1 	Dark Age 	4:34
2 	Vicious Circle 	2:38
3 	Crucified Ones 	3:20
4 	Final Massacre 	4:27
5 	Testimony 	3:53
6 	Chaos 	4:19
7 	One Step to Salvation 	3:40
8 	Demon's Wind 	4:15
9 	Decapitated Saints 	2:42
10 	Breath of Centuries 	4:30
11 	Reign-Carrion 	6:24

Bass Guitar – Novy (tracks: 1, 4)
Drums – Daray (tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6), James (tracks: 5, 7, 8, 10), Pavulon
Lead Guitar – Spider (tracks: 9), Mauser (tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6)
Vocals, Guitar, Lead Guitar, Bass Guitar – Peter

„Dark Age” to Vader’owska reinterpretacja ich debiutanckiego albumu „The Ultimate Incanation”. Po małych przepychankach z Relapse niestety Peterowi nie udało sie wykupić praw do masteru wspomnianego dzieła, stąd postanowił ów album nagrać od nowa. Nie ma co ukrywać że po 25 latach od chwili wydania wspomniany album brzmi już nieco archaicznie (dotyczy to zwłaszcza brzmienia oraz growlu Petera) stąd też sam pomysł uważam za jak najbardziej uczciwy. A plyta „Dark Age” brzmi po prostu znakomicie – tak jak współczesny Vader. Zatem czym różni się „Dark Age” od swego pierwowzoru? Przede wszystkim brzmienie stało się mięsiste. Gitarowe solówki nie są już tak przewidywalne i chropowate, a sam wokal Petera posiada znaną ze współczesnych wydawnictw głębię. Szkoda jedynie że album ma limitowany nakład 550 sztuk i niestety na aukcjach internetowych osiąga już spore kwoty licytacyjne. ---zatopionywciszy.wordpress.com

Re-recording early tracks, sometimes decades later, is always a risky business. Particularly with metal - which as a genre tends to attract fans who are deeply concerned with authenticity - a band has a lot to lose when revisiting old material. Exodus, for example, recorded an updated version of their seminal album Bonded by Blood, and it was universally panned for good reason. Youthful energy and enthusiasm is damn near impossible to replicate. And yet, not so with Dark Age.

What we have here is a re-recording of Vader's first full-length The Ultimate Incantation. The songs were recorded across different studio sessions, some in 2007, others in 2011 and 2017, and the song order is the same as is found on The Ultimate Incantation. Like I said, re-recording old material is a risky affair, but perhaps because The Ultimate Incantation doesn't have quite the same classic status as we'd find with an Entombed or Dismember this makes it easier to remain open-minded when encountering old material made new. On the same token, I don't think a re-recording of De Profundis would go over nearly as well.

On Dark Age we can hear the roots of what would spread into an entire localized genre, Polish death metal, but refracted through the sort of clean and modern production that we've heard from Vader since Impressions in Blood. Riffs that bleed from thrash into grinding, blasting death metal and back again are accompanied by Peter's unique, caveman-like growl, and as a whole the underlying and everflowing groove which accompanies the best of Vader's songwriting is on full display here in a way that was hinted at but not fully developed on The Ultimate Incantation. We also get to hear Vader's three most recent drummers on a single album, and the remarkable consistency of each player means you barely notice when you've moved onto a track from a different session. What is in the water in Poland that gives them such an abundance of insanely good drummers? Fuck.

Vader has spent years honing their ever tighter and more sophisticated brand of thrash-inflected death metal, and their musicianship has become razor sharp. This was not quite the case on The Ultimate Incantation, despite the clearly talented young band having at the time written a batch of absolutely solid songs for a debut album. And so it is refreshing to hear the early tracks played by musicians now at the height of their skill and confidence, and the result is a new album of old songs that combines the best of old and new Vader.

Dan Seagrave looks to have reworked his killer artwork from The Ultimate Incantation for Dark Age, released, I should note, by Witching Hour Productions, which always means a quality product in terms of packaging and aesthetics. That may also have the unfortunate side effect of making the CD hard to come by in the United States, but the tracks can be found on Witching Hour's bandcamp page, and the purchase is completely worth it for fans of Vader at essentially any stage in the band's long career. ---justinbean, metal-archives.com

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: CD1

01 : Invaders (Intro) 01:40
02 : Reborn In Flames 04:52
03 : Blood Of Kingu 04:33
04 : Carnal 02:09
05 : Fractal Light 02:42
06 : Red Passage 02:46
07 : Black To The Blind 04:03
08 : Chaos 04:16
09 : Vicious Circle 02:37
10 : Crucified Ones 03:18
11 : Dark Age 04:32
12 : Reign-Carrion 06:33
13 : Silent Empire 04:13
14 : Sothis 03:27
15 : Incarnation 03:05

: CD2

01 : Kingdom 03:23
02 : Wings 03:06
03 : Xeper 03:49
04 : Cold Demons 02:10
05 : Final Massacre 04:24
06 : Reign Forever World 03:56
07 : Epitaph 03:55
08 : Dark Transmission 04:35
09 : Fear Of Napalm 02:59
10 : Wyrocznia 03:24
11 : Tyrani Piekiel 04:49
12 : Trupi Jad (Polish Version) 06:33
13 : Reborn In Flames (Special Version) 04:57
14 : Dark(Er) Transmission(Er) (Hertz Version) 04:36

Line Up:
Peter (vocals, guitars)
Daray (drums)
Mauser (guitars)
Novy (bass)	 
+
SIEGMAR (Vesania) - keyboards & samples in "inVADERs (intro)", "Dark Age", "Silent Empire", "Sothis", "Blood Of Kingu",
 "Carnal", "Kingdom", "Dark Transmission"
SETH (Severe Torture) - vocals in "Blood Of Kingu"
ROMAN KOSTRZEWSKI (KAT) - vocals "Wyrocznia"
PIERŚCIEŃ (Dead Infection) - vocals in "Fear Of Napalm"
HAL (Dead Infection) - bass in "Fear Of Napalm"

For their 25th anniversary as a band, Polish death metal legends Vader decided to revisit some of their older material. Instead of releasing a compilation, they picked 25 plus tracks and re-recorded them. I have mixed feelings about these types of CDs. On one hand, Vader has been around for 25 years and they've improved over time, so they should be in peak form to redo these songs. Plus a lot of them had sketchy production back in the day, and with today's technology they will sound a lot better. On the flip side of that argument, it's hard to go back in time. There have been different lineups over the years, and albums were recorded with a particular mindset, and it's impossible to recreate that. Plus, sketchy production has its charm, and isn't necessarily a negative.

For the most part, XXV succeeds. It gives us a chance to hear the 2008 version of Vader reliving, and in some cases reinventing their back catalog. Plus the originals are all still there to be heard if you want to pick up those CDs. XXV is a 2 disc set, and there's a version available that has a DVD as well.

The songs on the first CD includes material from their 1990 demo Morbid Reich, many of which also appeared on their 1993 full length debut The Ultimate Incantation. There are also songs from 1995's De Profundis and 1997's Black To The Blind.

The second disc of XXV kicks off with "Kingdom" from the 1998 MCD of the same name. Songs from 2000's Litany, 2002's Revelations and 2004's The Beast follow. There's also a cover of Terrorizer's "Fear Of Napalm" and a couple other tracks. Vader is sharp and in good form on this CD. They combine groove and extremity, and XXV skillfully pays homage to their career thus far. --- Chad Bowar, About.com Guide

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1 	Wings 	3:10
2 	The One Made Of Dreams 	1:49
3 	Xeper 	4:00
4 	Litany 	3:01
5 	Cold Demons 	3:12
6 	The Calling 	3:10
7 	North 	1:36
8 	Forwards To Die!!! 	1:38
9 	A World Of Hurt 	1:51
10 	The World Made Flesh 	2:48
11 	The Final Massacre 	4:31

Bass – Shambo
Drums – Doc
Guitars – Mauser
Guitars, Vocals – Peter

Ofensywa na całym froncie. Machina wojenna udoskonalona do granic możliwości. Potencjał broni w niezmierzonych ilościach. Moc silników, potęga stali i... nagły atak. Zaskoczenie. Ekstremum w perfekcyjnej formie. Energia, która rozsadza świadomość. Ogień!!!

Od dawna czekałem na taką płytę, która w sposób bezkompromisowy, a zarazem perfekcyjny, prezentuje tak ekstremalny przekaz. Dodatkowo cieszy fakt, że to właśnie Vader, polski zespół cieszący się dużym uznaniem na całym świecie, nagrał płytę wręcz wybuchową. "Litany" może poszczycić się produkcją i brzmieniem na światowym poziomie. I to wszystko bez konieczności nagrywania płyty poza granicami naszego kraju. Gdańskie "Red Studio" świetnie spełniło swoje realizatorskie zadanie. Od początku obcowania z nowym albumem Vader, największą uwagę zwraca piorunująco szybka gra perkusisty, która teraz przybrała wręcz nieludzki wymiar. Do tego dochodzi ściana tnących jak brzytwy gitar i potężna energia płynąca z gry całego zespołu.

Wszystkie elementy na "Litany" stanowią precyzyjnie dopracowaną konstrukcję, która poraża olbrzymim ładunkiem emocji, zaklętych w stalowe ramy. Niech Moc będzie z wami! ---Marcin Ratyński, rockmetal.pl

Maybe The first well recognized death metal band from Europe, Vader released in the year 1990 their demo "Morbid Reich" a master piece in this genre and is still considered one of the best demo tapes in death metal history, ten years after that success they released a great album called "Litany" so lets take a closer look at this one.

A great album opener "Wings" this particular song has incredible lyrics that talk about an angel that is sick of hearing all the people asking for help and at the same time killing their own god. In fact all the lyrics in this album are very clever made, Frelik has the facility of capture a feeling and convert it to the written word perfectly.

"Xeper" is the best Track in "Litany" it has the catchiest riffs in Vader history but still it sounds very brutal with nice great bass lines, it also has Egyptian influenced lyrics and I quote Vader for this matter "pronounced Khefer, it is an English coinage expressing an Egyptian verb written as a stylized scarab and meaning I HAVE COME INTO BEIGN".

"Cold Demons" is also a brilliant song with great effects, a very interesting intro, killer guitar riffs and one hell of a video (The special edition of "Litany" includes the video for this song), the drumming in every song is extremely brutal and insanely fast, so if you are a fan of high-speed drums you will love this album specially for the song "The Calling" the toms and the low parts are insane.

Metal Blade made an awesome work with signing Vader to their mayor record label, and the sound is really spectacular, I won't say "Litany" is better than "Morbid Reich" or "The Ultimate Incantation" not even than "De Profundis", this album is a one of a kind masterpiece and it deserves to be rated as an individual element in Vader history. I'll say it deserves a 9, the lack of long good leads or guitar solos is just miserable, that's the only reason why this album does not have a 10. ---Herzebeth, metalstorm.net

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A1 	Shock And Awe 	
A2 	Into Oblivion 	
A3 	Despair 	
A4 	Incineration Of The Gods 	
A5 	Sancitifcation Denied 	
B1 	And Satan Wept 	
B2 	Emptiness 	
B3 	Final Declaration 	
B4 	Dancing In The Slaughterhouse 	
B5 	Stigma Of Divinity 	
B6 	Bones

Bass Guitar – Hal
Drums – James
Guitar – Spider
Vocals, Guitar – Peter

Ponad trzydzieści lat na scenie, dwanaście pełnych płyt w dorobku, tysiące koncertów i estyma jakiej zazdroszczą zagraniczni artyści. Tak w skrócie można podsumować karierę zespołu Vader. Ich najnowszy album nie tylko dowodzi doskonałej formy, co przynosi powiew świeżości w samej stylistyce grupy.

Wydany cztery lata temu album „The Empire”, komentowany szeroko głównie ze względu na internetowe przekomarzania dotyczące okładki, razem z jeszcze dość świeżą EP „Thy Messenger” zawrócił zespół na thrash metalowe tory. Mało tego, do gry włączono bardziej heavy metalowe melodie (i bynajmniej nie tylko za sprawą coveru Judas Priest), i znane nam komando niejako wymyśliło się na nowo, dzięki czemu są przystępniejsi, ale nie pozbawieni tożsamego dla zespołu wkurwienia.

Doświadczenie zdobyte na deskach scen i studiów nagrań procentuje, bowiem dzisiejszy Vader eksponuje wszystko to, czego momentami brakowało na poprzednich albumach. Naładowani niespożytkowaną energią w czasach koronawirusa, nie pozostawiają złudzeń co do tego, że najlepiej czują się w krótkich, intensywnych strzałach. Napędzani motorem w postaci Jamesa Stewarta, bogatszego o doświadczenia m.in. w Decapitated, obecnie z dużo większym luzem wychodzą poza dobrze znany schemat (zagrany częściowo na cleanie fragment tuż przed solo w „Sanctification Denied”).

Im częściej Piotr Wiwczarek i spółka odchodzą od zwykłej młócki z blastami w roli głównej, tym lepiej. Najlepiej świadczy o tym cover „Dancing In The Slaughterhouse”, który dla słuchaczy nie znających Acid Drinkers, prawdopodobnie wyda się jedną z lepszych kompozycji na płycie. Nawet gdyby faktycznie nie był to cover (a jest po prostu świetny!), to ten thrash/crossoverowy killer ma w sobie moc, której próżno uświadczyć u prawdziwie „wściekłych” zespołów. Nie jest to jedyny warty uwagi numer wzięty na warsztatach przez innych artystów; odsyłam tutaj do albumu w hołdzie kwasożłopom: „Ladies and Gentlemen on Acid”.

Wracając do samego Vader, „Solitude in Madness” nie było by aż tak dobrze prezentującą się płytą, gdyby nie trzy czynniki. Pierwszy, niezmordowane gardło samego Petera, który ani myśli o odstawieniu mikrofonu w kąt, i jak wino, z roku na rok staje się lepszym wokalistą, bodaj jedynym w death metalu, którego w pełni da się zrozumieć. Po drugie - solówki, których nawet jak na Vader jest zaskakująco sporo (zresztą ciężko wybrać najlepszą). Wreszcie punkt trzeci, o którym mam nadzieję wspomnieć również przy kolejnych wydawnictwach – rozbrat z Hertzem to najlepsze co mogło ten zespół spotkać.

Po ponad dziesięcioletniej współpracy zmiana otoczenia na należące do Scotta Atkinsa (ex-Stampin’ Ground) Grindstone Studio w brytyjskim hrabstwie Suffolk, tchnęła w zespół życiodajnego ducha, tylko wzmacniając wszystkie thrashowe elementy... Były mózg jednego z najbardziej niedocenianych zespołów przełomu lat 90. i nowego millenium wkracza na salony z wysokiego C właśnie dzięki takim projektom. Życzę Vader kolejnych realizacji u Scotta, bowiem już same bębny (na przykład singiel „Into Oblivion”) tak bardzo odstają od Hertzowskiej sterylności jak tylko to możliwe. ---Grzegorz Pindor, magazyngitarzysta.pl

I thought long and hard about reviewing this album. After all, I’ll admit to only having a slim, passing knowledge of Vader, despite their legendary status within the extreme metal underground. The Polish band have been at the forefront of the death metal charge for three decades, loved and revered by many. And yet, despite my wide and varied taste within the metal (and rock) spectrum, I’ve never really been a huge fan of Vader. I mean. I rather like their album ‘Litany’ and I recognise a few songs when I hear them, but then who doesn’t? But what Covid-19 has done is give me the gift of time to check out albums that I might otherwise pass up for others to get their teeth tuck into.

Mind you, with a scant running time of barely 30 minutes, it is ironic that time isn’t really that necessary when reviewing Vader’s latest studio album, ‘Solitude In Madness’. And, based on the bulk of the music on this album, it’s probably a good thing it doesn’t last any longer. Despite my pitiful knowledge about one of the greats, even I know that the quartet have released much stronger material over the years.

The first track on ‘Solitude In Madness’ is the appropriately-titled ‘Shock And Awe’. It is a two-minute full-on barrage of power and aggressive death/thrash attack. It is fast, the riffs come at you like a tidal wave of razor-sharp violence, the leads are vibrant and actually quite melodic. As always, vocalist Piotr Wiwczarek spits out the lyrics with barely-contained contempt, whilst the rhythm section of drummer James Stewart and bassist Hal provide the necessary structure to drive the song forward without it completely imploding. The band are clearly making their intent and hunger plain for all to see, as if sticking two fingers up at those who might think that age has blunted their incendiary brutality.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t take long to blaze through the entire album and realise that actually, that’s pretty much all that Vader have to offer on this record. Speed, aggression and all-out death metal attack with a solid dose of thrash thrown into the mix. That might be alright if the songwriting was up to scratch, but it’s not. I know I’m not their biggest fan, but how can a band lose someone’s interest halfway through an album that only lasts as long as an episode of [insert your favourite sitcom here]? It’s ludicrous and I suspect that I am not the only one. If I am, I’ll bow down at the altar of Vader and personally apologise and accept that I will never ‘get’ them. But I’m pretty confident that I’m not in the minority here.

That being said, I do enjoy the likes of ‘And Satan Wept’. It feels odd saying that, at just over three minutes, it’s one of the longer tracks on the record, but it’s true. And that slightly longer length allows the song a little more room to explore that murky border that arbitrarily separates death from thrash metal. The solos swirl and wail, the riffs develop a genuine galloping groove ad with it, comes an intensity that is hard to ignore. ‘Emptiness’ delivers a cool headbanging riff and another great lead solo trade-off between Piotr Wiwczarek and Marek “Spider” Pajak that’s impressive.

It goes without saying that the performances of each member is incredibly professional, with no-one missing a beat in what is an impressively tight performance whilst maintaining a sense of devil-may-care looseness to some of the material. It’s just that the overall quality of the material is not that interesting as far as I’m concerned and it puts me in mind of ‘Back From The Dead’ by Obituary, which I felt was a poor record when stacked up against ‘Slowly We Rot’ or ‘World Demise’ for example. Put as succinctly as I can, I only have one or maybe two Vader records in my collection, and ‘Solitude In Madness’ will not be increasing that number I’m afraid. It’s ok, but there has been a lot better released in 2020 already. For a band with such a pedigree and legacy, that can only be described as being a little depressing. ---manofmuchmetal.com

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