Vader
28th May 2023
Whammy! Bar, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Kev Rowland. Photography by Mark Derricutt.
There was a lot going on at Whammy! with four bands on a Sunday night, but for whatever reason the doors didn’t open when expected, which meant they were already running a little behind from the start, and as I walked into the venue Imperial Slave were ready to kick off the night with Fear and Hate. Apparently guitarist Anthony Hati was in hospital, so the guys were operating as a quartet tonight, but they were not going to let that stop them tearing the place apart. Since I saw them last they have been playing in Europe, which means they are operating on a whole new level of tightness. If Isaac Lundy was having to work overtime he wasn’t showing it as they blasted through Liars Traitors before Sam stopped to tell everyone who they were. Imperial Slave may not have been around for too long, but they are honed, aggressive and brutal, just the right thing to open for three Polish bands and to show we also know what we are doing down here at the end of the world.
Even when they slow it down we all know it is not going to be for long, and without the second guitar it was much easier to hear how much both bassist Achilles Manley and drummer Matt Wright bring to the overall sound, while Sam has definitely grown into his role as frontman and it is now difficult to think of him as a drummer, as he was born for this – in total control at all times. They are currently back in the studio recording their second album, and we were treated to a new song from that, Exterminate, which shows they are becoming more aggressive than ever, and if this is a sign of what is to come then it promises to be something very special indeed. They have a real groove at times, always mixing it up, and Isaac used the opportunity to show just what a shredder he is, ripping up and down the frets so they lost none of their power. They ended with Imperial Slaves, and while their set was way too short, it clearly showed they are one of our finest metal acts and surely they will soon be building more of a name for themselves overseas.
There were huge cheers as Thy Disease came onto the stage to a backing track, and then we were off. They are a death metal act with the riffs tied in very strongly to the drums, while vocalist Syrus has a very deep growl indeed. Having not come across these guys before I was surprised at just how melodic they are, with Ireq certainly changing it up on the kit, utilising every cymbal and cowbell at hand to create nuances and cut through while Yanuary and Andrzej keep pushing from the front. It just goes to show how many styles there are within one genre as they are very different indeed to the Kiwis who had come before them. The use of samples is a nice way of breaking up the overall sound, and at times the atmosphere feels more akin to blackened death, but when they get going there is no doubt what they are about. Bloody Treatment soon gave way to Crashing The Soul, and they continued to change the tempo, style and attack.
Thy Disease weren’t just playing newer material either, taking us all the way back to 2002 and Ultimate Reign from their second album. They were more direct in the earlier parts of their career, and this was definitely quicker and more aggressive than what they had been playing so far, with good old fashioned blast beats and complex lead lines. They were certainly working through their catalogue tonight, showing just why they have been one of the top Polish bands for some time, now giving us the very bass heavy Freedom for Anshur-Za which is also more than a decade old. Working through material like this was taking us through different stages of their career and different sounds, all within death metal, but playing around in the genre with more in the technical death metal style than I expected, while Syrus was always in total control. The announcement of Slave State got loads of cheers, and the syncopated riffs soon turned into an unholy groove. They ended with the straight-ahead brutality of Dissected God, and the crazy mosh pit at the front just kept going, shouting in time, having a blast.
Adam the First Sinner (Adam Buzsko) may be the only constant, but Hate (the one from Warsaw) have now been active for more than 30 years, which is a massive achievement for any band, let alone one which has been operating at the extremes of metal all that time. Originally a full-on death metal act they have moved more to blackened death in recent years, and over the last decade they have released one album every two years so are highly active. Joining Adam, who provides vocals and guitar, are Domin (guitar) and Tiermes (bass) while Nar-Sil got things off to a dynamic start pounding the kit furiously during the introductory backing track. Adam stared imperiously at the crowd as they kicked into Sovereign Sanctity, staying perfectly still while he was singing, allowing the others to demonstrate the energy, only letting himself go when there were no vocals. There was a real sense of a commanding presence, and the first band of the night to have twin guitars were pushing the melodic interplay to the max. The introduction to Threnody had people shouting in time, and soon we were off into death metal which somehow has a melodic groove. By now the crowd were very warmed up indeed and responding to everything which was happening in front of them, and the crunching riffs of Valley Of Darkness were taken to new heights by the judicious use of kick drum blasts. Even though there is a lot going on within the arrangements, there is somehow also plenty of space, with the drums often being the element which takes the music in different directions, bringing in additional melodies and nuances.
The Wolf Queen talks about the glory of Perkūnas, and this is the only time I have come across the Baltic God of Thunder, but the lyrics fit perfect with the maelstrom created by Hate who showed they can stop and start with ease, using gaps in the music to create contrast which worked incredibly well, making the return seem even heavier. They segued from this straight into Luminous Horizon, and soon everyone was chanting in time as the groove being created was incredibly infectious. They left the stage while a tape built some atmosphere and then they were back with pounding Erebos, which contains some black metal elements, but is brutal and gnarly. Lyrics are a very strong point with these guys, and given English is not their first language they could give lessons to many other bands with the complex ideas and constructs they provide, fully in keeping with the numerous musical threads they weave together. They segued from this straight into Resurrection Machine and there were many shouts of recognition, showing just how many true Hate fans were in tonight. This is yet another where the song contains many sections, different tempos and styles with loads of complexity and different attacks. They ended the set with the title cut of their most recent album, Rugia, which has the most black metal influences of the night so far.
Peter, (guitar, vocals) has been the one constant in Vader since they were formed 40 years ago, and these days they are completed by Spider (guitar), Hal (bass) and Michał Andrzejczyk (drums). Finally the stage was in darkness, Macbeth was played through the speakers, and the band slowly made their way onto the stage and then they were there, blasting out the introduction to Dark Age with Peter in full control. They were just into their first song but already the intensity had been rammed through the roof, and the crowd were responding in kind. They were playing at incredible speed, with the rhythm section setting a driving pace and the two guitarists providing incredible note density as they wove and interwove the melodies ripping straight into Vicious Circle. They took a breather so Peter could talk to the crowd and then ramped it straight up again with Chaos, blending black metal and death in a way which is inspired and shows why they have been at the top of the game for so long. So far, all the songs featured on their 1992 debut album The Ultimate Incantation, as did their next one, The Crucified Ones. Billed as their 40th Anniversary Tour, the Poles were going back in time right from the off. Everyone here knew the material, and I must confess even though I have been a fan for years I never thought we would see them in Aotearoa, and they were everything I hoped for.
It was interesting to see how often they were smiling at each other on stage, as although they are many thousands of miles from home the crowd were treating them as homecoming heroes and the reaction to everything they were doing was massively positive. After songs from the first album they now gave us Shock and Awe from their latest release, Solitude In Madness, and somehow they ramped it up even more than it had been already. If they had been at 10 they were now at 12 (no Spinal Tap 11 for these guys), and then blasted straight into the next track, Into Oblivion, as if they were on a mission to destroy Whammy Bar once and for all. To hear music this powerful and complex in a venue this small is simply insane and it was turning into a very special night indeed for all who were here. Somehow, Triumph of Death became a singalong with the crowd ensuring they were as involved as possible even though the band were not slowing down for anything.
This is a band who can blend and mix complex music played at incredible speed but always with a purpose and direction so it is easy to follow – even though it must be a nightmare to play. The announcement of a song from 1995’s De Profundis was met with loud cheers and suddenly we were into the chaos which is Silent Empire. It was almost as if the longer they played the more their fingers relaxed which allowed them to play even more quickly, and certainly this is what those at the front wanted to hear. They then followed this with another from the same album, Blood of Kingu, before ripping into the more groove-laden What Colour Is Your Blood? Vadis were not showing any signs whatsoever of slowing down, and given Peter is now in his late fifties that is quite something. I was worn out just watching them, let alone playing with this speed and ferocity for as long as they had. Helleluyah!!! (God Is Dead) started with a black metal introduction before blasting into the anthem it has always been, the crowd with their arms in the air challenging the band to deliver even more. We were on the home straight now as the band launched into Bones, but they were still being as intricate and powerful as they had been more than an hour ago: Vader are a force of nature, dynamic and always changing but impossible to contain. It is one of the fastest songs in the set but here it was near the end, then they took it even further by finishing the set with the mighty Cold Demons.
For those who think death metal is just a noise played very quickly then they need to listen intently to Vader as the melodies they provide are intricate and breathtaking. They had now finished their extended set, but there was no way they were going to be allowed to leave without an encore, so soon they gave into the demands and made their way back onto the stage, ripping into the opening track from 2000’s Litany, Wings, before ending the night with Carnal. This was a heck of an experience, and anyone into death metal who has missed these shows are certainly going to regret it, as this was an incredible evening from four great bands, and let us hope Vader soon find their way to these shores again.
Vader:
Hate:
Thy Disease:
Imperial Slave:
Were you there at Whammy! Bar for this epic metal gig? Or have you seen Vader perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Vader Setlist:
- Macbeth (intro)
- Dark Age
- Vicious Circle
- Chaos
- The Crucified Ones
- Shock and Awe
- Into Oblivion
- Triumph of Death
- Wolftribe
- Devil (Intro)
- Epitaph
- Whisper
- Silent Empire
- Blood of Kingu
- What Colour Is Your Blood?
- When Darkness Calls
- Sothis
- Helleluyah!!! (God Is Dead)
- Bones
- Cold Demons
- Wings [encore]
- Carnal [encore]
Note: Ambient Light was provided passes to review and photograph this concert. As always, this has not influenced the review in any way and the opinions expressed are those of Ambient Light’s only. This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase a product using an affiliate link, Ambient Light will automatically receive a small commission at no cost to you.
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