VADER
De Profundis Reissue
Nuclear Blast Records
Much how like movie sequels are better than the first (Aliens, Terminator 2, Evil Dead 2, Empire Strikes Back), it's also common with bands and their second full length releases to claim more success. Just as those classic flicks hold up to this day, so do those albums. I'm talking about the genre labeled as 'Old School Death Metal' which had earned its red wings with its sound which can only be described as 'RAW'. At the time, it's only limitations were the studios and recording equipment itself and with the brilliant minds of the engineers and producers of those days, helped shaped a genre that is highly regarded to the day. With the unknown absence of "social media", Death Metal bands all over the world somehow managed to reach an audience on the other side. Poland had become a country ripe with amazing bands and one in particular that helped pave the way was VADER. Their 1992 debut The Ultimate Incantation (Earache Records) was well received but it wasn't until their sophomore release titled De Profundis from 1995 (released to the rest of the world a year later, in the U.S. by Conquest Music then by Pavement Music) that elevated them and Poland into the conversation of great Death Metal bands that were molding the entire scene during its rise.
Now nearly 40 years later and VADER is still in the conversation involving OSDM reigning supreme in the Extreme Metal world. Marking their accomplished career and its 25th anniversary since its release comes a highly overdue re-release of De Profundis which had not been properly available in physical form for about two decades. Now fully remastered and on various formats, including its first ever appearance on vinyl, fans new and old can lend their ears to a definitive must-hear album.
Originally released through Polish label Croon Records (no longer in existence) in 1995, now Nuclear Blast has offered to re-release that album in addition, make it available on vinyl for the first time ever. Founding member Piotr “Peter” Wiwczarek describes the nearly unattainable task: ”The original tape from Modern Sound Studio was lost with no chance to recover. So we made a new master using a Telefunken professional tape studio recorder to give the whole record a warmer sound, a more analog feel and dynamics, but without altering the original version of course.”
With their 12th recent full-length just released in 2020, Solitude In Madness was greatly received with positive reviews and just prior to its release, a successful tour gained them more respect and notoriety as some new material reached a new audience. An audience they thankfully were able to get to just before the restrictions on the world were laid down. No doubt now, VADER had been chomping at the bit to unleash some more new material as well as tracks from De Profundis as they prepare to hit the road for a brief tour.
This re-release represents a part of VADER’s history in their infancy and features drummer Krzysztof “Doc” Raczkowski who passed away 16 years ago. De Profundis shows the potential that VADER would reach and honors his name. Though previous re-releases were made available in Poland and Japan (a 2003 version would include a DEPECHE MODE cover of "I Feel You"), this latest version is one that Nuclear Blast has put their stamp on along with it being on various formats, it’s is an awesome compliment to finally have this on vinyl for the collectors.
4.0 Out Of 5.0
