Ok, laying my cards down on the table. I, Hans Lopez, fully admit that I don’t think I’ve encountered a Vader release that I didn’t enjoy. The way they combine brutal riffs, mind-flaying solos, and Nürburgring speeds just totally speaks my musical language. It’s the reason I’m willing to die on the sword for Slayer or will always go to bat for classic Sepultura. I’m a man of simple tastes.

So of course, a handful of listens into Vader‘s Thy Messenger EP (Nuclear Blast) and I’m smiling from ear to ear like a jackass. ‘Grand Deceiver’ has drummer James Stewart masterfully in control of savage tempos and laying bombing fills all while leads rain down like manna from heaven. For all my lead guitar enthusiasts (is there any other kind of death metal fan?) Piotr Wiwczarek and Spider are in fine form and trade ripping solos like it’s a Bay Area thrash fire sale. ‘Litany’ slows things down by smidge, but in Vader fashion it’s still debris, kick drums and soot as far as the eye can see.

Not to outdone by the stellar riffage, Stewart makes sure he takes center stage again on ‘Despair’ with ravaging beats and challenging the rest of the band to attempt to keep up the pace. And then to wrap up this early Christmas gift, Vader must’ve felt pretty ballsy as they decided to tackle some classic Judas Priest in the form of ‘Steeler.’ I commend this idea as it’s not the first Priest song that sprung to mind in terms of notoriety and because these daring Poles actually pull it off as they usually do when it comes to covers.

Again, call me biased, but I know good death metal when I hear it. Would’ve loved to get more than just five tracks, but word around the campfire is that a proper full-length is set to released later this year. I can wait.

8 / 10

HANS LOPEZ