Published on May 24, 1999
While metal is experiencing a revival in America, it has
occasionally surprised me to find out some of the countries that
are enjoying a good self-inflicted headbanging concussion. With no
disrespect intended, I never would have thought that Japan was a
country big into heavy metal and thrash, but
Live In Japan, the latest release from Polish death metal
band Vader, showed me otherwise.
While the overall quality of their performance (recorded in
August of last year) is quite good, Vader does show that grindcore
can seem to get old quickly, even if the material is otherwise
sound. Especially for someone who is first discovering this band
(and I include myself in that category),
Live In Japan can be an overwhelming listen, as one tries to
take in everything new at once.
The group – vocalist/guitarist Peter, guitarist Mauser, bassist
Shambo and drummer Doc (sometimes I really wish these people would
use their last names), Vader plows through a decent number of
tracks, including a few “intros” and two surprising cover choices.
If you’ve followed the band since their debut release
Morbid Reich in 1990, then this collection is undoubtedly a
dream come true.
But newcomers will find this a lot to digest in one sitting, and
while tracks like “Black To The Blind”, “Carnal” and “Reborn In
Flames” do impress, after a while, I found myself becoming mentally
exhausted listening to “new” track after “new” track. While
Live In Japan did serve its purpose by raising my interest
in Vader, baptism by blood is not the best way to discover the band
(though I think they’d find something funny in this
comparison).
The overall sound of this album is impressive, and the work of
Doc behind the skins is quite impressive. There are times I am
surprised that he’s playing some of the fills he is; I never
thought the drums could be played that fast without losing clarity
or intensity.
There are two big surprises on
Live In Japan. First, the band chooses “Black Sabbath” (from
a band whose name, aah, escapes me) and Slayer’s “Reign In Blood”
(that’s how the song is listed on the CD; I know the title is
“Raining Blood”) as cover tunes, and they do a surprisingly good
job on these tracks. The second shock is the reaction of the
audience when the show ends. Admittedly, it seems like an abrupt
ending after “Dark Age,” but the crowd actually sounds
angry that the show is over.
While death metal is often criticized as being violent or
anti-religious in its lyrics, Vader’s lyrics aren’t always the
easiest to decipher in the musical onslaught. Tracks like “Foetus
God” and “Crucified Ones” might fit those patterns – but without a
lyric sheet, I’m not going to just lump Vader into that
stereotype.
Death metal – and grindcore, especially – is not only an
acquired taste, but whether one will like a specific band is very
subjective. I won’t go out on a limb and say that
Live In Japan will satiate the appetites of all death metal
fans, but it’s sure to provide some level of enjoyment to fans of
the genre. However, I’d hesitate to suggest checking this one out
if you’ve never heard Vader’s music before. Rather, I’d tell you to
pick up at least one of their studio albums, get comfortable with
that disc, and
then pick up
Live In Japan. Something tells me you’ll appreciate it more
that way.