Vader - Ultimate Incantation

Death Metal from a world away

When this hit U.S. shores in 1992, Florida, New York and California had burgeoning Death Metal scenes. There was the Birmingham, UK Death Metal scene as well but beyond that most other places were a mystery for this genre (speaking from a U.S. perspective). Behold Vader from Katowice, Poland!

Forming in 1986 and toiling around the Eastern European Thrash scene for while, and releasing at least two demos in the process, Vader was the first Death Metal band ever from Poland and one of the members of the first generation Death Metal club with members like Death, Morbid Angel, Obituary, Sadus, Immolation, Benediction and others. Back in the day, that was Vader's claim to fame -being from the other side of the "Iron Curtain" but playing a style being fomented in the West.

On the debut release, Vader definitely has there own sound but borrows heavily from both the "old school" (like Slayer, Kreator, Sodom and Possessed) as well as the "newer school" (like Morbid Angel/Terrorizer and Death). All the instruments are competent on this album. The guitars keep a constant pace and the riffs and wild solos are all executed with amazing technical grace and precision. The vocals also are not of the "cookie monster" variety and just sound like old school Death Metal or maybe even mid-eighties Thrash vocals. You can always hear what is being said and most importantly the vocals come across as being authentic. The bass is mostly inaudible but hey, that isn't usually the featured instrument in this genre unless your last name is DiGiorgio. The drums are sometimes bland but are at other times absolutely amazing like on "Testimony", "The Crucified Ones" and "Reign Carrion". The drumming is sometimes all played at once (for example the hi-hat on top of the snare at the same time the bass is playing single or double time) and is boring but at other times there are amazing feats of limb separation especially in the fills.

Here is classic Vader. The stuff legends are made of. The tempos here are a little bit more varied than their late 90s/early 2000s output. It is apparent from listening to this album that they hadn't quite cemented their sound but that doesn't take away from how awesome this album remains. If you've got this far in the review you owe it to yourself to buy. June 27, 2007

Excellent debut & their best effort to date

I have only heard 3 of Vade's albums, and this one is without a doubt the best of the 3. It is also the first one I heard. The other 2 I heard are The Beast and De Profundis. The Beast sounds a bit like Morbid Angel on their Domination album only faster. But The Ultimate Incantation is definetely Pure Vader. I think that most bands only make one album that is really really good, and they either do it with their debut or some time down the track when they gain experience, but Vader had all the experience when they released their debut, and they had more energy and imagination aswell. This is one of those classic death metal albums that you have to have in your collection if you're a fan of 90's death metal that is. Most of the death metal released in the 90's was superb, but there was probably only one album from each band that stood out for particular listeners. I have always liked a band's debut more than later efforts except for a few bands that actually got better with time like Sinister with their Hate album which is in my opinion their best release and Morbid Angel's Domination, but then Morbid Angel also did very well on their debut Alters Of Madness aswell, though they grew into a larger beast later with Domination. It's just like how Metallica's debut Kill Em All is their most liked, but so is the black album, but I also like Ride The Lightning aswell, maybe even more. It's just personal taste really. But it does also have a lot to do with how much effort was put into the album, and Vader's The Ultimate Incantation seems to me that Vader put a lot more effort and energy into than the the other 3 albums I've heard. I suspect that they have not and will not ever release a cd as powerful, as imaginative, as atmospheric or as epic as The Ultimate Incantation.
The production is typically early 90's with a low treble sound and much of that blocked sound that sounds like you're listening to it from inside a closed box while the stereo is outside the box. Well, I happen to like this sound very much and admire all early 90's death metal that have this sound incorporated into their production. Some bands had too much treble, but that is the other side of the scale. Really when it comes down to the core it doesn't really matter about production as much as the skill of the band, and Vader have the skills to make some of the most exhilerating death metal ever produced.
When I listen to this album I feel like I'm being taken on a journey much like a movie. I can't explain in words what the journey looks like in my head, but it is like the ultimate movie that can change with every listen but also comes back to the original feelings I get when I listen to it.
Every track on this album is 5 stars. I never skip a track, especially because skipping tracks in this album defeats the purpose of the story telling, it's like an epic tale being told and you must not miss out on a chapter or the rest will not make as much sence.
This is one of the deepest and most image provoking albums of all time. Get it, and then prepare to journey through Vader's astonishing worlds of chaos, reincarnation, sorcery, death, a state of mind unimagined.

This is the only album that has the power to take your mind and thoughts to another world that is like the hell that we death metal fans dream of as our home.

If you don't have this cd and you are a death metal fan, I feel sorry for you, because you my friend are missing out on The Ultimate Incantation. February 10, 2007

Original? No. Good? Yes.

Vader may not be the most original band on the planet, but they're so good at this style that they can get away with it. There is certainly more brutal death metal out there. In fact, this album is actually quite catchy! This is part of what makes Vader so effective. This album is clearly crafted with honesty as opposed to an attempt at sounding as "extreme" and "brutal" as possible.
Comparisons with Morbid Angel are obvious and this album shares many similarities with "Covenant". Saying that should be enough to tell you whether or not you will like this.
March 7, 2005

Classic death metal

Vader is definitely a respectable death metal band despite the age of this album. Great music all around, drums, guitar, vocals, even the bass shines. For those who believe all music is lyrics, these guys know what they're doing. They try for pure evil in a way that even Cannibal Corpse could respect. A good example is the begining of the invocation of Cthulhu in "Testimony" with the lines in between "Conquer your fear, chant incantation, and call the ancient ones." This is a great cd, over a decade old; which I only mention seeing how I'm the first one to post a review. I'd hate to think I'm the only person out here with this cd, so if you're thinking about buying it they're only charging like four bucks, buy it. It's worth it, it's worth more than that, this is a steal. March 25, 2003

top notch death metal

Vader's debut album is so mature, well produced and full of headbangable riffs straight from the Morbid Angel playbook, that one is inclined to wonder why it is not considered among the greatest debut releases in metal history. This is 100% percent death metal in every sense of the word... relentless blasts, meatgrinder vocals ala David Vincent, wailing leads and riffs that will make you wanna ... slap your own momma. This is the CD Morbid should of made after Covenant. November 27, 2002

More reviews at Amazon.com ...