Vader

Vader just get better and better, with Revelations proving to be an absolute monster of a death metal release that sounds even more intense after repeat listens. Poland's party animals offer nine new cuts of sheer heavy metal terror, along with three bonus tracks. Vader gracefully combines raging, blasting death metal with very classy Slayer-esque mid-tempo riffing to create a moshing brew of a sound that puts most death acts of today to shame. Revelations shows touches of eerie, dark (Satanic, I suppose) melodies amidst the grinding madness, which helps keep the songs stuck in the listener's head. Nothing incredibly new or different for Vader here, except maybe slightly less blasting grinders overall, but what they offer is absolute top-class heavy metal that straddles thrash and death alike, done to perfection, with nary a complaint to be heard by anyone who listens to the band. Thankfully, they've gone back to a more organic production sound after the horrid electro-synth sound that marred their last album, the otherwise excellent Litany. Revelations is highly recommended for the discerning extreme music fan.