Review Summary: A celebration of Vader's thrash roots, yet one that can feel disjointed as an uneven mixture of that vintage sound and the newfound aggression of albums such as 'Tibi Et Igni'.
Vader are a band that has never strayed too far from their thrash metal roots. Whilst their sound is very much one of the old-school death metal traditions of rapid tremolo-picked riffs and breakneck blast beats, the underpinning skeleton of the band is that established by early thrash metal visionaries such as Slayer. Given that they have never let go of their heritage, it should come as no surprise that - after perhaps pushing their music in its most extreme direction with 'Tibi Et Igni' - their 2016 release 'The Empire' is as much a homage to classic thrash metal as it is a celebration of the band's lengthy death metal career.
Tracks such as "Prayer to the God of War" and "Iron Reign" are absolutely laden with clear influence from bands such as Metallica, Slayer, and Exodus, and it feels almost refreshing to hear the band fully embrace thrash of this vintage and assimilate it into their sound. The former is a catchy number, with Piotr's hoarse growls adding to the depth of the sound, and the solo sounding like a mid-eighties maelstrom from a band such as Kreator. "No Gravity" continues this Slayer-flirtation, with its opening riffing sounding straight off of 'Hell Awaits.' The riffing on these songs is more stripped back than the two records preceding this one from Vader, and it can feel somewhat jarring, but is also a very enjoyable listen. Hearing Piotr growl the words "once more," before the hypnotic tremolo riffing continues its cycle again might sound corny to some, but in the context of the song it is absolutely stellar.
To champion the band for fully incorporating the band's that influenced them into their own sound is not to discredit the moments where this album does remain true to the bombastic aggression of albums such as 'Welcome To The Morbid Reich.' Half a minute into opening track "Angels of Steel," and the intensity expected from fans of that album can be found, whilst the following track "Tempest" marks a return to the blast beats the band has so-often become the poster child for in European death metal. "Genocidius" is probably the heaviest song here, and the most in line with what their more recent output had been known for, and yet even here the thrash influence seeps through perhaps more so than on their earlier albums. People wanting variety might enjoy the final track, "Send Me Back To Hell," which opens with a groove-laden riff and a chant atop it, before the first verse maintains a stable pace whilst the guitar riff is interesting.
It is sad, then, that one of the most blatant aspects of this album also stands out as its weakest aspect. Hearing Piotr's vocals and the occasional blast beat punctuating an album that is a clear shout-out to the bands that influenced them in the first place is striking, and can sometimes feel out of place. The album is fun - of that, there is no doubt - but these influences were better heard when the band was still very much utilizing their own distinctive style, on records such as 'De Profundis' and 'Litany.' This album sometimes just feels ready to implode under the mixture of that vintage sound and also Vader's newfound hyper-intense aggression from records such as 'Tibi Et Igni.' As such, this is only a good album, and not one that can stand toe-to-toe with the better installments in their discography.
