Blood + Reign Forever World
There are very few bands that have managed to weave a web of mystery around them. Very few have survived and kept going strong until today. When faced with the question 'which' people tend to mention American death-mongers with the likes of MORBID ANGEL, DEICIDE or CANNIBAL CORPSE ... However, for a few years now in the same breath many have named VADER - perhaps the only band from Europe which has sustained it's status for a 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 American continent in May and June of the same year. Communication breakdown with their label led to the termination of the 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 live 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 shows 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 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 this year VADER opened for SLAYER during their one-off stop in Poland. The end of 1998 marked the inking of the contract with one of the most respected and genre-defining metal labels in the world - Metal Blade. In March 1999 VADER played their first headlining American tour - "International Extreme Music Festival '99" - which featured the line-up of GORGUTS, CRYPTOPSY, NILE, DIVINE EVE and several others. In May the band played at METALMANIA - the biggest Polish festival, with the likes of GRIP INC., SAMAEL and ANATHEMA. June marked yet another European trek with SIX FEET UNDER, ENSLAVED, CRYPTOPSY, THYRFING and NILE while the rest of the summer season was filled with numerous appearances at festivals in Germany, Belgium, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland and the season-concluding opening slot during the Polish leg of TESTAMENT's European tour. In November and December 1999 the band disappeared in the Red Studio to record a brand new album titled "Litany" which was released in March. The album comprises over 30 minutes of fast-paced and uncompromising death metal. 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 VADER embarked on a 30-date European tour with VITAL REMAINS, FLESHCRAWL, and THE CROWN.In the meantime, between July and October, the band recorded in the Red Studio a new MCD 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, and the second as a headliner, trek to the United States. The latter's bill also featured CRYPTOPSY, DEEDS OF FLESH, DYING FETUS and CEPHALIC CARNAGE. 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 their new studio album, which was released on the 3rd of June 2002. "Revelations" was recorded in the Red Studio again, while the board duties were 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), during the No Mercy Festivals 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. The album "Revelations" was very intensively promoted for almost a year and a half. There were many festivals in summer 2002, and right after VADER toured Europe and the US. Before their flight to USA they stayed in Japan for 5 days and played some shows there. In December the first tour ever in Brazil happened. 2003 started with shows in France in February and in April another European tour with DERANGED, ARKON INFAUSTUS and ARISE was played followed by the infamous Polish Metal Mania festival and two more festivals in Scandinavia - Inferno Metal Festival and Motala Festival in Finland and Sweden. In June VADER visited Israel for the first time in their career (1000 people going nuts!) and in the summer the band played some festivals again: Wacken Open Air, Party San, Nuclear Storm and the biggest 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 and new in the band is now Novy (ex-BEHEMOTH). The release of the new MCD is scheduled for the 22nd of September. That same month VADER are setting off on a Polish tour (17 concerts) with DECAPITATED, FRONTSIDE and VESANIA. In October they will take part in Art Of Noise Part 2 with NILE, KREATOR and AMON AMARTH in the USA. Right after, the band will start the recordings for a new studio album, which is expected in spring 2004.