The Summary Judgment Review:

	Title: The Beast Artist: Vader Label: Metal Blade Records Release Date: 9/21/04 Rating: 5 Skulls
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Abyss's Review (12/31/04):
This album had been out for awhile before it made its way to me, and because of that I'd already read numerous reviews of the album before note one hit my ears. Many of the reviews I read labeled Vader as a predictable "AC/DC of death metal," which may not be entirely inaccurate, but I think that label is misplaced with regard to The Beast. While this album is still undeniably the Vader mix of Slayer and Morbid Angel via Poland, they are in no way sitting on their laurels.
The Beast is an amazing death metal album that is the equal of my favorite albums from this band, De Profundis and Litany. Vader are strict death metal, they don't incorporate diverse musical styles in an attempt to juice up their sound, and yet, they are also always interesting, utilizing a knack for songwriting and a love for the music that prevents their work from sounding stale. They mix things up, but do it oh so subtly, resulting in an album that is uniquely recognizable amongst all of the other death metal acts out there, but also delivers all the base characteristics that fans of the genre crave. A simpler way to put it is that Vader set themselves apart from many in the death metal pack by playing straightforward death metal - they just do it better than almost everyone else.
I've never thought that this band ever got the accolades that they deserve, and I still don't think they do. And while it's easy to call them derivative due to many of the obvious influences they incorporate, they have a very unique sound. No one ever really mistakes them for anyone else, and there is a lot to be said for that.
The Beast is a much warmer album than Vader has done in the past, containing looser riffs that expand the bounds for traditional death metal. There is swagger and groove in many of these songs, something I wouldn't normally associate with Eastern Europe. Case in point is "The Sea Came In At Last," which is a quirky song that injects the organic nature of Orphanage's By Time Alone into the Vader formula with haunting and exquisite results. That song alone is worth the price of the CD, but the whole album has something to offer, with the only criticism being the rip off of a "Hell Awaits" riff at the end of "I Shall Prevail."
I won't kid myself by thinking that the metal community will finally appreciate what Vader have contributed, and continue to contribute to the death metal scene, because that most likely won't happen. But the simple fact is that this is one of the most impressive death metal albums of the year. One word review: Underrated.

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