Vader: Rise, Revolt, Defy…Do As Thou Wilt

There’s few bands that even come remotely close to being as consistently strong as Polish death metal veterans VADER. The quartet, led by Piotr Wiwczarek, have amassed an impressive discography over the last 37 years and are widely regarded as one of the most important extreme metal bands not just in their native Poland, but in the entire genre. In recent years, the band appeared to have mellowed a touch – still a death metal band, sure, but a little more focussed on thrash and traditional metal stylings. With Solitude In Madness, however, all that is about to change.

“I had a need for speed, and that’s something I’ve not felt for a long time,” comments Wiwczarek on the return to the more brutal sound of VADER with their newest record. “The first VADER era was all about speed and intensity until we released Litany in 2000. After that I changed my way a bit, and tried to bring in some older feelings in metal music. Starting with Revelations [2002, Metal Blade Records] we had more slower songs, more groovy riffs; we were still dealing with brutality, because that’s VADER, but for the last two decades we’ve just had a different style from the early days. But recently I’ve felt the need to get back to brutality, to bring VADER back to the days where speed is priority. This is definitely one of the most intense albums ever recorded in VADER’s history.”

But it’s not just the music of Solitude In Madness that brings VADER back to the old days. The artwork for this record is a striking throwback to that first era of VADER, when they were trailblazing and bringing death metal to the masses on the other side of the Iron Curtain. “I was so happy to get back in touch with Wes [Benscoter]. He told me that in his exhibitions, the artwork he did for De Profundis [1995, Croon Records] is one of the most popular paintings in his creations, even though he has created many, many legendary album covers,” Wiwczarek explains, detailing VADER’s revitalised relationship with Wes Benscoter. “Right after we entered the studio I kept sending him ideas, new songs, lyrics, to impress him and to try and get some inspiration going. I didn’t want to give him any details for how I thought the cover should be – he’s a great artist, and I knew I wanted something from him, so Solitude In Madness’ cover is purely from him, his imagination created this painting. Another cool thing, he painted this in a little bit of a different style than De Profundis, or his other work – it’s got that old-school touch!”

Lyrically, however, Wiwczarek‘s approach is the same it has always been. Across Solitude in Madness, he is telling stories to express his troubles – though this time, there is a slight conceptual twist. This time around, he struggles with the duality of technology, acknowledging its usefulness – particularly as a tool for the band – and its dangers. “I absolutely know the importance of technology in the modern world, especially for new generations who were born with this technology. And as I continue my work with VADER, I know how helpful a tool it is,” Wiwczarek comments. “But over the last decade, I’ve seen people focus too much on their online lives. I’m an enemy of technology in that respect, I’m an enemy of technology stealing your real life and transforming it into a life that only exists on your computer.”

However, the lyrics for Solitude in Madness were written last year, long before the COVID-19 pandemic. So when discussing the lyrics of the record, Wiwczarek does acknowledge there is a bit of irony in his raging against modern technology. “But ironically, in today’s situation with the global pandemic, this technology is saving our asses,” he admits. “We must stay isolated, this is the only way for us to fight the virus. So actually, the internet and social media are incredibly valuable at the moment, it gives us a chance to stay connected with the world, even while we’re imprisoned in our own houses we can still have that human connection. And we’re lucky to have that, try to imagine the situation a hundred years ago with the Spanish Flu – no TVs, no internet, they were truly isolated!”

The last 20 years has seen VADER deliver some good albums, and some truly great ones. But for fans of the old-school, there has always been something missing. Well, no more. Solitude In Madness is a furious return to brutality, to breakneck speed and to the true roots of VADER. Wiwczarek may be a man almost 40 years into his career, but VADER have never sounded so energetic and youthful. While the current death metal revival is unearthing brilliance at every turn, Wiwczarek and co. are back to show there is no school like the old school.

Solitude in Madness is out now via Nuclear Blast Records. 

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