VaderThy Messenger

Longstanding masters of Polish death metal, the indomitable Vader, are set to release a ballistic new EP, Thy Messenger.

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In the aftermath of their 1983 formation, Vader have released eleven studio albums and Thy Messenger clocks in at EP number ten. Featuring but five power-packed tracks, Thy Messenger is an explosive little parcel that features three new tracks to foreshadow Vader’s forthcoming twelfth album.

There’s something old, something new, something borrowed … and it’s a blasting announcement of another heavy hitting full-length Vader album on its way.

Opening with Grand Deceiver, Thy Messenger hits the ground running with unrelenting brute force, intense shred and a hint of thrashy groove to satisfy adherents to the death-thrash disposition of their last album The Empire [2016]. Although a re-recording of the title track from their album released in 2000, Litany is one of the more profound tracks on Thy Messenger, its almost anthem-like lyrical rhythm is delivered against more robust riffing than its earlier version. Intricate soloing opens Emptiness, confirming that this is an EP designed to please those into death-thrash shred. Despair sustains an energetic galloping pace; a short but intense track, it has a hint of dissonance in the main riff that really deepens the plot for Vader. Hopefully this an indicator of what Vader has in store for us.

Closing with a tough cover of Judas Priest’s Steeler, Thy Messenger is a tight EP that packs a lot of punch for its five tracks. There’s something old, something new, something borrowed … and it’s a blasting announcement of another heavy hitting full-length Vader album on its way.

STANDOUT TRACKS: Despair, Emptiness, Litany
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