experiences and upbeat tempos; Vader collectively blast, growl and chug along extremely well. Easily highlighting the instrumental aspects of the album comes the guitar work, specifically the solo work where there is a combination of sparingly used sweeps, tremolo and arpeggio runs that all combine to make an interesting listen. Another highlight includes the diverse efforts from the drum kit. The albums tempo is kept by some amazing stick work that, thanks to the modern production can be heard down to the smallest detail.
Welcome To The Morbid Reich’s atmosphere adds another layer of interest for the listener to explore. It has a rather cinematic feel especially where symphonic and orchestral elements are added to tracks by themselves or layered behind other instruments. These other sound sources build a mood for the album that rarely lets go. Holding the entire album together is a wealth of experience, on all levels including musicianship and the input of contrasting features i.e. the orchestral/symphonic sounds that would be more commonly known to the black metal genre. These excerpts are often coupled rhythmically with Vader’s guitar and drum work thickening the band’s texture and adding another element to maintain the interest of the listener.
It’s important to state that whilst the music is extremely solid, its consistency lets it down a little. In short, it’s overly consistent. There is no willingness to explore their sound or experiment abruptly. Some key features that if pulled off would have favoured
Welcome To The Morbid Reich favourably. There is nothing groundbreaking to be seen here just some outstandingly solid music from some death metal veterans.
Welcome To The Morbid Reich plays a little too safe and sticks to the same formula that has been done many times before. Vader seem to be content with releasing much of the same music over and over again staying overly true to the music they produce. Fans are going to be very pleased with this and for those experiencing Vader for the first time, they are sure to find at least one element they’ll like this album could considered an accessible step into death metal.
