Review Summary: We got Welcomed to the Morbid Reich, now we head Into The Fire.
The list of bands whom you can bet your house on to release, at the very least, music of the same caliber or style they have always done, is very short. You have Motorhead and AC/DC in the obvious category. In the more modern era, you have Skeletonwitch, Cannibal Corpse, and yes of course, Manowar. However, as time has gone on, the list has expanded. One more band should be on there. Poland's death metal champs Vader. In their 31 year career, I'm pretty sure they have never wavered from the style of extreme metal, be it thrash or death. The results have always been almost the same. Average if not exceptional death metal. With this new release, Vader do no different. And to be honest, that's perfectly okay. "Tibi Et Igni" is more of the same for Vader, and I could not be any happier with that.
"Welcome To The Morbid Reich" was really one hell of an album. It was one of 2011's best metal releases, and a lot of people, myself included, did not believe it would be possible for a band like Vader to top it. They've always released some good music, but for them to release something that good that deep into their career was an exceptional feat. Going into "Tibi Et Igni", I expected the album to falter, if I'm being totally honest. I expected the sophomore slump to overcome another veteran metal band, and for them to release something strikingly average. But, again, I was quickly proven wrong.
"Tibi Et Igni" is a very straightforward death metal record. It's not experimental, nor is it something so revolutionary. . It's riffs, upon riffs, tight drumming, and unique vocals. The premise of this is like a pie. The pie being the album of course. You have the pie crust, the drumming that holds it altogether. You have the riffs, the best part, and the part everyone eats first. The topping is the vocals, which is an added on bonus to the pie you've been presented. The pie is extremely tasty, but not because any one of these ingredients or factors is doing more than the rest. It's all very equal.
Towards the end of the album there is the track, "Worms of Eden", It starts off with this divebomb from hell, a la Kerry King or Jeff Hanneman, and leads into this just ripping death thrash blitzkrieg. I feel like the entire album sort of is able to be explained through this one track. Not many albums are like that. From the opening of "Go To Hell", you are being held down, assaulted, and brutally savaged by monstrous riffs, excellent drumming, and altogether good death metal music. There are no interludes, there are no brief moments of respite. Arguably the most amount of respite comes from either the introductory music, which sounds almost like a fantasy film soundtrack, or the opening of "Eye of the Abyss", which is along the same lines, and the best track on the album. Even in its most reserved moments, the album still is extravagantly brutal and calculated, and never is there a second where you feel a sense of boredom or want to skip to the next track. In music, and death metal especially, this is almost a rarity. No filler, just straightforward death metal from the beginning to "The End".
Overall, "Tibi Et Igni" is as explosively brutal and immensely enjoyable as a death metal can be. A lot of people would write off Vader as one trick pony's. I personally would hate to see the day Vader releases a progressive orchestral doom metal album. It would be unnatural. Vader's sole purpose is to produce the heavy, pounding, and headbang inducing metal we all crave from time to time. You can't always eat pie, or pie becomes boring. If you eat every so often, you'll enjoy it much more. And if you pick the right pie, you'll be extremely satisfied. If you haven't had pie like this in some time, I suggest you get a plate and fork, and dig in.
