By: AvNatten

Posted: Sep 26, 2006

These Polish purveyors of death metal have been hammering out albums for more than a decade now and created quite a stir with their "The Art Of War" EP which was released last year, when it threw Vader's fans in a frenzy and left them hungry and wanted more brutality. "Impressions In Blood" is served to the fans on a silver platter dripping with hatred.
 
The disc starts off with the eerie ambience of an epic keyboard intro that goes by the title of 'Between Day And Night', the title alone holds such an eerie quality and makes one think of the transformations the world may go through and we not know about when the day shifts to night. The grandiose keyboard moment does not last long though before you are catapulted face first into 'Shadowsfear' which contains one of the best guitar solos on the album. The guitar work is delivered mostly at the rapid speed you would expect from Vader but they do incorporate the needed tempo changes and even once in a while break down into a slower chunky groove. The drumming is exceptional and crashes all around you, lightening fast double pedal work and blast beats are abound. Lyrically there is a lot of hatred for christianity and religion in general which is showcased in the track 'Helleluyah! (God Is Dead)'. Peter's vocals sure get the point across but on repeated listenings the track loses its intensity and becomes rather mundane.
 
Their is no doubting the skill of each musician that contributed to this recording and although the album contains a few stellar moments here and there, one gets the feeling that something is missing especially if you are a fan of older Vader. Though there is plenty of brutality on "Impressions In Blood", but the necessary bite and ferocity the tracks need to tear your world apart is absent. The tracks contained around the middle of the album hammer on seemingly aimlessly. Although the slow tempo of 'Predator' seems to drag on and on the track does contain some great guitar elements and viciously growling vocals, if only there were more hard hitting elements to the song, it would be pushed over the top and standout among all the others.
 
This is a valiant effort by a band that has stood the test of time and has not compromised their sound too much over the years. The recent additions of incorporating more grandiose elements in their songs proves that they are still changing and evolving, perhaps reaching for a higher goal that they have yet to attain. Newer fans of the band will probably latch on easily to this album while the long time fans would be advised to approach with a little caution and an open mind.

Rating: 6/10

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