Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Vader - Litany (2000)

I am not Vader's biggest fan if I am honest.  I find their sound to be very generic, meat and potatoes death metal that does little to stimulate the senses beyond the occasional respectful nod.  I hear good things about them all the time from peers but I just can't seem to get into them with similar levels of enthusiasm when I try to sit with any one of the numerous releases I have tried over recent years.

Litany doesn't really change anything as I revisited it recently and still unlocked no further entertainment than with previous outings.  Vocally I find Peter to always sound like he is struggling, his gruff style not really ingratiating the bands brand of death metal with anything robust enough to make it sound authentic.  This is not to say that I am expecting a range in his vocals - it is death metal after all - but they just don't hold up.

Musically the pace is there and the aggression too, but it all just sounds the same and only really is discernible as different tracks due to the leads.  That having been said the lead work is of good quality, not earth shattering or game changing, just competent.  And herein lies the problem.  I listen to a lot of music and like most people have to fit that in around my busy work life and equally chaotic home life.  Therefore music has to be really good to make me take time out of my day to acknowledge how good it is.  If I am in the middle of cooking a meal or working on a document for work then only the exceptional stuff gets to distract me, I don't have the attention capacity for the ordinary or mundane.  This doesn't make the records I attribute such scenarios to bad as such, just not good enough.

Litany won't make me burn dinner or forget to send emails anytime soon I am afraid.