I will never forget how excited I was when I first listened to the tape version ofthis stuff. It was, doubtlessly, one of the most interesting demos at the time. Additionally, “Necrolust” came from a Polish band, and it was, undoubtedly, something to be proud of. VADER turned out to be one of our bands that managed to get out of the Iron Curtain. They were the true harbingers. People in the West associated Polish music with State Folk Group of Song and Dance Mazowszeonly. Actually, a lot was going on back then here in Poland, as we had a number of good underground bands. We can’t forget about KAT and TSA which contributed a lot at the time, but it was VADER and IMPERATOR which attracted attention to our underground scene.
It was apparently VADER`s second demo “Morbid Reich” that started all this madness around these guys from the city of Olsztyn, but as far as I am concerned, it`ll forever be “Necrolust” that I see as their most important release, still veryheavily rooted in Black/Speed metal. These four tracks are a totallyInfernalorgy of sounds. The Peter`s vocal on this demoreminds me of the Quorthon`s one: deep, very reverberating – and totally fucking devastating. The vocal was different on “Morbid Reich,” – it was sung in a different way and sounded dissimilarly. But still, when VADER performed live shows, Peter was able to sing in this old and characteristic way for a long time. I think it was because of the lack of proper equipment and right people back then. Not always were the gig organizers able to provide the band with decent conditions, and thus it was necessary to use one`s throat maximallyso one could hear anything at all.
Stylistically, “Necrolust” is a significantly differentmaterial. After the live show that took place on April 05, 1986 (Metalmania #1), VADER decided to brutalize their music totally. Just three years after their live performance at Spodek, the band released this devastating “Necrolust.” Hard to understand how easy it was for VADER to transform that drastically. At the time, it was plenty of bands which strove to be considered the most brutal one. Thisyearn for speed fuelled the scene,asfans were hungry for an unlimited surge of energy. Well, in the case ofVADER it came naturally. And, in result, it didn’t take long for the underground to respond. “Necroloust” became one of the most popular tape-traded titles at the time. Almost everyone in the underground knew VADER. Also, back then, the band used to play a lot of live shows which, I am pretty sure of it, entrenched the band`s position immeasurably. Peter and his band were getting stronger and stronger extraordinarily fast. Hunger was brutal music was unearthly, and VADER live performanceswere just fucking amazing.
Thanks to numerous live shows, VADER polished their music skills pretty quick. Peter was not afraid to play live even in some really shitty conditions. This sacrifice combined withthe band`s murderous work quickly resulted in enormous respect from the scene; and, with every performance, the band themselves were constantly setting their musical goals higher and higher. This approach is evident when we listen to their second demo “Morbid Reich”, which is actually just a year older than their “Necrolust.”
The band grew significantly stronger, polished their live music performance skills and became a devastating machine heading incessantly towardunavoidable success. It has been a bumpy ride for VADER sometimes, and the guys have been through many hard times, but this three-piece band has always been determined and ready for a fight. Well, thank you guys for that. The world`d not be the same but for“Necrolust” or “Morbid Reich.”
I do like later VADER`s materials but itactually saddens me to see how far away VADER has departed from their first inspirations, and how much they have left behind their thrash elements so evident on their “Necrolust” or “Morbid Reich.”These juvenile fascinations of VENOM, BATHORY, SLAYER, and KREATOR have gradually faded away. New stuff is devoid of these influences. It is the“Tibiet Igni”album where the band have paid tribute their old fans again. I do hope it`ll happen again because this is what VADER is best at.
I have wondered for a long time why VADER have not re-released this stuff in the original version. Well, we`ve had to wait long 26 years to see this stuff re-released. Better late than never, and Bart from Witching Hour has done an amazing job – in result, we are offered a number of different versions:tape, two different cd versions,as well asa number of vinyl editions. Also, the sound quality is noteworthy. When I play the vinyl edition, I can clearly hear the guitars – which I was not able to before. It is all beautifully released, but the cover art is unfortunately different.
Thedie-hard version, on the other hand, has got an interesting poster with a unique VADER photo. Sadly, the demo hasn’t been put on both sides of the plate, that`d extend the music and be surely a better idea than this bland engraving on the B side. Also, it is sad there is no detailedbiography notes or interview dealing with the time when the stuff was first released. That`d complete this edition for sure.
Anyway, the fact that “Necrolust” was finally released in the vinyl format is exciting. Plus we got this mini-tour supporting the re-edition of these old demos. Well, I am sure this is something I’ll remember for a long time, and despite the fact I didn’t see VADER play their inaugurallive show in Bialystok, I managed to do so in the city in Sosnowiec. It was an unforgettable and extremely moving experience.
Leszek Wojnicz-Sianożęcki