ALBUM REVIEW: De Profundis (re-issue) – Vader
With the benefit of 26 years worth of hindsight, it’s clear that De Profundis, the second full length by Polish death metal legends VADER, was the point where the band began to cement their legacy as one of the premier death metal acts in the world. Their debut album, 1992’s The Ultimate Incantation, was by no means average, showcasing what was to become the band’s trademark blending of muscular rhythms with frenetic thrash peppered liberally into the mix, but De Profundis developed that sound even further, resulting in arguably one of the more impressive albums 90s death metal.
Silent Empire is a strong start to the record, blending chunky grooves with sharp leads and punishing drums, creating a powerful sound straight away. The visceral death metal elements and frenzied thrash undercurrent complements the coarse approach of Piotr‘s vocals well, making for a lean, aggressive album opener. An Act Of Darkness is, by contrast, a brief burst of brutality built around throaty vocals, chaotic guitars and feral drums, lending a sense of urgency to proceedings and ensuring this track leaves its mark.
Blood Of Kingu takes the unhinged edge of the previous track and applies solid rhythms to it, with monstrous riffs and thunderous basslines crafting a weighty sound, with the vocals and drums taking on a much steadier pace to allow these elements to carry the track. The demented, SLAYER-esque solo that comes towards the songs closing moments helps to inject a rabid edge into the music, counterpointing the rest of the music perfectly.
Incarnation sees the thrash influences take centre stage, along with a slicker, melody-driven lead that glides from soaring passages to outright intensity with ease. It’s another track that has extremely impressive and varied guitar lines, whilst still retaining the beefy rhythmic pulse that has been at this album’s core from the start. Sothis, one of the band’s stand out classics, develops this even further, with a galloping bottom end and savage riffs coming together with caustic vocal deliveries, backed up by excellent drumming. It’s an absolute monster of a song, and is arguably one of 90s death metal’s under-appreciated, undisputed classics. Revolt, another magnificent marriage of death and thrash, brings together dense guitar and bass sections with a cacophonous drum sound and equally acerbic vocals, making for a crushing, slightly unhinged, slab of death metal.
Of Moon, Blood, Dream And Me is an exceptionally tight piece of music with fantastic, sludgy bass hooks and energetic drum parts giving this a varied, but nonetheless focused, style that, much like the albums opener, showcases the band’s more bombastic side. Vision And The Voice is a great offering, strongly influenced by late 80s thrash, with a distinct death metal twist. The juxtaposition between catchy leads and decidedly more feral ones adds an eclectic, unpredictable feel, with the hideous vocal snarl providing a visceral touch to what is an already dark, aggressive affair. Reborn In Flames is another prime example of how to make death metal that is simultaneously ferocious and cinematic, with sonorous spoken word passages interspersed amongst the bestial roar of Piotr‘s vocals. The music follows in a similar vein, shifting from huge, chugging hooks to more polished and riff orientated leads, keeping the listener enthralled throughout, making for a magnificent conclusion to a stunning record.
One of the things that should really strike listeners on re-listening to this album is just how unbelievably tight and monstrous this album is when taken as a cohesive whole. There’s very few albums, even ones by some of the heavyweights of the genre, that consists of wall-to-wall bangers, and this is definitely one of the few exceptions. Many of the songs on here have gone on to be regarded as instant classics, many of which the band still make full use of in their live repertoire to this day. There’s plenty of reasons why VADER have gone on to be regarded as the benchmark by which every Polish extreme metal band is measured, and this album is certainly at the forefront of that list.
Rating: 9/10
De Profundis (re-issue) is out now via Nuclear Blast Records.
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