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There are very few bands that have managed to weave a web of mystery around them. Very few have survived and keep going strong until today. When faced with the question ‘which’ people tend to mention American death-mongers like MORBID ANGEL, DEICIDE or CANNIBAL CORPSE... However, for a few years now many have named VADER – perhaps the only band from Europe which has sustained its status for a long number of years. Theirs is the cult of musical brutality and the urge to succeed. Few may remember that VADER were the first band ever from behind “the Iron Curtain” to sign to a Western label while their 1990 demo “Morbid Reich” is still considered to be the best selling demo tape in the history of death metal.
VADER formed in 1986. In 1993 they released their debut album titled “The Ultimate Incantation” (Earache) which has since become one of the milestones of European death metal. These were also the first brutal sounds from behind “the Iron Curtain” which reached the audiences all over the world. Promoting the album, VADER introduced themselves to the Western world by undertaking a forty-date European tour with label mates BOLT THROWER and Swedish deathsters GRAVE. Another thirty-plus date tour with DEICIDE, SUFFOCATION, and DISMEMBER invaded the American continent in May and June of the same year. Communication breakdown led to the termination of their contract with Earache and the 1994 release of two then-underestimated albums: “Sothis” (Repulse) and “The Darkest Age – Live ‘93” (Baron). The band also led a hectic concert life touring with MALEVOLENT CREATION and OPPRESSOR to name just a few. Without a recording contract and with death metal losing popularity the world over, VADER continued to work hard against all odds. The 1995 contract with German System Shock / Impact Records allowed them to develop further. The success of three subsequent outings, “De Profundis” (1995), “Future of the Past” (1996), and “Black to the Blind” (1997), backed with super-intense live activity (more than 350 concerts within 3 years!) slowly but surely contributed to the band’s growing profile and increasingly enthusiastic press coverage. VADER stopped being perceived as a mere curiosity from a former Communist country and became one of the leading European death metal bands. In the meantime, Hammerheart Records re-released two early demos – “Necrolust” (1989) and “Morbid Reich” (1990) – as “Reborn in Chaos”.
1998 proved to be a breaking point for the band. In August VADER joined an exclusive circle of metal artists who have recorded and released a “Live in Japan” (System Shock / Impact) album. Before it came out in December, the band also recorded a new mini “Kingdom” (System Shock / Impact) and their first professional VHS video titled “Vision and Voice” (Metal Mind). Also, in October of that year VADER opened for SLAYER during their one-off stop in Poland. The end of 1998 marked the inking of a contract with one of the most respected and genre-defining metal labels in the world – Metal Blade.
In March 1999 VADER played their first US headlining tour – “International Extreme Music Festival ‘99” – returning to play at Metal Mania, the biggest festival in Poland. June marked yet another European trek with SIX FEET UNDER, while the rest of the summer season was filled with numerous appearances at festivals in Germany, Belgium, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland. In November and December 1999 the band disappeared into Red Studio to record a brand new album titled “Litany”, which was released in March. The release of the album was once again backed with intense live activity, including April’s “No Mercy Festivals 2000” with DEICIDE, IMMORTAL, MARDUK, and CANNIBAL CORPSE. In June 2000, VADER embarked on a 30-date European tour with VITAL REMAINS, FLESHCRAWL, and THE CROWN.
In the meantime, the band recorded a new MCD at Red Studio entitled “Reign Forever World”, which was subsequently released in April 2001, featuring new cuts, cover versions, and live tracks. As usual, the promotion was based on intensive touring, this time including numerous festivals, a Polish tour, and a Russian-Ukrainian tour as well as the band’s fifth trek to the United States. September 2001 saw another European tour with CRYPTOPSY, DYING FETUS, CATASTROPHIC, and several other bands. This was followed by 10 Polish appearances as part of the “Thrash 'em All Festival 2001” together with KRISIUN, BEHEMOTH and the cream of the Polish death and black scene.
In February 2002, VADER proceeded to record a new studio album, which was released on the 3rd of June. “Revelations” was recorded at Red Studio again, with the board duties being handled by Piotr Lukaszewski. The album also featured the new bass player Simon, who had replaced Shambo. Still before the album’s premiere, VADER were supporting the release with live dates in England, Scotland and Ireland (March 2002), the No Mercy Festival dates (April 2002) and a 10-date Polish tour in June. May also saw the release of the band’s first DVD entitled “More Vision and the Voice”, which comprised the material from the “Vision and the Voice” VHS video, a number of video-clips, live footage, an interview with Peter, and a wealth of multimedia material.
“Revelations” was very intensely promoted for almost a year and a half. As well as touring through their usual killing grounds of Europe and the US, the band played some countries for the very first time, like Brazil and Israel, and reached thousands and thousands of metal fans through their appearances at festivals like Metal Mania (Poland), Inferno (Norway), Motala (Sweden), Wacken (Germany), Party-San (Germany), and the biggest of them all, Polish festival Przystanek Woodstock, where VADER’s show was witnessed by 400,000 maniacs! Between all these shows VADER found some time to record the new MCD “Blood”. Unfortunately, the band had to change the bass player again, bringing Novy (ex-BEHEMOTH) into the fold. Following the release in September 2003, VADER took part in the “Art Of Noise Part 2” US tour with NILE, KREATOR and AMON AMARTH.
The year 2004 is the time for the band’s new studio album “The Beast” and an extensive promotional campaign including over 170 gigs! The recording sessions of VADER’s new album had to be interrupted and postponed to May / June due to an unfortunate accident suffered by Doc (drums). He was replaced by a very talented drummer called Daray (VESANIA). VADER’s new live season kicked off with a small tour through the Czech Republic / Slovakia and Eastern countries like Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, The Ukraine and Belarus, 25 gigs in total. From the 1st of April VADER continued their European crusades, invading countries like Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, England, France, Italy, and Austria to name a few, simultaneously proceeding with the recording sessions to “The Beast”. A very important part of that tour was the band’s first trip to the Balkans (Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia and Croatia) and a Scandinavian tour consisting of 14 gigs. For the second half of 2004 VADER is going to play another tour through Poland named “Blitzkrieg 2” (17 gigs), a US tour along with CANNIBAL CORPSE and NAPALM DEATH (October / November) and participate in the December X-Mass Festivals. Nevertheless, the most important gig VADER played in 2004 was probably at Silesian Stadium, Katowice, where the band opened for METALLICA in front of 50,000 people.
The sessions for “The Beast” were finished in mid-July. The album hits the market on the 20th of September and contains 10 new cuts. They were recorded at RG Studio, Gdansk (Poland) with Piotr Lukaszewski behind the board, the producer well known from the band’s previous releases. Famous Polish artist Jacek Wisniewski took care of the album artwork and layout once again. The European limited edition of the album also contains a bonus DVD featuring a 30 minute studio report, 2 video clips recorded during the sessions, and 3 video cuts recorded at Metal Mania Festival 2003. Beware of “The Beast”!
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